Zanderthon Throw-Down Recap 3.0
On Saturday February 24, one of the great tournaments of the semester occurred between two teams, University of Wisconsin- Platteville and University Nebraska- Lincoln. It was another matchup between the Cornhuskers and the Pioneers and UWP got the best of UNL. Here is how the games went overall this weekend.
UWP JV def Nebraska JV 2-0
UWP JV squad easily handled the JV squad of Nebraska. They rolled easily, they played well together, and their captains Logan Stevenson and Austin Kurey stepped up as expected and brought the needed leadership onto the
court. For the Cornhuskers, it was all about getting the experience in and having a good time in order to prepare for the varsity match. As most of them were freshmen they played well for the first time.
UWP Varsity def UNL Varsity- 4-0 & 4-1
I was most impressed with Nebraska this time around in the way they played and carried themselves on the court. Even though the score may not show it, they played well and each point was a challenge to obtain for UWP.
Most of the points came down to a few players left on both sides and it was the experience of UWP’s veteran players that gave them the points. All the games they put in last year and this semester have been paying off and it will be interesting to see them play in the future. Word on the street has it they will be traveling to play in the CDO at DePaul, which will only help them better prepare for Nationals.
UWP Alumni def UNL 2-0 UWP def UWP Alumni 2-0
These games were fun to say the least. It was awesome watching the old timers. Both sides were impressed with how hard they could throw and catch. There were several times the alumni were able to get off team throws
that put fear into their opponents. It was a good learning experience for both UNL and UWP as it was a different style of play than what they were accustomed to. Everyone had a great time and look forward to them coming and playing again next time.
Captain’s Thoughts
Tanner Obermeier (UNL)
Overall, I thought it was a good experience for us. It was beneficial for the new guys who still haven’t played a lot of games. Our expectations are to continue to grow as a team and hopefully get a few wins and more experience at DePaul while preparing for Nationals
Tim Ebert (UWP)
I thought that UNL improved a lot since we last met. I feel some things they should work on is working on improving their throw strength and accuracy and work in more team throws and cross throws. They should also try to focus on catching early on in the start of games. For Platteville, I feel that we have some room for improvement when it comes to cross throws and throwing together. But the biggest thing Platteville needs to work on is maintaining ball control and controlling the flow of the game.
Final Thoughts
Both teams have a young squad and come nationals it should not be an issue. These teams are getting their young players the experience in that they need to compete at a high level. UNL and UWP are going to several tournaments and putting in several more games. By the time nationals play comes around, each team will know their identity and be able to compete against anyone and make it a challenge. I think UNL will get two wins at nationals and UWP will get to the second round. Good luck to both these teams and I know they both cannot wait for more dodgeball.