Nationals 2026 Preview

ATHENS, OH. — From undefeated runs and statistical dominance to rebuilding years and late-season surges, every team in this 20-squad field brings a unique storyline into Saturday play. With seeding, pride, and survival on the line, the opening slate promises high-stakes matchups that will shape the bracket—and possibly redefine the balance of power across the NCDA. At the top, blue bloods and reigning powers collide with hungry challengers and breakthrough programs, all converging in Athens with vastly different paths—but the same ultimate goal. Ohio State and Michigan State headline the field as dominant forces on a collision course, while upstarts like Kent State, Nebraska, and Virginia look to prove their regular season success translates when it matters most. Meanwhile, perennial contenders such as Grand Valley State and Miami aim to reassert their place at the summit and fend off one of the deepest and most dangerous fields in years.

#1: Ohio State

Saturday opponents: Akron, Northern Kentucky, Michigan State

The league’s top dogs come into Nationals 2026 with gargantuan aspirations, placed well in their chase for the ever-elusive first national title in 20 years. It was an uneventful, albeit flawless, second semester for the scarlet and grey, playing in seven matches, but winning all seven contests by a combined score of 35-9. The Ohio Dodgeball Cup champions are strapped with talent across the court, and look to lean on their experienced fireballers Colson Bunch and Will Dalton, and the catalyst of last year’s national championship Miami Redhawks, Max Edling.

#2: Michigan State

Saturday opponents: Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State

Sparty has yet to slip up in the ’25-’26 campaign, but sees themselves placed at the #2 spot coming into Nationals 2026, and have a newfound chip on their shoulder, as this is the first time since Nationals 2023 where they do not enter the tournament as the reigning champions. Michigan State has been the league’s most dominant team this season, at 16-0 and beating teams by a whopping 5.4 points per contest, far and away the top number league-wide. Their Saturday schedule includes a fun clash with Nebraska, which could see both teams coming in undefeated if they both take care of business earlier in the day, then the nightcap heavyweight slugfest against Ohio State which makes Ali vs. Frazier look like a thumb wrestling match.

#3: Kent State

Saturday opponents: Cincinnati, Illinois, Ohio

Kent State is having its best season in program history and is primed to make waves deep into Sunday. Since February, the Golden Flashes are 7-1 in league play, emphasised by a 3-0 showing at the Tyler Webb Memorial in late March. Where uncertainty creeps in for Kent State, however, is its struggles against the cream of the crop, having a combined 0-5 record against Michigan State and Ohio State. So while making a deep run seems inevitable for a team that employs superstars like Emmanuel Miller and JJ Oldenburg, demons will have to be avenged if Kent State wants to hoist the national championship trophy Sunday evening.

#4: Grand Valley State

Saturday opponents: Wisconsin-Platteville, Miami, James Madison

The 11-time national champions have a prime opportunity to reclaim the throne in the collegiate dodgeball world. The Lakers’ three-year title drought is their longest ever, and with the talent on the roster playing their final tournament for Grand Valley State, it feels like the time is now to get the job done. What this Laker team lacks in consistency (wins over Ohio State and Kent State, 6-0 loss to Michigan State, and taken to overtime by Cleveland State), they make up for with experience. Their senior class, led by the three musketeers, Aidan Jacobs, Ryan Paddock, and Matt Budai, has one last chance to avoid becoming the first four-year class in Laker history to not win a national championship.

#5: Miami

Saturday opponents: North Georgia, Grand Valley State, Bowling Green

Despite questions all season and eye-opening results in both semesters, the incumbent national champions are still the team to beat in the NCDA. Miami still retains a good chunk of its core that reached the top of the mountain this time last year, but a couple of stalwarts left, and the regular season has been at best to see who steps into the large shoes that needed to be filled. With expectations very similar to last season’s heading into the tournament, the Redhawks are primed to try and protect their title as champions.

#6: Nebraska

Saturday opponent: Virginia, Michigan State, Western Michigan

Nebraska has been the feel-good story of the season, coming into Nationals 2026 undefeated and in dominant fashion. The Cornhuskers are 13-0 and have won their matches by an average of 4.8 points, second in the entire league behind Michigan State, who they will have a crack at on Saturday. This team is led by a rising core, headlined by club president Malaki Horne. The only asteriks on this historic season is that the Cornhuskers have not faced a team ranked higher than #16 in the nation, but they have a chance to silence any doubters this weekend in Athens.

#7: Cincinnati

Saturday opponent: Kent State, Ohio, Central Michigan

Bearcat dodgeball endured a strange season by its lofty standards, as the national runners-up from last season finished only four games over .500. It was a better second semester of the season, going 6-3 with an Ohio Dodgeball Cup finals appearance, and a clean 3-0 weekend at the Beast tournament. However, the three losses that All-American Will Hyatt and company suffered were to Ohio State, Michigan State, and Grand Valley State, by a combined score of 13-2, which begs the question if they can hang with the big dogs of the NCDA.

#8: Virginia

Saturday opponents: Nebraska, Cleveland State, Platteville

Virginia comes into Nationals 2026 riding the high of the best regular season in program history. They’re the reigning East Coast champions, and are looking to improve their standing through more strong catching performances. Captain LJ Jones anchors a deep Cavalier squad that can play with just about anyone. A 3-0 Saturday performance would put the Hoos in the drivers’ seat for a dark horse run through the bracket on Sunday. Last season saw Virginia lose to then-8th ranked Ohio State in their opening tournament match, and they’re looking for much more this time around.

