Welcome back dodgeball fans! UW-Platteville hosted the ninth Zanderthon Throw-Down on March first and hosted our second banquet at the Ticket Bar and Grill; it was great to see all the families that showed up to celebrate the day. While not as many schools participated as we would have liked, were able to fit in a few official matches and a women’s no-sting game at the end.
UWP vs UIUC
We ended up playing UIUC twice during this tournament. We opened the first game with a ton of energy which UIUC reciprocated. We were moving as a unit which kept Illinois on their toes and off their base line. Much like the other times we’ve played Illinois, we struggled to deter their cross-throws which frequently made contact. However, they also like to throw in front of or without a blocker which leaves them open to being hit. There were also instances where they threw as many as four balls at once, but that opened it up to us to execute team throws but it was not enough to compete. The game ended with a score of UIUC 5-0 UWP.
The second game started off a bit chaotically with a throw right off the rush and some literal toes getting stepped on. We were pretty amped to play UIUC again, but this lead to us making silly mistakes like missing blocks, throwing in front of our blockers, and throwing at inopportune times. Many of our players were frustrated with how we were playing, and it reflected in the reckless decisions we were making. It was obvious were were tired of giving up points, and by the end of the second half, we scored a point on them thanks to Nicholas Stocks and Hollie Wheeler. The final point played went unfinished, and the final score was UIUC 3-1 UWP.
UWP No-Sting Match
This event was the first time we were able to play with six players on the women’s side of the court! While we had to play some of the guys again, we were able to learn a great deal from this game. Much like our first ever no-sting game, we hadn’t played a real no-sting game with a full court of people, and it was extremely beneficial to finally learn what that is like. With nationals just weeks away, we need any chance we get to learn and adapt to this style of play.
From left to right: Hollie Wheeler, Reagan Bucholtz, Tori Sanborn, Alison Drexler, Hannah Spencer, Kate Douglas
Final Thoughts
Although the outcomes of the tournament were not what we hoped, each game gave us opportunities to learn what we as a team needed to work on. By the time we played UIUC again, there were new things we integrated into our gameplay which allowed us to work better as a team. One of our goals for this season was to beat an Illinois school, but while we were unable to achieve this goal, we made them work hard for their points. Next up is the Illini Impact tournament hosted by UIUC–See you then!
