There are a good number of tournaments that our league presents every year, like clockwork. There’s Nationals, of course. That and the Michigan Dodgeball Cup are the two longest running annual tournaments our league boasts. After that comes the Ohio Dodgeball Cup and James Madison’s annual BEAST tournament (by the way, the weekend of March 5th marks the TENTH edition of the BEAST… Unbelievable, but more on that later). This weekend, another yearly event returns to the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association in our post-COVID era. That tournament is of course Akron’s The War V.
This year makes the 5th consecutive (again, COVID not withstanding) year this tournament will be held in Akron, Ohio. This weekend there will be 11 teams in attendance playing 20 matches, 3rd most all time for both, and most since 2019 where at The War III there were a remarkable 15 teams playing 26 matches. By the way, fun fact, The War III’s 26 matches are exactly how many matches have been played total thus far this semester. Finally, each of the 11 teams competing this weekend have played in at least one War prior to 2022.
This weekend is going to be a thrilling one that I would be absolutely sure not to miss. This 11 team tournament will be by far the biggest we’ve had all year long. In attendance will be host school Akron, Bowling Green State, Cincinnati, Cleveland State, Grand Valley State, Miami, Ohio, Ohio State, Saginaw Valley State, Towson, and Wisconsin-Platteville. These teams will compete in an insane amount of thrilling, Nationals Elite 8 quality matchups.
I hope you aren’t tired of random historical War facts, because we’re going to break down each team’s individual performances in past War’s statistically, and give a bit of a preview for what their performance could look like this weekend. Let’s start with the host school, Akron.
As the 2022 semester kicks off, one thing can be said for certain about the college dodgeball atmosphere: we are amidst an entirely new league. After practices came to an abrupt end almost two years ago, college dodgeball returned last fall, and with it came an exciting season of close matches, upsets, rookies, and of course, dodgettes (Shout-out to Akron University’s female players for coining the new term).
This article series highlights dodgettes across the league: December 2021 graduates, pre-COVID veterans, and new recruits. Stay tuned to hear how they made their name in the league and what they are looking forward to this year; in other words, dodgettes navigating a new league.
The Midway Conference kicks off their second half of the season with the Annual Zanderthon Throw-Down on February 19th. This will mark the sixth one in its history! It will once again feature the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) and several UWP alumni. The schedule for this Saturday’s event is as follows.
This Saturday, Michigan State University will host three other schools in the annual Michigan Dodgeball Cup. In attendance will be Grand Valley State (8-1), Michigan State (5-3), Saginaw Valley State (2-7), and Western Michigan (0-3). Missing from the MDC for the first time since 2007 (prior to their club’s existence) is Central Michigan University.
While eyes will be on the CMU club to see if they can rebuild their program and get back to competition, let’s shift our attention back to the four teams in attendance. To start, here is the schedule for the 2022 MDC, which will be livestreamed on the NCDA’s social channels this Saturday, starting at 10:00 AM.
The East Coast is back at it for the first time this semester. Check out the video below as Shadeed Drakeford provides a preview of tomorrow’s tournament!
For the first time in two years, the Ohio Dodgeball Cup will be played this Saturday, February 5th, on Bowling Green State University’s campus. There will be five teams in attendance on the fifth; Akron, Bowling Green State, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Ohio State – all vying for a chance to take home the hardware Saturday afternoon. This could work out to be a great opportunity for those around the league to understand who the true top team in Ohio is this season. Or, we could be left with even more parity than we ended the fall semester with. Regardless, only one team can take the Cup home, and all five want it.
We asked each of the five teams what they think of their matchups this weekend, if they are bringing any young/lesser-known players they feel could be poised to make an impact, and how significant they felt winning the Ohio Dodgeball Cup would be for each of their programs. Here’s what they had to say:
This Saturday we kick off the second half of our 2021-2022 season in Allendale, Michigan, with the Grand Valley Gauntlet VIII. The teams in attendance are: the Grand Valley State University (GVSU), Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), and Michigan State University (MSU). It is exciting to get back on the courts again and I can’t wait to see the results. Let’s take a look at the schedule for tomorrow’s event below.
This Saturday, December 4, 2021 we have four teams in action at the Viking Clash. The teams in attendance are: the host school, Cleveland State University (CSU), Bowling Green State University (BGSU), Kent State University (Kent), and the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP).
It is another exciting week for dodgeball in the Midway Conference as this Saturday November 20, 2021 the Cornhusker Clash is back! The University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) will be going up against University of Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL) in another doubleheader. UWP will also take on a UNL B team in a scrimmage.
This Saturday, November 13, 2021, The Midway Conference is finally back in action with the Pioneer Classic! The teams that will be in attendance are the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) and the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL). It is a double header with a mix and match game thrown in between. The schedule for tomorrow’s event can be seen below.