#9: Ohio

Saturday opponents: Western Michigan, Cincinnati, Kent State

The 2026 tournament hosts come into nationals at an even 9-9 and sneak into the top ten in the rankings. The Bobcats had a turbulent first semester, going 3-6, including an 0-3 performance on their home court at the John Bettors Bobcat Bonanza. Two wins over Virginia and James Madison, two teams that beat them at last year’s national tournament, set the foundation for a strong follow-up semester. Ohio has seen contributions from freshmen to graduate students, and have a solid core emerging that could announce themselves to the league this weekend.

#10: James Madison

Saturday opponents: Cleveland State, Grand Valley State, Central Michigan

JMU will look back on February’s East Coast Cup knowing they could have defended their title with more consistent play, but a solid 2-1 showing at Akron at War proved the Dukes are more than capable of competing with the league’s top talent, even in a down year. Even at 10th overall, many see this year’s squad as underseeded. Ryan Pendleton & co. have had good performances outside their region, with wins over Ohio, BGSU, Akron, and close losses to Kent and Cincinnati. They’ll have some work to do Saturday to improve their seeding, but no one wants to line up against the purple and gold when bracket play starts.

#11: Bowling Green State

Saturday opponents: North Georgia, Illinois, Miami

The Falcons are flying high coming into Nationals 2026, playing their best dodgeball down the stretch of the regular season. At the Tyler Webb Memorial tournament in late March, Bowling Green went 3-0, continuing their home-court success and making it three consecutive home tournaments without a loss. The Falcons have a strong chance to make a move in the standings on Saturday, playing two teams lower ranked than themselves, and hoping to carry some late season momentum.

#12: Cleveland State

Saturday opponents: James Madison, Virginia, North Georgia

Cleveland State had their coming out party at the last Nationals, beating Grand Valley State on Saturday to put the league on notice. They have continued to build off of that program-defining win, upsetting Miami at the Ohio Dodgeball Cup, and taking that same Grand Valley team to overtime this season. The Vikings play a fun schedule Saturday, taking on out of region programs in an attempt to re-capture some of the nationals magic they had last campaign.

#13: Akron

Saturday opponents: Ohio State, Northern Kentucky, Illinois

Akron came into the national tournament last season as the #1 seed and favourite to win it all, but find themselves fighting to remain in the top 16 this season. Key departures across the board had all the signs pointing towards a rebuilding year, and the 8-14 record the Zips stumble into the tournament with does not help its case. Akron has produced good results like an upset win over Ohio, and close results against Miami and Grand Valley.

#14: North Georgia

Saturday opponents: Bowling Green, Miami, Cleveland State

North Georgia went nearly the entire year without playing outside of the South, but don’t sleep on the Nighthawks. They play a high-octane and athletic style and seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time, as they were just an overtime away from capturing the South Cup from rivals Northern Kentucky. At 7-1 in the South overall, UNG could prove to be a difficult challenge for all three of their Saturday opponents-and they’ll need success on Saturday to avoid falling out of the top 16.

#15: Northern Kentucky

Saturday opponents: Maryland, Ohio State, Akron

A rough outing at the Tyler Webb Memorial shouldn’t dampen Northern Kentucky’s nationals aspirations, as they claimed their second-straight South Dodgeball Cup over rivals UNG earlier this semester. Captains Will Strong and Braylon Patton anchor the Norse, and the team will need their leadership to stay on the right side of the bubble.

#16: Illinois

Saturday opponents: Bowling Green, Kent State, Akron

A young and improving Illinois team rolls into Nationals with a 5-10 overall record that includes wins over regional foes Wisconsin-Platteville and Iowa. The Fighting Illini have made strides in postseasons past, but they currently find themselves in the coveted last spot in the tournament. A poor performance at their regional cup may be cause for concern–they failed to score against Nebraska and lost to UWP for the first time in three years. Nevertheless, strong leadership and strong on-court chemistry are essential in April, and UIUC isn’t lacking in either department.

#17: Wisconsin-Platteville

Saturday opponents: Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Virginia

It’s been a disappointing 4-14 season for the Pioneers, but they’re coming off of a 2-1 performance at this year’s Central Region Cup. Despite their struggles all year against regional juggernaut Nebraska, UWP might be able to hack their way into the bracket with a strong performance Saturday. Upsets over Grand Valley and Virginia would be shocking, but opportunity arises in their midday game against Central Michigan. Solid and consistent play from the attack line could propel Platteville to a tournament berth.

#18: Central Michigan

Saturday opponents: Wisconsin-Platteville, James Madison, Cincinnati

Central Michigan found their stride against regional opponents Western Michigan at MDC, and proved they can score with speed and precision when they get up to speed. However, slow starts and inconsistent play have left the Chippewas sitting at 2-12 on the year. Even for a rebuilding program, they’ve shown impressive flashes of strategy and talent on both offense and defense and could definitely be a thorn in the side of Saturday competition, if not an force for the future NCDA.

#19: Western Michigan

Saturday opponents: Ohio, Nebraska, Maryland

The Broncos head to Athens at 0-6 still searching for positives after not scoring more than one point in all but one of their losses. Western Michigan has showed amazing resilience all season and have been consistently improving with every minute of game experience they’ve had. With that in mind, WMU might be a more difficult opponent than expected for some teams.

#20: Maryland

Saturday opponents: Northern Kentucky, Michigan State, Western Michigan

Maryland is also still searching for their first win on the year, but they’ve faced tough competition from their East Coast opponents all season. Nationals could be the answer for this floundering team, and while no one expects a close one with #2-ranked Michigan State, contests against NKU and WMU present better chances for the Terps to sneak into the field. They might be at the bottom of the standings at the moment, but Maryland’s veteran-heavy roster knows how to win games in April when they count.