Previews – NCDA

Dr. Peter Broe Classic II Preview

Happy Holidays everyone, are you listening…? Dodgeball is back as the NCDA heads up to Kalamazoo, Michigan for the 2nd Annual Dr. Peter Broe Classic on Sunday, December 3rd. This tournament will be very busy as there will once again be 9 schools attending, who are all looking for an extra present this holiday season as the semester will wrap up following this event. This tournament will see schools from Michigan, Ohio, & Wisconsin face off against each other and as per usual, we have a preview for each team attending.

By Mitchell Porter (Kent), Owen Israels (GVSU Alum), Erik Zander (UWP alum), and Ethan Lehmkuhl (OSU)

Tyler Webb Memorial Preview

Another week, another great slate of dodgeball. This weekend features the Tyler Webb Memorial tournament at Bowling Green State University, where the league will come together to honor the life and legacy of the late Tyler Webb. Here, we preview each pinch and women’s team attending.

Article by Mitchell Porter (Kent State), and Ethan Lehmkuhl (OSU)

Pioneer Classic IV Preview

This Saturday, November 11th, the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) will be hosting the follow teams at the Pioneer Classic: University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW), and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Below is the schedule and a highlight of the teams and some thoughts from the captains. Thanks to Caleb Newell for making the schedule graphics.

2023 Happy Valley Throwdown Preview

Penn State’s Happy Valley Throwdown is this Saturday, and there are many highly anticipated matchups scheduled. Here is our preview of the teams going and the expectations they all hold.

Pink Out Preview

One of the year’s biggest tournaments is upon us. With a whopping 10 A-teams and a B-team meeting together at Akron for their 8th annual Pink Out tournament. Schools from 3 regions all around the standings will be competing this weekend. With an additional women’s tournament the next day. There’s no shortage of teams and matchups to talk about going into the weekend.

Cyclone Clash Preview

The season kicked off with the Buckeye Opener and this weekend the Central Region is kicking off its season with a double header between the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) and the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL). The double headers between UWP and UNL have become a tradition over the last several years and always brings about a good battle. Last year, UNL was able to win both games with scores of 7-1 and 4-3. Can you UNL repeat again what they did last season and come out on top in both games? Let’s take a look below on what the captains from both teams think heading into this weekend!

2023-2024 Michigan Region Preview

The 2023-2024 season is underway and this is a great opportunity to break down the Michigan region and what to expect. The Michigan region consists of Michigan State University (MSU), Grand Valley State University (GVSU), Western Michigan University (WMU), Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), and Central Michigan University. Let’s take a look below at the region.

2023-2024 East Region Preview

By Daniel Fernald

The East region has a brand new look this season. For the first time ever, Penn State is the top dog entering the year. It is surely championship or bust for the NCDA’s preseason #3 ranked team. Right behind them is the usual East region favorite in JMU, and a UMD squad looking to break into the group of title contenders for the first time. UVA rounds out the East working to make a name for themselves in one of the league’s most competitive regions.

2023-2024 Central Region Preview

The 2023-2024 season is underway and this is a great opportunity to breakdown the central region and what to expect. The Central region consists of: University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP), Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW), University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign (UIUC), and University of Wisconsin Stout (Stout). Let’s take a look below at the region.

2023-2024 Ohio Region Preview

Ohio region dodgeball will remain the deepest in the league this year, but can they end the 18-year national title drought? Many teams think they can. Here is Terence Checkett and Ethan Lehmkuhl’s pre-season deep dive on each and every Ohio team trying to break through this year.

NDA Toledo Women’s Division Inaugural Tournament Preview

Saturday August 5th will mark the NDA’s first women’s only tournament being held at Owens Community College near Toledo, Ohio. The NDA is committed to growing the sport and highlighting the women in our league on a new stage. This tournament will feature the no-sting ball type and will be played in a 6v6 format. For the first event, there will be the following three teams in attendance: Cleveland Comets, Midwestern Mercenaries, and Midwestern Martians. Let’s take a look at each team below.

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.

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.