Author: Kevin Bailey

Current NCDA Chief of Content. Former Captain for Grand Valley State University (#4).

Which Region is the Best in the NCDA?

Written by BGSU’s Adam Hynes

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Even with the NCDA not having conferences or anything we still have each team placed into a category according to where the teams are located; this obviously being the regions.  In no particular order we have the Ohio, East Coast, Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky regions.  These regions have their top teams, middle teams and low tier teams as any other league with conferences would have.  With there being so much talent spread throughout the league and schools being spread apart it can be very difficult to say who the top region truly is.  With Nationals coming this week, and the exciting pool play games on Saturday, it will be a good indication of who the true top region is.  In this article I wanted to say what each region must do in order to stack up against every one and say that their region is the true top dog. Continue reading “Which Region is the Best in the NCDA?”

BOTM: 2015 March

11130689_10205595605624561_577289346_nThe Baller of the Month for March goes to one of Central Michigan’s captains: Brett Hadwin.  Brett is competing in his final season with CMU, and he has had a stellar final year.  Brett most recently led Central to a tournament title at the CMU Showdown with wins over MSU, SVSU, JMU, and GVSU.

Brett is without a doubt one of the best all-around players in the NCDA, and he has proven it time and time again throughout his career.  It is a shock to me that he had never received the honor of BOTM until now.

I had the opportunity to interview Brett after he was chosen as the Baller of the Month, and as always, he had some interesting things to say.  Here is my conversation with Brett where we talk about his goals for his team, his individual skill set, best dodgeball memories, and even his trademark headbands: Continue reading “BOTM: 2015 March”

Nationals 2015 In-Depth Preview

10891568_10153061471740972_7448666028323906080_nNCDA Nationals is always an eventful weekend, but this year in particular, the league’s season-ending tournament seems destined to be an exciting one.  There is so much to talk about when previewing what will be another great NCDA tournament.  Below is my “In-Depth” preview of Nationals which takes place April 11-12 in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  This preview will include a brief summary of the storylines to follow, round-by-round game previews (with a prediction for each individual match!), and lastly, I will have my predictions on the results of the final day’s bracket.

Continue reading “Nationals 2015 In-Depth Preview”

CMU Showdown Preview

This Saturday will involve one of the biggest regular season tournaments in recent memory.  Central Michigan University will host a 5-team tournament entitled the “CMU Showdown”.

In attendance at this event will be five of the top ten teams in the league, including the top four in the current NCDA standings.  While this tournament will be overshadowed by Nationals less than a month later, there still is quite a bit on the line this Saturday in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.  Here is an overview of each attending team’s situation heading into this weekend’s tournament: Continue reading “CMU Showdown Preview”

Return to Prominence: The Resurgence of the Central Michigan Dodgeball Program

CMU fell off the collegiate dodgeball map shortly after winning the national title in 2011, but thanks to the dedication of the leaders on their current roster, the Chippewas are once again considered an elite team.

 

cmu-logoIt was the conclusion of the final day of NCDA Nationals, held at Western Kentucky University on April 10, 2011.  Central Michigan had just won the national title over Grand Valley State University in what many still consider the most exciting college dodgeball game ever played.  The National Collegiate Dodgeball Association’s landscape seemed to have drastically shifted. Continue reading “Return to Prominence: The Resurgence of the Central Michigan Dodgeball Program”

Akron Invite (Ohio Dodgeball Cup) Preview

akron-logoOn Saturday March 21, Akron will play host to Kent State, Bowling Green, and Baldwin Wallace in this season’s addition of the Ohio Dodgeball Cup (ODC).  This will also be the last regular season tournament for the 2014-15 season along with the CMU Showdown which takes place the same day. Continue reading “Akron Invite (Ohio Dodgeball Cup) Preview”

2015 Michigan Dodgeball Cup Recap

The temperature was in the negatives in East Lansing, Michigan on February 14th, but inside IM West, the competition was heated as four of the top teams in the nation squared off in the Michigan Dodgeball Cup.  The 2015 MDC was expect to be a classic, and while only one of the matches was decided by a one point margin, the MDC still was an entertaining tournament. Continue reading “2015 Michigan Dodgeball Cup Recap”

“Don’t Forget About the Little Guy”

The following was written by Adam Hynes of Bowling Green State University:

As being a member of the NCDA for a few years now I would like to say that I love this league and the memories it has given me.  I love how competitive each game is and how well diverse the league is.  However there comes a time where teams are sometimes forgotten due to them not having a big name in the league.  Usually if your name doesn’t start with Grand Valley, Central Michigan, James Madison, etc, the league can either forget you or just not know much about you since the bigger names are out there.  When I say forgotten I don’t mean it as the team doesn’t matter or doesn’t exist.  In this article I thought I would share some insight on my beloved team, Bowling Green State University. Continue reading ““Don’t Forget About the Little Guy””

BOTM: 2015 January

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Tyrell Smith (BGSU)

After a strong performance at the Kentucky Invitational, your January Baller of the Month is Tyrell Smith of Bowling Green State University.  Here is an interview I had with Tyrell after the tournament at UK:

 

Kevin Bailey – First off, congratulations on winning NCDA Baller of the Month.  You have been a standout player for Bowling Green State for a few years now.  What do you think is the reason for your individual success on the dodgeball court? Continue reading “BOTM: 2015 January”

Preparing for February 14th

This coming Saturday, two National Collegiate Dodgeball Association tournaments will take place.  The 11th annual Michigan Dodgeball Cup will be held at Michigan State University, while James Madison University will host their 4th Big East Appalachian Super Tournament (BEAST IV).

It’s safe to say that this will be the biggest weekend of dodgeball for the NCDA this season outside of Nationals.  Seven of the top nine teams in the current NCDA (Champ/NHL) standings will be competing this weekend.  It’s easy to see that the results of this weekend will have a huge impact on the NCDA.  Here are a few storylines to follow as we prepare for a fantastic weekend of dodgeball: Continue reading “Preparing for February 14th”

2015 Michigan Dodgeball Cup Preview

MDC TrophyOn Feb. 14th, Michigan State University will host the annual Michigan Dodgeball Cup (MDC).  This event has historically been the toughest regular season tournament of the year.  The 2015 version of the MDC has the makings of an absolute classic tournament with #1 Grand Valley State, #2 Central Michigan, #3 Michigan State, and #11 Saginaw Valley State all set to compete.  I don’t remember a year where the top four Michigan region schools were as close competitively as they are this year. Continue reading “2015 Michigan Dodgeball Cup Preview”