When the average person hears the word “dodgeball,” they often think back to elementary school or maybe even middle and high school when they were forced to play during gym class. While the gist is the same, the WNCDA takes it to a whole new level; it’s no longer just “throw the ball!” or “hit your classmate!” This sport requires teams as little as four and as large as nine to jive well while on the court, encourage each others strengths, and support each others weaknesses–which can be challenging amidst the intensity of the game. The teams may seem small, but the desire to win is huge. And regardless of the experience of the players or age of the team, this game is for anyone who loves competition and working hard as a team.
This year, reigning champs, University of Akron (Akron), will be hosting the third annual Women’s Dodgeball National Tournament where teams from all over the Eastern/Central United States get together and fight for the title of champion. Veteran teams like Michigan State University (MSU) and Akron have lead the way for more teams to form and compete–not to mention inspire players to play as hard and as well as they do. Young teams like Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and University of Cincinnati (UC) will be experiencing their first women’s nationals, and newly veteran team UW-Platteville has a chance at redemption. Each team will have their chance to showcase the hard work they’ve put into the season, so let’s check out the teams that will be playing.
Akron
Akron is usually one of the two teams fighting for the championship at the end of the day. They have more experience as a team and have played in a greater number of women’s tournaments than teams like UIUC and UWP. They also have the privilege of having enough players to form a secondary and tertiary team. Coincidentally, they don’t have to rely on the men on their team to fill in for practice which gives their players a real sense of what tournaments will be like. Due to this tournament being held at home, it’s unsurprising that they can bring their B team as well. They have lots of experience on their team, and lots of potential for growth in their newer members, so let’s hope this tournament can yield some valuable experience they can carry into next season.
MSU
Michigan State has put in a lot of hard work into this sport. The women’s division is the only division these ladies play in, so they have the opportunity to dedicate much more time to their strategy and chemistry than the other teams who play in both divisions. And we all know how hard their coach, Rebecca Nguyen pushes her girls to be successful. It’s not surprising that the bar for them is so high, but they are not afraid to jump when necessary. MSU is a team that will not play down to any opponent, and they treat every game with the same attitude, so I expect to see some intense games this weekend. We all know they want that championship this year.
UWP
This will be UWP’s second women’s national tournament, and it’s impressive they’ve made it this far. It’s not unheard of for new teams to be successful one season and fall off the next. The team was able to recruit a good number of women at the beginning of the season, but for one reason or another, several stepped away. Their team is now composed of six players which is less than what they brought to last nationals. They’ve played a total of seven different teams so far this year, and this tournament will tick that number up to eight. With a few rematches in order, UWP hopes to take home a few more victories before the season’s end.
UIUC
Illinois has really changed over the past few seasons. Two years ago, they played in the championship bracket at nationals where they lost, last year they were unable to attend, but this year they are coming as a team of four. It’s wonderful to see teams bounce back and attend another national tournament after a gap year. These ladies have primarily played close rivals, UWP, but they were able to branch out to more teams at the Spartan Smackdown back in January. It was a beneficial opportunity for them to learn the styles of the other teams in the league, and it helped put their name out there not only for themselves but for their opponents. That event helped solidify their position in the league. It will be interesting to see what their team of four can do at a tournament of this caliber.
NKU
NKU surprised a lot of fans at the Spartan Smackdown back in January with how well they performed as such a new team. Their on-court chemistry was impressive, and they consistently move as a unit which makes defense much easier. They don’t often call out their attacks, which results in the loss of ball control, so they put themselves at a disadvantage. The team has good throws, but their catching could use some work, which is why ball control is so important to them. Once they crack down on not throwing all at once, their game play should really come together nicely. Let’s not forget the hard work their coach has put into the team as well. Wes Peters coaches four teams now, so him being able to encourage and support the NKU ladies so well shines a light on their future as a well-rounded team in the league.
