OSU Round Robin Stats

-Teams attending the tournament went a combined 73-31 last season. They’ve gone a combined 122-60 the last two seasons. That’s a .670 win percentage.

-There are two former National Champions in the tournament (SVSU and OSU) and three former National Runner Ups in the tournament (SVSU, OSU, and UK)

-This is the first “major” tournament of the season. Last year’s first “major” tournament featured three Final Four Teams (Kent State, SVSU, and GVSU) and the 2010-2011 season’s first “major tournament” featured one Final Four team (MSU). Who will make the Final Four from this tournament?

-All five of the teams attending were in the quarterfinals the year before. 3 of the teams attending (SVSU, Kent, and Kentucky) made the semifinals, while both MSU (3-2 to SVSU) and OSU (2-1 to Kent) were one point short of making the semifinals. Only one other tournament this season features a field made up entirely of Quarterfinalists, and that is the Michigan Dodgeball Cup in February.

-In the 2010-2011 season, the Nationals 2010 Runner Up Central Michigan went 3-1,  against the 2010 Champion Grand Valley, while finishing their season by defeating them in the championship game. In the 2011-2012 season, Nationals 2011 Runner Up GVSU went 1-2, but ended the Chippewas season. Can Kentucky make it three straight years a team gets revenge over the National Champion?

-Speaking of getting revenge, the Spartans will want some against the Cardinals as well. It was a tale of halves for State vs SVSU this past season- combining the first half of their first match with the second halves of their later two matches, the Spartans would lead the scoring 6-1. However, in the three other halves, the Cards would lead 9-1 themselves. So whichever team can put together a full game should be the winner if this match if it happens. The last time that SVSU and MSU met on a neutral court was at BGSU in the Fall of 2009. The Cardinals would go on to win that game in a close one.

-Kent State has a lot to prove in the tournament. Last season they were able to beat OSU and Kentucky, but their score against the three main Michigan schools they faced was a combined 16-3 against them. However, the Flashes haven’t had a chance at SVSU the past two seasons, and their closest game against one of the big Michigan schools was against MSU (4-2 at East Lansing) so this might be their opportunity to prove they belong.

-Ohio State is known for the excellence in playing slow ball, and it has worked great against the schools attending the tournament. They knocked off SVSU at Nationals 2010 to make the National Semifinals, and since then their point total in matches against teams participating in the tournament is 16-25. The most points in one of those matches they’ve played in is 5 points. So they are forcing teams to play to their tempo, they just need to force more victories. Their average points scored in a match is just 1.45 and they’re allowing 2.23 points per game against foes competing in this tournament. So they need to either speed up their tempo and try something new, or they need to close out points better.

-So who’s the favorite for the tournament? Since the start of the 2010-2011 season, SVSU has the best record at 9-1 vs the other teams in the tournament. However, the Cardinals lost some of their key players, such as Ryan Schian, Jason Stein, Jordan Elliot, Josh Brettrager, and Bryan Janick. It could be Michigan State, who is undefeated vs teams outside of Michigan minus one loss to JMU last season at Nationals, but they too have big shoes to fill. Kentucky could fit the bill, as they return the vast majority of their roster, but they have never beaten a Big Four Michigan school, and with two on the docket it could be tough. Ohio State has the home court advantage, but they have already lost to Kent State this season. Kent State is in the same position as Kentucky, but without the leadership of Ryan Menn and Kyle Fitzpatrick it will be trial by fire for the new leadership group. Basically, the round robin has no favorite. It’s anyone’s game. Could a team come out unscathed? Definitely. But there’s no guarantee. The OSU Round Robin is on October 14th, and it looks like it should be the tournament of the Fall.

New Rookie Class Looking Strong

A new group of Spartan Dodgeballers has joined the Michigan State Club Dodgeball Team, and this could be the best class since the 2009-2010 class. With a ton of diverse players coming together, it’s a unique class with a wide array of talents to help the team out. The class includes some power throwers, some pure catchers, some blockers, and a few people who can do a little bit of everything. There’s also a wide age range, with some seniors to go along with mostly freshmen and sophomores.

The players have all come from different dodgeballing backgrounds as well. Sophomore Tim Leszczynski played with the team towards the end of the season last year, and freshman Colin O’Brien says “I’ve played dodgeball every summer at my camp where I was a camper and now am a counselor as well as my high school had two dodgeball tournaments a year which were my favorite Fridays of the year.” Freshman Alex Starbird says that he wanted to play dodgeball because “It’s something different that not many other people get to play.”

The players have all loved it so far as well, with O’Brien saying “It’s been great thus far. The level of competition is great and forces me to improve every practice.” Starbird adds “I’ve really enjoyed playing so far, each practice has been a lot of fun.” The rookies are all getting better as well, as Starbird says “I feel like I have gotten better in the first couple weeks because I now know that there is strategy to the game and it’s not just a free for all.”

But the season is just beginning, and some of the players already are excited for later events. “I’m really looking forward to the first tournament and getting out there in a real game where playing as a team and winning really matters” states O’Brien.

Assistant Captain Kevin Miller feels like this is a good group of rookies. “The rookies have been showing a lot of promise this year. They are working well as a team and play a fearless game. There is a lot of good talent in this group. The returning players from last year will need to play hard if they want to stay on the varsity roster.”

With this recruiting class, the Spartans could make a good run towards both the Michigan Dodgeball Cup title and National Championship if they continue to improve, not just this year but also in the future.

