We reach a breathing point of the season, so we can finally see what’s been accomplished thus far. Fun games and intense games go hand-in-hand with the growing women’s league as well as the brand new tournaments and rookie squads. The central region has done quite a bit of growing since last year. UNL still sits at the top with UIUC not far behind, UWS and UWP fight for their spots, and Iowa and UWEC dip their toes into the waters for their first official season.
UNL
UNL leads the region with a perfect record (7-0) and also being the only team in the central region to be in the top ten in the league. They’ve appeared in three tournaments so far, the Hawkeye Showdown being a new addition for them to participate in. Historically, UNL has some of the longest drives when competing, and they prove that hard work at home can really build a team up. Incidentally, they have set themselves up rather nicely to claim a seat in the championship bracket come April if they continue to play how they have been. Their rookies have shown great promise in their ability to grow and learn quickly in order to fill any and every corner of the court so they can be the best team in the Central region this season.
UIUC
While not having attended as many tournaments as UNL or UWP, Illinois sits at number two in the region with a strong rookie class supporting their vets. The biggest challenge they needed to overcome was learning how to strategize after losing a few heavy hitters to graduation last year while also building up their rookies. Fortunately, their team has the catching and throwing skills to keep themselves afloat. One particularly challenging game was at the South Oak Showdown III against Ohio where they lost 8-1. They have a bit of catching up to do if they want to place where they did last season, but with their team of rookies backing their vets, they have a real chance of closing the gap between UNL and the championship bracket.
UWS
UW-Stout is still a relatively young team, yet they’ve secured the number three spot in the region with UWP close on their heals. Their home tournament was much like the Cornhusker Clash is–a double header against a close rival. In their case, it was UW-Eau Claire, which is only a 30 minute drive. Their previous two seasons weren’t as prosperous the 2025-26 season, but their team of mostly rookies has really stepped up their game to show their worth by learning quickly and building the confidence to stand up against teams with more experience and longer histories in the league. They just need to keep pushing and playing any teams they can to continue building a stronger and wiser team.
UWP
UWP has fought the hard fight so far this season with numerous close games against tough rivals UNL and UIUC. They’ve played UNL four times already this season, and they expect to play them at least once more at their Zanderthon-Throwdown home tournament in February. They sit in a similar spot as their previous two seasons, but their team overall has more experienced players to hopefully push them further towards the championship bracket. It’s been a goal of Coach Erik Zander to place in the championship bracket for nationals, and all the team needs to do is to keep playing hard and as a unified front to close the distance between them and the championship bracket. They have the skills and knowledge of how to play safe and play hard; their only obstacles are the few teams in front of them and their own determination.
Iowa
Welcome the brand new team to the Central region! They have put in a lot of work over the summer by participating in NDA matches to learn the techniques of dodgeball while also learning how to manage and grow their team’s reach. Their e-board members have done a fantastic job recruiting the numbers to really fight against the experienced teams in the area. Their home tournament had seventeen players on the roster! They’ve only played in one tournament so far, Hawkeye State Showdown, but they’ll have plenty of other opportunities to play the other Central Region teams again in the Zanderthon Throw-down tournament in Platteville, as well as the Blugold Invitational in Eau Claire. Their participation in these tournaments is greatly anticipated as it will be exciting to see how they’ve continued to grow over the past few months. With this season being their first, they’ve got nothing to lose, so let’s hope for some big plays and big improvements from this rookie team.
UWEC
While this isn’t the first season Eau Claire has played NCDA dodgeball, this is their first season as an official team. Their experience playing USA Dodgeball has really helped them get a feel for the NCDA’s style while also providing a unique look into how the other league plays. Their vets have put in a lot of effort into making sure their rookies are well prepared for the more experienced teams in the region and hopefully for the rest of the league. It will be exciting to see them branch out from just playing other teams in the central region by hopefully going to Nationals this year. Much like UNL and UWS, Eau Claire is on the outskirts of the league which makes it harder for them to play teams outside the central region, but this doesn’t mean they can’t fight and earn their place high on the leaderboard. All they can do is keep going up, so let’s hope their team keeps growing and improving so even greater opportunities come their way.
Great recap!