UC
University of Cincinnati is a brand new team, so they are still getting a feel for the atmosphere. Regardless, they’re registered as an official team and have a chance at the championship just like the other teams. The team entire is made up rookies, and this event will be their first experience playing big teams like Akron and MSU. Speaking from experience, it can be very exciting and daunting to play these teams for the first time at nationals, but it should be valuable experience for the team. The UC women get to debut their team at this tournament, so it will be exciting to see how they perform against the well-established teams of the league.
Mixed
The mixed team is a little more challenging to write about because of the various teams and strategies that make it up. Players from MSU, Grand Valley University (GVSU), Kent State University (Kent), Cleveland State University (CSU), and Ohio University (Ohio) make up the two mixed teams; MSU and GVSU on team one while Kent, CSU, and Ohio make up team two. Essentially, it’s a Michigan mixed team and an Ohio mixed team. While these teams will be unable to compete for the championship, they will still have the opportunity to play the same number of games as the other teams and as each other. Be sure to watch their games and check out the great players on these teams.
Players To Keep And Eye Out For
These are all subjective and my opinion:
Akron #42 Nicole Cutich: I’d like to say watch out for this entire team, which you should, but Nicole always has her eyes forward ready to attack. She’s excellent at reading a throw and knows whether to dedicate her time and energy to going for the catch or not. She works well with her team and is a natural leader, and she’s got one heck of a presence on the court. Her knowledge of the game lends her the upper hand in most situations.
Akron B #33 Anne Hinnebusch: She may not be the most dominating presence on the team, but she knows her game. She utilizes the space of the court really well, and executes her throws from a safe distance while keeping them low. She’s not a strong leader, but she’s a great teammate who supports her members and keeps the game alive.
MSU #2 Ava Stack: From playing her in the past, I know how intense of a player Ava Stack is. She will run you down without a second thought and throw as hard as she can to get the out. She’s also always ready to cover for her teammates and set up team throws to elevate their power. You can find her everywhere on the court, filling those gaps where she’s needed, and applying hard pressure at the attack line.
UWP #7 Jamie Damm: She may be a freshman, but she has worked incredibly hard to make it this far. She’s improved her throws, and she also provides intense pressure on the court. She’s athletic and competitive, and it’s clear how badly she wants to win. Platteville practices their team throws extensively, and she has worked very hard with her teammates to ensure each team throw is executed with the intent of getting the out. I can’t wait to see the player she grows into.
UIUC #31 Tera Pabico: For a team so small, UIUC has some pretty heavy hitters. Tera Pabico is a strong player not afraid to fail and learn. She get’s hit but bounces right back. She works great with her team by providing coverage, faking out her opponent, and encouraging her teammates to take charge. Her strategy is a challenging one to fight, so keep her off her baseline if possible.
NKU #18 Morgan Russell: Morgan may be a rookie, but her skills and knowledge made her the right choice as one of her team’s captains. She executes sharp throws and applies hard pressure on every opponent she faces, and she isn’t afraid to stand in the line of fire. While she does play independently at times, she communicates well and lets her teammates shine. I’m sure she’ll grow into a powerful leader.
Interview Questions
Below are a few questions sent out that the captain of each team responded to. Thank you to those who responded.
How has your team prepared for nationals?
Alexis Schultz (Akron): We all practice together weekly, and Adam runs us through situations and drills. Additionally, at practice we do a decent amount of conditioning. We have a lot of girls that train together over the summer or on off days from practice as well. Some of them even hop in with other teams or leagues for their practices and events to gain experience. We have been playing around with some new calls and play styles to implement as well. Almost all of us also play in the open division, which has helped our development tremendously. We will be watching film prior to nationals and of course a team dinner together the night before which always sets the mood. Over the season we also did a lot of team bonding and are a lot closer than in previous years. Thankfully we have such supportive guys from the open team and a good number of them routinely volunteer to stay over every week to help us practice which we can’t thank them enough for.