Baller of the Week: Ian Childs

 

Ian is in his sixth year with the team, and was a captain for three previous years. He’s on of the vocal leaders of the team and also has one of the most electric arms on the team. Ian can throw straight or cross, and is always looking for the chance to blast an opponent to get the team going. His excellent defensive skills also allow him to be a great weapon in end game scenarios.

2012 MSU Invite Information

The 2012 MSU Invite will be hosted at IM West on MSU’s campus from 11am-6pm on November 4th. Joining the host school will be in-state rival CMU, last year’s top team in the regular season in Kent State, court jesters Depaul, a tough team in Bowling Green, and upstart Moody Bible. The pools have been set and a preliminary schedule has been created as well.

In Pool A (played in the Sports Arena) will be the Spartans, BGSU, and Depaul. MSU is the two time defending champion of the tournament, and would love to make it a three-peat. Bowling Green has some power arms to go along with some shifty players and catchers, and while they haven’t beaten the Spartans since the 2007-2008 season, they always put up a tough fight. In fact, State usually drops the first point against the Falcons, which means that if BGSU could continue this trend their could be an upset in the making. The third team in the pool is Depaul, who is currently 1-0 on the young season. They beat rival Moody Bible 3-1 in the season’s opening match, and the Blue Demons could definitely pull out some wins in this tournament if they play to win. Depaul is a regular at the MSU Invite, so it’s nice to see them come back once again.

The Pool A Schedule:

11am- Michigan State vs Bowling Green

12:15pm- Bowling Green vs Depaul

1:30pm- Michigan State vs Depaul

Pool B (played in Gym 3) features the top two teams from the last two regular seasons and also a team who has been making strides in its first two years in the league. The headlining team is the Chippewas of Central Michigan, who won the 2011 National Tournament, but this will be a new look CMU team without many of its veteran players. However, they still have many of their top tier talent left and should still be able to catch almost anything. Last year’s number one team in the regular season is in a similar situation to CMU due to the loss of leadership and talent up top, but Kent State has already beaten a tough Ohio State team this year. The Golden Flashes could be the number one seed again at Nationals as they load up their schedule once again this season, and the MSU Invite will be their second tournament in as many weeks. The Archers of Moody Bible may have lost their first game at home to Depaul, but they were in it all the way and could easily pull out a couple wins in the tournament. They have new leadership this year, but they still have some firepower and could possibly sneak up on either CMU or Kent State.

The Pool B Schedule:

11am- CMU vs Kent State

12:15pm- Kent State vs Moody

1:30pm- CMU vs Moody

After the preliminary rounds of games the first place teams from each pool, second place teams, and third place teams will all play each other.

2:45pm- Pool A 2nd Place vs Pool B 2nd Place (Sports Arena), Pool A 3rd Place vs Pool B 3rd Place (Gym 3)

4:00pm- Pool A 1st Place vs Pool B 1st Place

The MSU Invite could be one of the most exciting tournaments of the fall, with the possibility of some big rivalry matches and some unique matches of teams who rarely play each other.

Baller of the Week: Eric Paul

Eric is in his fourth season with the MSU Club Dodgeball Team, and is one of the best players in team history. He’s a two time All-Star and was named to the All-NCDA team in 2012. Eric has a great arm to go with elite catching skills and is an absolute force on the court for the Spartans. He’s had a couple great weeks of practices in a row as he tries to make the All-NCDA team again in 2013 and help lead the Spartans to a title.

2012 MSU Invite Date Set

The 2012 MSU Invite will be on November 4th at IM West on MSU’s campus. The tournament will either be a five team round robin, or a six team pool play tournament, depending on interest. Some of the teams already expressing interest include James Madison, Kent State, Depaul, Moody, Bowling Green, and Central Michigan. The Spartans are looking at winning the tournament for the third straight season. In 2010 the tournament was held off campus at Aim High, and the Spartans would go 3-0, beating Depaul 12-0, Bowling Green 4-2, and Western Illinois 7-0 in the championship. Last season, in IM West, State knocked off Ohio State, Kent State, Depaul, and Eastern Michigan on route to winning the title.

Baller of the Week: Nicole Halbeisen

 

Nicole is entering her fourth year with the club dodgeball team, and has been team secretary for the past few seasons. She may be one of the smallest players in the league, but she is also one of the sneakiest and most fearless players in dodgeball. Nicole is also extremely dedicated to the team and her ability to catch, throw, and dodge make her a great addition to the squad.

Q: What’s your favorite dodgeball memory so far?

Nicole: It’s hard to remember my favorite memory, but one of them would be when I once caught a ball between my knees.

Q: What makes you one of the bravest players in the league?

Nicole: I think people first look at my size and think I’m brave that I’m just out on the court. I’m also not scared of getting hit, so that’s why I don’t fear approaching the other team to grab a ball or to try to get someone out.

Q: What is it about dodgeball that makes you like it so much?

Nicole: My favorite part of dodgeball is all of the good friends I have made over the years, and being competitive while still having fun.

Sparticipation A Huge Success For State

Michigan State’s annual club recruiting fair, known as Sparticipation, was a huge success for the Club Dodgeball team. MSU had over 180 sign ups and passed out over 800 flyers. With the first practice coming up Tuesday, September 4th, MSU is looking at having a huge turnout. The Spartans gave away some t-shirts to people who threw over 45 miles per hour on the radar gun, had Sparty throw a dodgeball, and helped get a ton of interest set up for the club. The team is hoping to get over 100 people to the first practice for the fourth straight season.

The first practice is this Tuesday, and then practices will be every Tuesday and Thursday after that for the remainder of the school year.