Last Saturday, February 23, 2019, these teams competed and battled it out at the Zanderthon Throw-Down: Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSULA), University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP), DePaul University, and the Alumni. The games went as expected and I think it is safe to say that everyone had a great time! We made new friends and introduced a lot of newcomers to the sport. Below are the scores for the day and a quick recap:
UWP def NSULA- 5-1
UWP def Alumni- 4-0
NSULA def DePaul- 6-1
UWP def DePaul- 7-0
Alumni def NSULA- 4-1
NSULA def DePaul- 6-0
Captain’s Thoughts- The following is what each captain had to say about their team and the other teams in attendance
Mark Liedtke (UWP)–
I think that both NSULA and DePaul impressed me more on the court than I thought they would. Depaul only having 8 players, played some really tough points during the tournament. NSULA also played some really hard fought points and have some very talented players on their squad that I hope continue to improve. I think overall we played well and were working well as a team. We were playing a little too aggressive in some situations which will be something we will have to work on in practice. I don’t think anyone in particular stood out for me on our team. Overall, everyone played well and that is a good sign as we move towards Nationals.
Sam Gilroy (DePaul)-
I think the tournament went really well for us. The scores may not show it but we kept a few points very close against NSULA despite how new and small our roster was. I think we really came out strong compared to what we were expecting and most importantly we played some really good DePaul style dodgeball. I think looking forward our main goal is to practice hard and bring as strong a roster as possible for Nationals.
Casey Alfultis (NSULA)–
We were highly impressed with Tylor Collins stepping up at his first tournament. He performed very well and will continue to develop into a fantastic dodgeball player. Keivondric Brown also stepped up heavily this tournament. Not only as a leader but as an overall player, even catching an improbable ball against his face. Kameron Dukes also came into his own as a leader and has proven he has what it takes to step up in the future. As always, our girls proved that they earned their spot on our roster and that they shouldn’t be underestimated by anyone. Even though we feel we could have done more, I’m extremely proud of our young team as they continue to develop. They’re becoming a great team and aren’t far off from being a contender.
A special thanks to Katy Banovich, Michaela Pinion, Hassan Cheatio for helping to take stats, pictures, keeping track of time, and for recording the matches. Their help made the tournament run smooth. It was an enjoyable experience for all!