CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The fourth edition of the Cavalier Clash comes to Charlottesville as three teams on much different trajectories will take the court. JMU enters as the favorite, riding momentum from a dominant start and a top-10 national ranking. UVA looks to make a statement with its full roster finally back in action, while Maryland aims to turn close losses into breakthrough wins. With every team eager to prove something, Charlottesville is set for a weekend of high-intensity, high-stakes dodgeball.
JMU
Rank: #8
Record: 4-1 (2-0 East Coast)
Although it’s still early in the East Coast season, the Dukes have reestablished themselves at the top of the region. After going undefeated at Maryland Madness, including a convincing comeback against the home squad and an emphatic in over Virginia, JMU is in the driver’s seat in the East Coast. The Dukes have also shown prowess outside the region, with wins over Bowling Green and Ohio (the then-No.6 team in the country) cementing their status as a force to be reckoned with across the country. “We have a team full of sophomores looking to get noticed,” commented Dukes president Ryan Pendleton. “Our young talent is developing and we’re organizing some new strategies.” JMU’s only loss this season is to the current No.1-ranked Ohio State, and neither of their Saturday opponents possess neither the individual talent nor the team cohesion of the Buckeyes. That said, JMU is still prone to mistakes that could leave the door open for an upset.
UVA
Rank: #11
Record: 1-1 (1-1)
Cavalier Clash will be the Hoos’ first tournament this season at full strength. They’ll be getting back stalwart corner Ben Wu, whose arm talent was sorely missed on a UVA team that was already thin on throwers. They’ll also return senior and 2024 All-East Coast Grady Holmes, who besides being one of the best catchers in the region, if not the NCDA. Holmes also brings stability and leadership to a UVA team that can lose its composure in frantic situations. UVA has a real opportunity to make statement wins at full-strength this weekend. “We want to focus on putting ourselves in the best position possible to catch”, said captain LJ Jones. “That’s true UVA dodgeball, and we’re super excited to show the league what we can do with all of our guys back.” Both of their opponents Saturday know UVA is a team that loves to capitalize off of their catches. If the Hoos can slow the game down and play dodgeball on their terms, they might just head home Saturday night 2-0.
Maryland
Rank: #24
Record: 0-5 (0-2)
Maryland has had a rough start to their 2025 campaign, as the Terps head to Charlottesville still without a result in the win column. However, all but 1 of their losses have been by two points or less, meaning they’re still playing competitive–and dangerous–dodgeball. As long as Adam Butz and Dan Rodriguez are on the floor, UMD can throw their way towards a point, and as long as Andrew Myers and Caleb Dixon are out there, they can catch their way back into one. The Terps certainly aren’t as deep as their two Saturday opponents, but they have the star power to take over games. Past strategy has focused on protecting Butz from crosses and counter-throws, a tactic that will undoubtedly be tested as both UVA and JMU tend to attack Butz as he throws. To pull off some upsets on Saturday, the Terps need to be better about protecting their top line. However, a big part of their losing streak has been how they seem to collapse without their best on the floor. If other players can step up, (Julian Kim comes to mind) Maryland can give the rest of the East Coast nightmares.