With the return of dodgeball comes the return of what I can only assume will become a time honored tradition for Ohio University, and that is hosting the annual John Betters’ Bobcat Bonanza in the fall semester. Not only will this year’s iteration feature eight talented dodgeball teams, but we will also witness the retirement of the great John Betters’ jersey as well as the ceremonial first throw – a welcomed new addition to the tournament.
Silliness aside, Ohio University will be host to some of the hardest hitting, most impactful matchups the NCDA has to offer since before the pandemic started in March of 2020. The teams in attendance will be Bowling Green State University, the University of Cincinnati, Grand Valley State University, James Madison University, Miami University, hosts Ohio University, [the] Ohio State University, and Saginaw Valley State University.
There are a lot of intriguing storylines to consider and questions that need answers as we head into Saturday’s tournament. To shine some light on some of those, we’ve asked the leaders of each team to provide some insight into who some players to look out for are, what they think about their respective matchups, and what they need to do to have a successful day Saturday. Without further adieu, here is what each team had to say:
This marks the 6th time that teams will compete at the University of Akron in October for the (formerly) annual Pink Out Tournament, hosted by the Zips. The teams in attendance will be the Redhawks from Miami, The Bowling Green State University Falcons, and The Cleveland State Vikings. The three visiting teams will all be competing in their first matches of the season, with the hosts competing in their second tournament this year. I asked the attending school’s captains what their takes and expectations for their teams are when they compete this weekend, as well as some stand out players to watch out for on their squad.
The East Coast kicks off the 2021-2022 season with the Virginia Classic at the Slaughter Recreation Center! In attendance, will be the host team University of Virginia (UVA), James Madison University (JMU), and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The following is the schedule for today’s event.
With the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association [finally] returning this weekend, we would be remiss if we did not preview the first competitive collegiate dodgeball matches in over 18 months. Indeed, the Buckeye Opener on Sunday, September 19th will feature the host team Ohio State Buckeyes and their B-Team, the Cincinnati Bearcats, and the Akron Zips. These teams were ranked 2nd, 4th, and 10th respectively in our 2021 Preseason Power Rankings, so we should be in for three quality, competitive dodgeball matches this weekend.
We spoke with Dylan Greer – former captain and president of Ohio State, Wes Peters – coach of Cincinnati, and Colby Briceland – coach of Akron, about their teams’ expectations for not only this tournament, but also the season as a whole. Lastly, as always, we have gathered predictions from numerous Content Team members and distinguished alumni for how they believe each match will play out as well.
Without further ado, here is what each team’s representative had to say..
Ohio State’s Expectations
At the end of the 2019-2020 NCDA season, the Buckeyes’ expectations were straight forward; Win the National Championship. As we return to a new season, these expectations remain the same. I believe our team’s combination of strong returning talent and an extraordinary recruiting class will put us well in a position to do so.
While the pandemic shut down our team’s best season performance since 2015, we plan to return this year without skipping a beat. The long off-season resulted in the loss of All-American Star Ben Johnson, but out of the ashes rose a whole new board of captains: Ben Dardia, Ryan Ginsberg, Evan Utterback, and Elijah Thomas. These captains have shown early on that they’re capable of picking up where we left off and help our team advance in the rankings without a flinch. Elijah, our team’s only recruit from the 2020-2021 off-season, will finally be able to showcase the effort he’s put forth into developing his talent during his first NCDA match on Sunday. Sharing the spotlight with our new leaders are returning players Sam Palumbo, Matt Thomas, Evan Luikart, and the 2019-2020 Women’s MVP Kathryn Mays. These core players standing beside our captains on the court will create a storm that won’t go unnoticed throughout the year.
With our returning talent already in full bloom, we see the bees lining up at the sprouts of our young players, waiting to pollinate the rich flowers they will become. Derek Kemper, Ethan Lehmkuhl, and Will O’Malley are only a few names from a long list of new players that show great encouragement for the future success of this team. After taking part in a roster which could barely field 10 players nearly 3 years ago, being able to support a B team feels like one of the greatest accomplishments our team can make. In addition, supporting a B team with such enthusiasm for the sport makes the feeling even better, and I can’t wait to see them grow. After the long off-season, I believed the team who would have the most success in this upcoming season would be the one who recruited the best, and I believe our team has done just that.