Hollie Wheeler (UWP): From last season to this season, we’ve really worked hard to set up no-sting matches as often as we can against both official teams and mixed teams. The more experience we can get, the better. We’ve also had dedicated no-sting practices multiple times a month where the co-ed team helps us practice drills and scrimmages. Our veterans have put in the time and have learned a lot while also teaching our rookies and getting them up to speed.
Morgan Russel (NKU): Our team has worked with the UC women’s team to simulate game like practice situations, which has helped us develop as a team. These practices have allowed us to improve our communication with one another and build strategies we can use during games. This preparation is really going to help us be competitive against teams that are highly skilled and have more experience playing together.
Rebecca Nguyen (MSU): We have put in countless hours of work, film study, extra workouts and time together to make sure we are firing on all cylinders. We want to make sure that these girls have full faith in each and every teammate, 1 through 13, and all know the game plan and goal.
MacKenna Wallace (UC): There was some pretty heavy recruiting, familiarizing the new people to the game, and introducing basic strategy to try to build some team chemistry.
Naila Kudla (UIUC): We’ve been preparing for nationals by extending our practices and focusing more on the things that need to be worked on, such as accuracy and catching.
What challenges have your team needed to overcome to make it this far?
AS: We have struggled with closing out points in the past. We have gotten a lot better about making decisive calls early and not hesitating which is what kills us when we do need to close out points. We also lose ball control too much against teams who punish us for that (clearly not talking about any team in specific) and I think we have gotten a lot better about being more disciplined with when we throw. Also, frequently losing the first point, the Akron classic, which we still need to overcome.
HW: This has been a challenging season for all of our players. As a team, we’ve struggled with losing numbers that we had in the beginning of the year. Our goal was to have 10-12 women so we could scrimmage against ourselves without having to mix in any guys, but people have had to drop because of busy schedules and other obligations. We’ve also struggled with injuries, which can lead to frustration while they heal. Despite these setbacks, I’m proud of how far this team has come and the obstacles they’ve overcome. These ladies are very stubborn and they won’t let anything stop them.
MR: As a team of mostly rookies, the biggest challenge we have had to overcome is simply learning how to play the game. With the help of teams like Michigan State University and University of Akron, we have had the opportunity to learn different strategies and effective drills that have helped us become more successful.
RN: We’ve had a lot more mental adversity thrown our way than most would realize. Our very first women’s practice 3 years ago – when our seniors were freshmen – was the MSU shooting. We instantly formed a bond together that no other team can come close to and every other hurdle that has come up has shown our girls how they can lean on teammates to get through anything.
MW: We are a new team so really just recruiting enough girls.
NK: We’ve had to overcome having less women on our team and never having a full team, this makes us have to focus more on being strategic and really working together to compete against schools with a full team.
Which team are you most excited to play? Is there a particular reason?
AS: I am the most excited to play UC just because we have never played them before and they are a new team. I am looking forward to see how they are developing and how far they have come in such a short time. Not only have we never played them but I have never actually seen any of them ever except for Mackenna so just the excitement of the unknown.
HW: I think we are most excited to play NKU since our match at the Spartan Smackdown got a little rushed at the end of the day and we were feeling tired from our previous four games that day. This time, we can really put our best foot forward and play to our strengths.
MR: I am personally very excited to play University of Akron B. We gave them a great fight at the Spartan Smackdown, but came up just short, losing by one point. Now that we have had more time to prepare and have played multiple games together as a team, I think it will be a great opportunity for us to showcase how much NKU women’s dodgeball has grown.
RN: Akron. We all know why–it’s long overdue.
MW: I don’t think there’s a particular team we are really looking forward to, I am just excited to get experience and hopefully bring some good vibes.
NK: We’re very excited to play NKU, we’ve haven’t played them yet and are excited to compete against a new team and players.
Who are some players (on your team or other teams) we should keep an eye out for?
