NCDA – Page 10 – National Collegiate Dodgeball Association

Power Rankings: March 2023

Team writeups provided by the NCDA Power Ranking Panel

1) Michigan State – The clear #1 team in the country, Michigan State continued their historic season at the Michigan Dodgeball Cup where they went 4-0, including a clutch comeback victory over Grand Valley State in the final match of the day. There is plenty of dodgeball left to be played, but the Spartans are currently on pace to be the first school since GVSU in 2009 to be undefeated National Champions. Led by the likes of Jack Girling, Barry Butler III, Josh Kramer, and DQ McClean, this MSU roster has an insane amount of experience to go along with a solid group of talented young players. Expect MSU to remain the NCDA favorite heading into April.

Meet the Staff

The NCDA Content Team produces articles, graphics, videos, photography, spreads and more! We asked members to share their role, what they’ve been working on, and what they’re hoping to accomplish this season.

Meet the team!

Zanderthon Throw-Down 7 Preview

It is another weekend of dodgeball and Platteville is hosting the the 7th annual Zanderthon Throw-Down on February 25th. Although, this time around it will just be the current players vs the alumni, we are still expecting to see some exciting matchups and some entertaining dodgeball. The day will start out with a full NCDA match between the current team and alumni followed by mixing up teams to compete in a 6v6 round robin tournament that will end with the top two teams in the championship match! Let’s take a look at each of the teams below and the schedule for the day.

2023 Ohio Dodgeball Cup Preview

The 2023 Ohio Dodgeball Cup will take place this Saturday, February 25th. Ohio State University will be host to this year’s tournament which features an 8-team, single-elimination bracket to determine the winner. There are several legitimate contenders to win it this year, which will undoubtedly lead to high drama late in the day. Below is an analysis for each team provided by Content Team members Ethan Lehmkuhl and Kevin Skiba.

Standings as of 2023-02-20

In the 2023 Season, we have 28 technical upsets in 139 ranked matches (79.86% success rate) across 17 events.

This season marks the introduction of the NCDA Hybrid Ranking System as voted on by member teams during the 2022 election. The Hybrid Ranking System uses a combination of the Gonzalez System and the NHL Points System.

The Gonzalez System is a computer ranking model similar to Elo and is a rating exchange system based on research performed by World Rugby. It has been adapted by the NCDA to the demands of College Dodgeball, but can be tuned and customized endlessly to incorporate accurate data. It has been used to help determine seeds for the Nationals bracket since Nationals 2014, and was used exclusively for each Nationals bracket between 2017 and 2022.

The Champ Points System is a point-reward system based on the outcome of a match. A team who wins a match is awarded 2 points whether in regulation or overtime, a team who loses a match in overtime is awarded 1 point, and a team who loses in regulation is awarded 0 points.

Michigan State Concludes Emotional Week with 2nd Straight MDC Title

EAST LANSING, MI – Michigan State University’s dodgeball club capped off a challenging and emotional week with a Michigan Dodgeball Cup (MDC) on Saturday at IM West. The Spartans (12-0) defeated Grand Valley State (13-6) to win their second consecutive MDC and remain the #1 team in the country. Also in attendance were Western Michigan (finished 2-2 on the day), Saginaw Valley State (1-3), and Central Michigan (0-4).

Below is a recap of each team and the main storylines surrounding them at the Michigan Dodgeball Cup and heading towards the end of the season.

Viking Royale Recap

On February 4th, Cleveland State University held the Viking Royale. Teams in attendance were Cleveland State University, Miami University (OH), Western Michigan University, Saginaw Valley State University, Kent State University, Akron University, and Ohio State University. Below are the results for the day.

Pre-Trophy Preview Ohio Region

As time grows closer to the Ohio Dodgeball Cup and Nationals, let’s take a step back and look at all the Ohio schools and their season so far. The following teams in this region are: Ohio Univeristy, University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, University of Akron, Bowling Green State University, Miami University, Cleveland State Univeristy, and Kent State University. We asked respondents from each school these questions about how they felt their season has gone and general knowledge about their clubs.

