The fourth edition of the Redhawk Classic saw some big things for every team in attendance, which were Alabama (Bama), Miami, Akron, Ohio State (OSU), and Bowling Green (BGSU). Here’s a look at how each team navigated last Saturday at the defending champion’s home court.
Ohio State (4-0)
Ohio State were not taking any prisoners in Oxford as they breezed through their matches to a perfect 4-0 record. They began the day with a dominant performance against Akron in a 6-1 win before blowing out the defending champion Miami team 5-0. After, Bowling Green tried to give the Buckeyes a heat check as they kept the match close, but Ohio State prevailed 4-3. Finally, Ohio State ended the day with a 5-2 win over Alabama.
Ohio State now enters the Ohio Dodgeball Cup as the favorites to win the title, but Bowling Green, Kent, and Ohio will undoubtedly ensure that the Buckeyes keep their foot on the gas the whole way.
Akron (2-1)
After jumping to #8 in the standings last November, the Zips came to Oxford with high aspirations. Although they began the day with a 1-6 loss against Ohio State, they immediately bounced back with a decisive 7-1 win over Alabama. To end, Akron pushed a strong Bowling Green team to overtime after a 3-3 tie. In a long overtime point, captain Alexis Schultz saw herself on the court alone against 4 Falcons, proceeding to slowly pick them off to secure the 1-against-4 comeback win. Speaking about the highly tense match, Schultz says that “Bowling Green is a team that will catch you if you are not careful with your throws. [They] highlighted exactly the flaws we knew we had and need to work on.”
It wasn’t just the power of the Akron veterans that fueled their comeback as Schultz clamors “we had a lot of rookies step up [against BGSU]. Alex Skwirut has athleticism that has quickly carried him to an OT6 spot.” Further, Schultz highlights rookie Nick Novak who “stepped up with catch after catch.”
Akron were projected only to finish 5th in the Ohio region before the season started, and up until now they’ve seemingly fulfilled that projection, but don’t be surprised if captains Alexis Schultz and Kyle VonScio propel the team to another deep playoff run under former Coach of the Year Adam Pfeifer.
Going into the Ohio Dodgeball Cup, Schultz says that confidence is at the forefront of the team’s mind.
Bowling Green (0-3)
This Redhawk Classic ought to be one of the most frustrating performances for the Falcons in recent years. They looked strong, played good dodgeball, but couldn’t come out with a win. Worse, in every match, they only lost by 1 point, one of which being an overtime loss in one of the most entertaining matches in the league this season.
#10 Jack Price says their point differential from the tournament “shows that we are a competitive team and can always keep it a close game regardless of what team we face.” The Falcons now sit at a 4-11 record, but have lost 5 games by only one point and have an average point differential of -0.7 on the season; however, against teams currently in the top 10, their point differential drops to an average of -2.4.
In their last match of the day, the Falcons had a 4-1 man advantage in overtime against Akron, but a comeback by the Zips put them down 0-2 in the series against Akron this season. Price adds that both sides of the match were “heated and angry” which was the “main fuel” for that game.
The main takeaway from the Redhawk Classic is growth, which Price maintains the Falcons have made not only from the weekend but throughout the whole season as well. Bowling Green has a lot to look forward to, and their ability to keep games close puts them really close to jumping into the upper echelon of teams in the league.
Miami (2-1)
Miami defended 2 wins on the home court, but their record doesn’t tell the full story of how the Redhawks felt about their performance. They began with a close 3-2 win over Bowling Green, with a performance that captain Philip Hamilton describes as “sloppy”. The Redhawks then lost in a blowout against Ohio State 0-5 in a benchmark game for Miami.
Despite the losses, Hamilton asserts that his team “has what it takes to win another championship” but also “has a lot to work on.” The Miami team president further highlighted second-year player #2 Collin Stringer as a player who made great catches and was tough to get out.
As the Redhawks prepare for the Ohio Dodgeball Cup, Philip Hamilton is making it known that “we know what we need to fix and we will come back stronger than ever.”
Alabama (0-3)
Alabama came to Oxford without any expectations as they are still one of the youngest teams in the league. Their mission at the Redhawk Classic was simply to gain experience against some of the best dodgeball teams heading into the South Dodgeball Cup.
The Crimson Tide began the day with a 1-7 loss against Akron, followed by a 1-5 loss against Miami. Finally, Alabama finished with a 2-5 loss against Ohio State.
It wasn’t about the results for Alabama, but they do seem to signal rapid growth coming from Tuscaloosa. Alabama scored more points against Ohio State than Akron and Miami did combined, and Alabama scored at least 1 point in every game. For a team’s third tournament, that speaks to the drive and dedication displayed by the whole Alabama team. They’ve proven they can stand their ground against any team in the league, even if they don’t win much.
Further, Alabama only brought 13 people to Oxford, for 7 of which was their first ever tournament. Alabama captain Avery Weathers adds that “our new guys really stood up to the challenge, especially Rouan Nandjou and Lucas Strohmeyer, both have strong arms, showed great teamwork, and are eager to learn about the game.”
Going into the South Dodgeball Cup, the Crimson Tide may surprise people. If they can put up points against these teams in Ohio, they just might put up a fight for the Cup.