AS: Akron: Stephanie Myers has always been a sleeper pick of mine. I don’t know why people underestimate her so much. Extremely athletic, great catcher, quick off the back line. Mack Zumbar gained a lot of experience this year. She has been putting in the work on and off the court and is one of our top arms. She knows the game and gets the job done. Sadie Hill we knew had talent from the day she walked into our first practice. I remember talking about her potential to Adam then, and she has not disappointed us. Just look at her stats from MSU in January.
NKU: Layla Holt I would put as a top catcher in the league even as a rookie. I think everyone should think twice before throwing at her. Morgan Russell I believe had a brace on or cast the first time I saw her play and she still impressed me. She picked up the game quickly and I have a feeling this weekend she will come out firing. Between her, Layla, and also Mia, I think NKU could be a dark horse this weekend they just need to put the pieces together. They have a lot of talent for sure.
UC : Mackenna Wallace I think falls under the radar just because UC has a brand new team. She seems solid and I’m sure will be a standout for UC at nationals
OU: Mary Holland did not get to attend as many no sting tournaments as other people but I think people forget how talented she is. I know she is on the mixed team but I always enjoy watching her play. Girl can ball.
UWP: Hollie Wheeler is another sleeper pick for me. She is very talented and extremely knowledgeable of the game.
HW: On our team, watch out for that Damm kid. She’s a strong rookie who is not afraid to apply pressure. She’s got good endurance and she plays hard every time she steps on the court. Jamie Damm (#7) is definitely going to shape up to be a strong player in the league and she is definitely in contention for the All-Rookie team. On NKU, I’ve seen #18 Morgan Russell shine as a leader on her team. She communicates well and is a force to be reckoned with.
RN: Morgan Tiffany, Layla Holt, Hollie Wheeler, Stephanie Meyers
MW: We will be keeping an eye out for Alexis Schultz and Allie Pohl.
NK: Jia Kim, one of our own players, has shown significant improvement and is a player to look out for. She’s incredible at dodging and has grown much more confident in her catching and throwing abilities.
Besides the obvious, what do you hope to achieve at this tournament?
AS: We have a lot of vets who this is probably their last nationals with people graduating. This includes myself, Stephanie, Addy, Abby, and Renee. It’s kind of bittersweet thinking me and Abby were 2 of the original 5 and that 4 of the 5 of us have been a part of the women’s team since the beginning. So, I think just having one last fun go around with the team is the goal. The team dynamics are going to be a lot different next year. I hope to further establish the team atmosphere and leave nationals with a solid ground for them to build off next year. Of course winning is my goal, but with watching this team develop since the beginning, I want them to walk away confident going into next year with a new core.
HW: Our goal is always to score at least one point on every opponent. With the no-sting format being a 6v6, we can make some big swings and accomplish that against any opponent. We always throw like we mean it, and we are here to bring it against the top teams. As a captain, I also want other players and the league to see the talent and skill that I see in my players. I want them to be recognized by the league when it comes to the season awards because I know they’ve earned it.
MR: We want to surprise some people. We are ranked sixth right now, so not many people are expecting much from us. But we have put in the work, we have some strong arms, and we have worked relentlessly to get to this point. I know we are going to surprise not only other teams, but ourselves as well. We have built so much potential, and nationals is finally going to be our chance to prove ourselves. I think that success will really help us build even more confidence as a team.
RN: Sending our seniors out with no regrets. These girls started this program & developed its foundation, setting the tone for all future classes. I hope that at the end of the day they can leave proud of the players they’ve become and the jersey they’ve worn/school they’ve represented.
MW: I hope to build some confidence as a team and in some of our newer girls, the goal is really to just have fun.
NK: We really hope to work well as a team and have good communication between each other, that’s something we’ve been practicing a lot so to see that implemented at nationals would be amazing.
Check out the NCDA’s YouTube Channel for the live streaming of the tournament with live commentary, the NCDA’s Facebook for updates about the event, and the teams’ social medias. Join us on April 11th to help acknowledge the hard work and dedication these players have given to the game!