Category: Previews

BEAST VI Loaded with Talent

We are still in the beginning stages of the Spring Semester, but we will be off to an exciting start.  Let’s just say, this field is loaded.

This is definitely one of the toughest tournaments you’ll see in the NCDA this season.  The sixth installment of the BEAST will feature 5 of the current top 10 teams in the NCDA per Gonzalez standings, and is sure to stir the pot of the NCDA.  Every team will play 4 games each, so this will be a marathon to see who can outlast each other down the stretch.  Given all of the talent that will be on display this weekend, it would be tough to say any team has a true advantage.

To further illustrate the point, JMU, MSU, OSU, Towson, UK, and VCU have a combined record of 45-23-4, with 12 of those losses coming from playing each other this year.  Like I said, a very strong group of teams coming together in Harrisonburg, VA.

Continue reading “BEAST VI Loaded with Talent”

Guess Who’s Back? Doubleheader Preview

The two top ranked teams in the NCDA square off in East Lansing this Saturday for a doubleheader showdown. Currently, GVSU leads the season series 2-1 (we don’t need to talk about the all-time series lead, just go read Kevin Bailey’s most recent article if you want to witness the bloodbath). This will likely be the only time any Michigan schools face off this semester before the Michigan Dodgeball Cup, so a strong performance Saturday for either team could make them a strong favorite to take home the cup on February 19th. Here’s a preview of the two teams and some predictions for who will come out victorious.

Continue reading “Guess Who’s Back? Doubleheader Preview”

2017 Chicago Dodgeball Open

Chicago Dodgeball Open By: Kenneth Mize and Erik Zander

Preview for the Chicago Dodgeball Open at the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center (2235 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60614). The teams that will be attending are: Saginaw Valley State University (13 players), DePaul (15 players), Bowling Green State University (14 players), and Wisconsin-Platteville (11 players).  Continue reading “2017 Chicago Dodgeball Open”

PSU Tournament Preview

New year, new dodgeball.  We hit the ground running quick for the Spring semester of the 2016-17 season, as Penn State University hosts their first ever home tournament.  A total of four teams will be mixed in the fray including our hosts, Akron University, Ohio University, and Virginia Commonwealth University.  This tournament has a similar feel to UNG’s Dahlonega Dodgefall Fest.  There is no clear favorite, and most of the teams here are around the same rank and skill level with each other, which could prove to make for an exciting weekend.  Let’s take a quick look at what to expect from the attending teams.  Continue reading “PSU Tournament Preview”

Whitewater Winter Basher Preview

The Whitewater Winter Basher- December 4, 2016

Address: 907 Schwager Dr, Whitewater, Wisconsin 53190

Well, folks this marks the last NCDA event of the 2016 calendar year and it should be a good one.  The Whitewater Winter Basher (hopefully there will be a lot of head bashing in these games) will involve three teams and all have met before at Platteville’s 6 vs 6 tournament back in October. The teams are Whitewater, Platteville, and DePaul.  This time around though Whitewater will be experiencing their first 15 vs 15 matches and they are looking forward to it.  The games will be played at the Williams Center on the Kris Russell Volleyball Arena courts. Whitewater’s induction match into the NCDA League will be against DePaul, who has participated in 5 total Induction Matches across their history. For this tournament, the Warhawks, Platteville, and DePaul will have 15 players. Our head officiating referees for Sunday will be alumni Brandon Chappell, former president of UWP Dodgeball Club and alumni Zigmas Maloni of DePaul, Director of Officiating for the NCDA.   Let’s take a look at the match-ups.      Continue reading “Whitewater Winter Basher Preview”

2016 Spartan Invite Exchanges

This year’s Spartan Invite (also noted as MSU Invite in some past years) includes more Michigan teams (read: ALL of them) than historically seen. For the initial years, MSU has tried to focus on inviting out of state teams, giving MSU a great chance to see the League without ever leaving home! For many events we’d see a little Founding Member round robin including DePaul, Kent, OSU and MSU happening along the other invited teams.

But sometimes you can’t hold to tradition because of a multitude of reasons that I wouldn’t hold on anyone. In this case, Kent, BGSU, and DePaul join the fray. They also happen to be stalwart competitors at many past fall quarter Spartan Invites. I sometimes like to consider BGSU and DePaul part of the Michigan region for the pure fact they often play these teams more than anywhere else. Continue reading “2016 Spartan Invite Exchanges”

Maryland Dodgeball Invite Exchanges

A few low influence exchanges, a few predictive struggle games, and a slew of medium profile matches defines the games to be played at the Armory this Saturday. Could be a good data sampling, it will certainly be indicative of where each competing team ranks in the League. With four games scheduled for both low-games-played Stevenson and first-event-of-the-season Penn State, we will be able to have greater confidence in their ratings following the results this Saturday. Eastern teams, take advantage of the cheap gas and proximity between your schools!  Continue reading “Maryland Dodgeball Invite Exchanges”

CMU Dodgetober Fest Exchanges

A quick preview here:

CMU at home is a given a hefty boost, but is not out of range for MSU. If we take away this home court advantage, both teams are neck and neck. An MSU / SVSU match on neutral court isn’t out of reach for a SV upset. Pretty close, only about 5 points difference in ratings.

