Tag: uk

Rivalry Renewed: WKU vs. UK

rivalry renewedOnly one NCDA match was played this weekend, and it was a great one.  Western Kentucky played host to in-state rival Kentucky on Saturday.  This was the second meeting between the two schools this season, with Kentucky taking the first meeting 3-0 in the opening match of the 2014-15 NCDA regular season. Continue reading “Rivalry Renewed: WKU vs. UK”

KY Kernel: UK dodgeball team hosting nationals

By William Wright in the Kentucky Kernel on February 6, 2013

UK will be hosting the 2013 National Collegiate Dodgeball Association Nationals tournament April 13.

UK dodgeball is ranked No. 1 in the nation [sic-at time of publishing, UK is 2nd], so morale for the tournament is high.  Continue reading “KY Kernel: UK dodgeball team hosting nationals”

WKU Rallies Late

Story by: M. Blake Harrison

“Our players couldn’t help but feed off the fan energy,” Josh Raymer said gratefully in reference to the crowd at Western’s home opener against UK.

It was that energy which propelled Western to a 1-0 start in its third year of competitive dodgeball.

Western, who played host to just its second-ever home game Sunday afternoon, was welcomed by upwards of 150 fans at the Preston Health & Activities Center on main campus.

The raucous crowd looked on as the Toppers took a commanding 1-0 lead to start the contest.

With the lead, Western zeroed in on their second point as UK lost men rapidly.

Finally down to one opponent, Western sophomore Luke “The Sideline Assassin” Gilliam nailed UK’s final hope to tie the match at one apiece.

With a commanding 2-0 lead, Raymer, who serves as the Hilltoppers’ head coach, chose to sub in some younger players for the third point, which they lost.

“We really just lost track of our game plan after awhile,” Raymer said. “Our level of play wasn’t as strong.”

UK won the fourth point to knot the game at 2-2 by the end of regulation.

The fact that the Toppers finished the half up 2-1 and tied 2-2 at the end of regulation highlighted the impact of Gilliam’s play early in the first half.

“It looks a lot better now than it did at the time,” Gilliam said after the match. “Little points like that can make all the difference.”

With 10 minutes of overtime to decide the outcome of the match, Western’s cheering section rose to the occasion.

With chants of “Let’s go Western,” and “T-O-P-S, TOPS, TOPS, TOPS” in the background, the home team prevailed.

WKU eliminated their final opponent with time to spare, sending a message to future foes:  Don’t mess with the Tops in Preston.

Freshman fan Joshua Amos summed up the crowd’s mentality, “With the fans behind them, I knew they could pull it off.”

Battle of the Bluegrass: The Drive to Dodge

Thud!

Several heads ducked in unison as the projectile sailed over them.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Three more rubber balls slammed against the back wall in rapid succession.

Those audience members with bad memories from middle school PE classes probably questioned the sanity of the 15 young men standing on the court at some point during the evening.

The white and red clad combatants had scrambled for loose balls, rocketed throws at their opponents and dropped to the floor when dodging was no longer an option.

Although the motivation to play a childrens’ game in college escaped some members of the crowd at Butler County High School, players on the Western dodgeball team never lacked inspiration for their annual game against UK..

It wasn’t the prospect of campus-wide renown or the allure of playing in games that would be featured on ESPN.

Each player that stood on the court that night to risk pain and humiliation did so because of a passion for the eloquence and simplicity of dodgeball.

Any doubts of such devotion were erased when Felix Perrone fell to the floor during the game’s first point clutching his left ankle.

Perrone hobbled off the court and slid down his sock to reveal a sprained ankle that had already swelled to the size of a golf ball.

But instead of heading for the locker room, he waited for his team to win the first game before dragging his swollen ankle onto the court for the second point.

“A bad ankle wouldn’t stop me from playing this game,” Perrone said.

Teammate Ben Sobczyk battled elbow soreness to be on the court during the rematch of Kentucky’s two prominent dodgeball programs.

“I just took it out on our opponent,” Sobczyk said.

Devotion wasn’t the only motivation other injured Western players had in their clash against the Wildcats.

The “Battle of the Bluegrass” was a fundraiser for BCHS’ after-prom program and an opportunity to share dodgeball with young students.

Daniel Williams called the game “the highlight of Western’s season.”

“It feels great to give back to the community,” Williams said.

As he stood among a gaggle of third graders prior to the match, Williams beamed as he watched the kids pelt their classmates with brightly colored foam balls.

“The look on their faces made it all worth it,” he said.