jmu – NCDA

Cavalier Clash IV Recap

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The fourth Cavalier Clash lived up to its billing, delivering a weekend of statement victories, breakout performances, and reshuffled regional power dynamics. With the East Coast Dodgeball scene heating up, all three squads left Charlottesville with plenty to build on, though some left with more answers than others.

Cavalier Clash IV

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The fourth edition of the Cavalier Clash comes to Charlottesville as three teams on much different trajectories will take the court. JMU enters as the favorite, riding momentum from a dominant start and a top-10 national ranking. UVA looks to make a statement with its full roster finally back in action, while Maryland aims to turn close losses into breakthrough wins. With every team eager to prove something, Charlottesville is set for a weekend of high-intensity, high-stakes dodgeball.

John Betters Bobcat Bonanza IV Preview

Ten of the collegiate dodgeball’s finest will converge in southeast Ohio this Saturday in what is billed as the tournament of the season to this point. Eight of the nation’s top-ten teams will be in attendance, and the schedule is lined with juggernauts squaring off for the first time this season. Four regions will be represented in Athens, offering fans a rare first-semester preview of matchups typically reserved for nationals. Let’s take a look at the programs and bouts that will invade Ohio University and put on a first-class show.

Maryland Madness VI Recap

The sixth edition of Maryland Madness delivered everything East Coast dodgeball fans could ask for—tight finishes, breakout performances, and an early look at the region’s power hierarchy. Host Maryland pushed James Madison to overtime before fading late, while the Dukes shook off their opener to steamroll rival Virginia in a statement win. UVA, shorthanded but resilient, managed a solid victory over the Terps before running into JMU’s relentless firepower. From highlight catches to dominant throwing displays, the tournament set the tone for a fiercely competitive 2025 season.

Maryland Madness VI Preview

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – East Coast Dodgeball is finally back. This Saturday, September 20th, Maryland (UMD) will host Virginia (UVA) and James Madison (JMU) in the first East Coast action of the season. After a competitive finish to last year’s East Coast season (including an overtime thriller in the East Coast Dodgeball Cup championship game), the stage is set for an electric first tournament. Let’s take a look at the schedule and teams:

Maryland

Maryland opens the season at 19th in the NCDA standings. They’ll start off by facing JMU in the first match of the tournament, and it should be a good one. UMD’s defensive style, anchored by the arm of Senior All-East Coast corner Adam Butz, makes them a tough matchup for any team in the association. After the first-ever win against JMU last year in program history, as well as competitive games against UVA throughout the season, UMD is prepared to come out of the gate hot. Should the Terps play mistake-free and stay composed, they have a huge opportunity to upset both of their Saturday opponents.

James Madison

The Dukes open their 2025 campaign at 10th in the overall standings, for the first time in recent history opening the season not the undisputed favorite to win the East Coast. That doesn’t mean this team still isn’t dangerous, though – the reigning ECDC champs still possess the best arm talent in the region, returning the talented arms of All-East Coast selections Jaxson Hannie, Preston Anderson, and Ryan Pendleton, among others. To start their ECDC defense off on the right foot, the Dukes need to stay composed and take advantage of their arms, and rely on clutch catching as they have in the past. JMU is elite at exploiting their opponents’ mistakes, and should they capitalize as they have in the past, they’ll start the season off 2-0.

UVA

After a program-best season in 2024, UVA sits atop the East Coast at #9 in the overall NCDA standings. The Cavaliers believe their catch-first, ask questions later game plan sets them up very well against the rest of the East Coast, and the NCDA in general. However, UVA will be without 2024 All-East Coast and Third-team All-American Grady Holmes for Maryland Madness, and a lackluster Virginia performance in College Park could raise questions about the Hoos’ depth as we progress further into the season, especially after losing Second-team AA selection Kenji McCartney and All-East Coast selection Joseph Beauchamp in the offseason. Nevertheless, when UVA is on their game, focused, and communicating, they might just be the best catching team in the league.

Other thoughts: During the tournament, there will be a scrimmage for freshmen and rookies, and a potential inclusion for a new team in the league: UMBC. This way, new players can get some tournament experience to get them amped up for league games later in the season. We should be in for some really competitive games – there was at least one overtime period at every regional event last season, and all signs point to renewed competition this year. Games will be streamed starting at 10:00 AM.

East Region Preview 2025-2026

No region in the NCDA brings more tension and bad blood than the East Coast. Every matchup feels personal, every rivalry runs deep. Yet for all the passion, the East hasn’t had a team make the national title game since the now-defunct Towson Tigers claimed the title in 2019. This season, the landscape shifts: Virginia has stormed into the #1 spot, overtaking perennial powerhouse JMU and putting the entire East Coast on notice. With bragging rights, bitter rivalries, and national respect at stake, the East enters the year starving for redemption. The hunger is real — the only question is, who will rise from the fire and carry the this region back to glory?

East Coast Dodgeball Cup

Beast XIII

East Coast Dodgeball Cup Preview

By Daniel Fernald

As we enter the inaugural East Coast Dodgeball Cup, it is truly a tournament that anyone can win. While JMU and Penn State come in as definite favorites, UMD and UVA are sleeper teams who can hang with anyone if they get hot. Given the nature of the 4 team round robin format, there could be some intriguing storylines. Let’s talk more about who will be competing to cement their name as the first-ever East Coast champion.

East Coast Dodgeball Cup

BEAST XII Preview

Entering what is the largest annual East Coast tournament and also one of the most intriguing tournaments across the nation, we have BEAST (Big Eastern Appalachian Super Tournament) this Saturday, February 10th, at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, VA. Let’s take a look at some of the competitors this weekend starting with the out-of-region squads.

By Daniel Fernald (UMD) and Ethan Lehmkuhl (OSU)

Summit Street Slugfest VII Recap

This past weekend saw the completion of what will likely be the largest pre-nationals tournament of the semester. Don’t worry if you missed any action because we’ve got you covered with a full recap below.

By Ethan Lehmkuhl (OSU) and Rylan Close (Kent)

Summit Street Slugfest VII Preview

A new semester has come upon us, and with that, the NCDA will return to the corner of Ted Boyd Drive & Summit Street in beautiful Kent, Ohio for the first time since 2019. This tournament will be held on Sunday, January 28th, and will feature 10 teams spanning from East Lansing, Michigan, all the way down to Harrisonburg, Virginia, as well as 7/8 of the Ohio teams, and the Nittany Lions of Penn State. This tournament is putting some big names up against each other as we will see a total of EIGHT top-10 match-ups as this will certainly show who are the contenders versus the pretenders. Down below, we have the schedule, the links to each YouTube channel that will be streaming, and previews for all 10 teams attending.

By Mitchell Porter (Kent) & Rylan Close (Kent)

Mid-Season Recap: East Coast Region

By Daniel Fernald

Cavalier Clash Recap

The final East Coast tournament of the fall semester saw another matchup between Virginia, Maryland, and James Madison University. This event was business as usual if you only consider wins and losses, but a closer look reveals some interesting takeaways about how spring might look out east.

JMU 3-1 UMD
UVA 3-1 UMD
JMU 4-2 UVA