Good points can be gained for SV by upsetting either competitor. I’ve mentioned it before but it remains true with each new match: out of any team in Michigan, SV gains the most from winning.

High Seed Low Seed Rating Rating Predicted Exchange Exchange if Upset
CMU MSU 52.484 49.308 0.682 1.318
CMU SVSU 53.167 43.968 0.080 1.920
MSU SVSU 48.625 43.888 0.526 1.474

Summit Street Slugfest Exchanges

Miami rejoins the NCDA after two seasons of inactivity. This is of great credit to a freshman who last played for Miami at Nationals 2014. It is also the first time a team will return after this sort of inactivity, in the history of the NCDA. Miami finished the 2014 Season with 33.208, and through two “regression to the means” Miami will reenter the 2017 season with a 37.987 rating. This will put Miami at about #17 in this week’s standings.

In terms of this third Summit Street Slugfest, the parity is spotty. We have a few potential minimum value matches here, but yet the same number of close ones. Akron, Miami, and BGSU are part of a highly competitive section of ratings and will see good competition in their matches. But OSU and Kent are old rivals, having participated in the first intercollegiate dodgeball match in history. They are the heavyweights of the day, Kent moreso with a home court boost.  Continue reading “Summit Street Slugfest Exchanges”

Pink Out 2: The Exchange Strikes Back

pink-out-2016-small
Courtesy of Nick Irhin [Akron]
Akron holds a second Pink Out and I would love for this to continue as tradition. They’re in a great geographical position. But even more, Akron has some positive vibes to bring in some great competitors. For this event, we see three out of state teams and all these matches have good values on the Gonzalez exchange. The average rating gap is just 4.417, so our competitors have some great matches ahead of them this weekend.  Continue reading “Pink Out 2: The Exchange Strikes Back”

Grand Valley State Gauntlet IV

Grand Valley State Gauntlet IV
Preview and Predictions
Attending Teams: GV, SV, MSU, and CMU

Grand Valley

gv The Lakers have been everything as expected with a four time defending national champion. Led by Captain Brandon Meisel and the presence of Aaron Terenzi the Lakers have jumped out to a 3-1 record. Their lone loss coming to MSU in their first game. This season was looking to be a different story than in years past for the Lakers after they dropped the opener. Since then they have not only won but dominated.  Continue reading “Grand Valley State Gauntlet IV”

Pitt slated to become 40th Member Team

pitt-logoThis Saturday, the University of Pittsburgh Dodgeball Club hosts their first tournament and will become the 40th collegiate dodgeball organization to play in the NCDA. Pitt’s Induction Match is the first match of the day and their opponent is the honorable Akron, who joined as the 35th club who joined November 2014. Rounding out the competitors are Ohio and Kent, which will make for a great set of matches for any new team.

I am looking forward to the Pitt/Ohio match because new team matchups are always a highlight for me. I think this will be much more competitive than the current Gonzalez rating suggests, and I will actively compare this upcoming game to future meetings between the two teams.

I’m also looking at Kent/Akron as a good match. These two teams are basically coming from the same area, traveling a similar distance, and playing on a neutral but unfamiliar court. That sets up a great story in this author’s humble opinion.

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Towson Throwdown

The East Coast region will finally see its first set of games this weekend on Sunday at Towson University.  All of the teams participating are from Maryland and Virginia, which includes Towson, Maryland, Virginia Commonwealth, and Stevenson.  This tournament should prove to be tightly contested, and great opener for the East Coast.

Rank Team Gonzalez Rating
7 Towson 43.841+3
12 VCU 39.833
13 UMD 39.285
20 Stevenson 37.626

Continue reading “Towson Throwdown”

Cornhusker Clash

Cornhusker Clash (841 N 14th St, Lincoln, NE 68508)

This week kicks off the first tournament of the year for teams of Nebraska, DePaul, and Platteville. The Cornhusker Clash should be a blast and should provide some quality games for the teams participating. The last time that Nebraska held a tournament was two years ago and Platteville and DePaul attended. These teams all have experience which makes this a much different tournament than two years ago.

Let’s take a look at the teams at the Cornhusker Clash.  Continue reading “Cornhusker Clash”