While our team’s expectations are high, we don’t expect our road to success to be handed to us. This upcoming Sunday we know we will have to put forth a solid performance to beat top Ohio teams UC and Akron. This season, UC suddenly became one of the most experienced teams in the league with their astounding number of returning players. Facing them at the end of the day will hopefully give our team time to adjust after the time off, and give our new players time to settle in. Separately, Akron’s mixture of returning players and new recruits makes them a dangerous mystery, as we don’t know what to expect going into their matchup. Nevertheless, I think this new Akron team and UC’s veteran team will lead to a great weekend of matches as we get to showcase the Ohio Region’s talent in Columbus.
Cincinnati’s Expectations
The Bearcats were in the middle of their second season as a club, standing at a respectable 10-8 when the entire world suddenly shut down for the pandemic. With the imminent transfer of now club president Jacob Weber, 2020/21 was shaping up to be their year. Things change real fast.
Fast forward to fall 2021 and the Bearcats are still poised to make a lot of noise, perhaps even more than they would have a year ago. Given the amount of talent that has graduated around the league over the past year and a half, Cincinnati is in great shape. The Bearcats will feature a lot of familiar faces at this tournament, as they only lost a handful of 2019/20 freshmen and one Assistant Captain. Expect Brett Liming, Cory Heitmann, and Jacob Weber to be the faces of the team, but this team is budding with talent when you get past those big names. Cincinnati has high expectations for Brannon McGinn, Matthew Rosinski, Ryan Engelman, and Ian Bartholomew who each bring something unique to the table. The Bearcats will actually feature two transfer students, including Kevin Skiba, formerly of the Ohio Bobcats. It was difficult for Skiba to stand out on a loaded Bobcats roster in 2019/20, so he will be looking to make a name for himself this year as a core player for UC. Beyond that, it will be interesting to see what the bottom half of the lineup can produce for the Bearcats. The talent doesn’t necessarily fall off the table after their top 8, but Cincinnati will need some unexpected performances from their remaining roster, and a new fall rookie class.
As for this weekend, it’s pretty simple – The Bearcats are looking to make a statement to the league. They want everyone from out west in Nebraska, up to Michigan, and down to Georgia to know that this team is the real deal, and they are here to stay. A 2-0 performance would set the expectation around the league that it is Final Four or bust for the Bearcats – not to mention this team is already one of the early favorites for the Ohio Dodgeball Cup.
That being said, it won’t be easy to beat both Ohio State and Akron. OSU is still loaded with most of the talent they had in spring 2020, and the same goes for the Akron Zips. In fact, these three teams may boast the most returning starters of any other team in the NCDA. One thing is for certain: this weekend will feature some quality matchups to welcome us back to dodgeball.
Akron’s Expectations
Despite the losses of multiple starters before the 2019-2020 season the Zips reloaded in a big way and boasted a great recruiting class for that season. Unfortunately, it was cut short and they weren’t able to recruit last year. Despite these losses, I don’t see that being a problem now, since this year the club captains have had great success in retention and recruitment thus far, and attending their first tournament of the season should cement this class of recruits to the roster.
Captain Clay Egleston has put a lot of work in the off season in preparation for this upcoming year, and it shows. The new recruits are honing in their skills and that is thanks in part to Egleston’s effort and time spent teaching and grooming them for match play. I also expect big plays to be made by the assistant captains Brandon Snyder, and KC Franz, who now have a few seasons under their belts. Their veteran experience will be the key to Akron’s success this season. Other stand outs for the season will include PJ Antalek, Reece Bowman, Nathan “Howdy” Houdeshell, and Tommy Masteller, who need to be on top of their game if the Zips are going to climb the ranks this season.
The real test will be the rookie class this year. How will they adapt to game speed and awareness? As always, my expectations for the first tournament are to just get your sea legs and experience, but this class seems to have a good handle on what that would entail. They’re organized and eager to learn, and those are the two traits that will set them apart from opposing team’s rookie recruits. The captains and assistants of Akron have done a great job in fostering the talent of the new recruits, it’s now up to them to take the first steps into joining the starting roster.
The expectations are high for this team, since they’ve had a few weeks of practice and drills, I fully expect to see some great gameplay and skill being executed on Akron’s side of the court. This tournament will be a great gauge of where our returners and rookies are at, and where we need to improve on as the season progresses. As always, the Ohio Dodgeball Cup and a good seeding at nationals are on the horizon, but in our immediate future we have an immense challenge. Ohio State and Cincinnati are going to be tough first matches for these new recruits, but I always say the best way to learn is to play the best. And in the Ohio Region, these two teams are the best. Go Zips!
Alumni Predictions
As per tradition, we solicited predictions from numerous esteemed alumni to weigh in on how they think the matches this weekend will play out (B team matches excluded).
The NCDA will be hosting another online video game tournament to raise money for the organization’s Recruitment and Retention Fund. This online tournament will feature Among Us. The tournament will be held on January 23 and registration is due by January 21, at 11:59p.m. eastern time.