1. Who is your OT6 (please include if they are a captain, rookie, etc)?

2. Anything notable go well for you at these tournaments? Anything you need to improve on?

3. Any changes for your team heading into the spring semester?

4. Which tournament are you most excited for this spring?

5. What team would you most like to play?

6. Do you have any rising players on your team you’d like to give a shoutout?

7. How will your team do this spring?

8. Please list 3 players you think should be on AA and womens AA (not including your team).

9. Please list 1 rookie youve been impressed by (not including your team).

10. Please give us your thoughts on 1 team ranked above you and 1 team ranked below you.

Pre-Trophy Preview Michigan Region

As time grows closer to the Michigan Dodgeball Cup and Nationals, let’s take a step back and look at all the Michigan Region schools and their seasons so far. The following teams are: Michigan State Univeristy, Grand Valley State Univeristy, Saginaw Valley State Univeristy, Western Michigan University, and Central Michigan University. We asked respondents from each school these questions about how they felt their season has gone and general knowledge about their clubs.

1. Who is your OT6? (please include if they are a captain, rookie, etc.
2. Anything notable go well for you at these tournaments? Anything you need to improve on?
3. Any changes for your team heading into the spring semester?
4. Which tournament are you most excited for this spring?
5. What team would you most like to play?
6. Do you have any rising players on your team you’d like to give a shoutout?
7. How will your team do this spring?
8. Please list 3 players you think should be on AA and womens AA (not including your team)
9. Please list 1 rookie youve been impressed by (not including your team)
10. Please give us your thoughts on 1 team ranked above you and 1 team ranked below you.

Mid Season Preview East Coast

As time grows closer to Nationals, let’s take a step back and look at all the East Coast schools and their seasons so far. The following teams are: James Madison University, Towson University, Penn State University, University of Maryland, and University of Virginia. We asked respondents from each school these questions about how they felt their season has gone and general knowledge about their clubs.

1. Who is your OT6? (please include if they are a captain, rookie, etc).
2. Anything notable go well for you at these tournaments? Anything you need to improve on?
3. Any changes for your team heading into the spring semester?
4. Which tournament are you most excited for this spring?
5. What team would you most like to play?
6. Do you have any rising players on your team you’d like to give a shoutout?
7. How will your team do this spring?
8. Please list 3 players you think should be on AA and womens AA (not including your team).
9. Please list 1 rookie youve been impressed by (not including your team)
10. Please give us your thoughts on 1 team ranked above you and 1 team ranked below you.

Mid Season Preview Central Region

As time grows closer to Nationals, let’s take a step back and look at all the Central Region schools and their season so far. The following teams are: University of Nebraska Lincoln, University of Wisconsin Platteville, Concordia University Wisconsin, and University of Kentucky. We asked respondents from each school these questions about how they felt their season has gone and general knowledge about their clubs.

1. Who is your OT6? (please include if they are a captain, rookie, etc).
2. Anything notable go well for you at these tournaments? Anything you need to improve on?
3. Any changes for your team heading into the spring semester?
4. Which tournament are you most excited for this spring?
5. What team would you most like to play?
6. Do you have any rising players on your team you’d like to give a shoutout?
7. How will your team do this spring?
8. Please list 3 players you think should be on AA and womens AA (not including your team).
9. Please list 1 rookie youve been impressed by (not including your team).
10. Please give us your thoughts on 1 team ranked above you and 1 team ranked below you.

Grand Valley Gauntlet IX Recap

On February 4th, Grand Valley State University held the Grand Valley Gauntlet IX. The teams in attendance were Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The day gave us a glimpse into what we can look forward to from these teams this semester. Below are the results for the day and a breakdown for each team.

BEAST XI Results and Recap

Below are the Results from BEAST XI hosted by JMU on 1/28/2023

This is the first BEAST tournament we’ve seen in years with numerous teams outside the East region, and needless to say, it did not disappoint. We saw upsets, blow-outs, young stars having break out performances, and a rowdy fan atmosphere few tournaments can match. Lets start our team by team breakdown from the top with the best performances we saw in the first tournament of 2023.

Power Rankings: February 2023

Viking Royale Preview

The Viking Royale, hosted by Cleveland State University, will be the first tournament of the spring semester for all 7 teams attending. It is looking to be a very competitive tournament, with every team hoping to come out hot as we approach regional and national championships.

Teams in attendance:

Akron, Miami, CSU, SVSU, WMU, KSU, and OSU

Court 1 Stream: CSU Dodgeball YouTube

Court 2 Stream: OSU Dodgeball YouTube