Author: Alison Draxler

Women’s Dodgeball 2025 Preview

The UW-Platteville Dodgeball Club is proud to have formed its first Women’s Dodgeball Team for the 2024-2025 season where they competed at Women’s Nationals in Miami, Ohio. For the 2025-2026 season, we have 5 returning members and we are looking to recruit at least 7 new members in order to have a B team.

Teams need a minimum of 4 team members in order to compete at women’s nationals, but they are allowed 6 players on the court. The maximum roster size for Women’s No-Sting is 9 players. The women’s league is still growing, and it is expected that 4-6 teams will be competing at Nationals, meaning UWP has a good shot at winning. Women’s dodgeball uses smaller balls that are called “no-stings” that don’t hurt and are easier to work with. Teams also play on a smaller court, roughly the size of a volleyball court. 

The UWP team brought 2 veterans and 5 rookies to Women’s Nationals, and their first match was the first time they had ever played an official women’s team. Despite this, many players and coaches were impressed by the UWP Women’s team. At the end of the season, 4 of the 7 UWP players earned awards from the league. Veteran Hollie Wheeler made the 2nd Women’s All American Team, Rookies Alison Draxler and Tori Sanborn made the 1st Women’s All American Rookie Team, and Rookie Reagan Bucholtz made the 2nd Women’s All American Rookie Team.

The way UWP plays dodgeball is all about brains over brawn. We use strategies and techniques so that every player can be successful and important on the court. You don’t need to have any background in any sports to do well on our team. We will teach you everything you need to know. We help give feedback to perfect your throwing, catching, and blocking. This isn’t like middle school or high school gym class dodgeball. We make sure everyone gets to play and has fun doing it. Our current stats and throw speeds show that our women’s team is well rounded, and every individual has the ability to make game-changing plays. 

Here is a link to our TikTok page where we post our highlights from games and tournaments for both Co-Ed and Women’s No-Sting: TikTok

Learn a little more about our female members who currently play for both the Co-Ed team and the Women’s team:

Hollie Wheeler, Club President, Women’s Team Captain

Junior, Started in February 2024

I joined after I saw the club at the spring involvement fair. I went to my first practice the same night as the involvement fair and I had a lot of fun. I decided to keep coming back to practice, and I actually started looking forward to going to practice. The guys are all super nice and several of them would often walk me home to my dorm at night. When I joined, there was only 1 other female on the team. After a few weeks, I felt comfortable around the guys, and I was perfectly fine if the other girl couldn’t make it to practice. Now, I can’t imagine not being on the team. 

When I first started, I threw around 20 mph (our coach has a speed clock). By the time nationals came around in April, I hit 40 mph. Now, I’m working to get above 50 mph with both types of dodgeballs. I attended my first nationals with the team at Ohio State University, and it was so much fun. I love being in the club because it helps keep me active without having to find time to go to the gym, and 2-3 nights a week of practice is the perfect amount of commitment for me, and its no big deal if I have to miss a practice. 

I am so proud of the club and the women’s team, and I’m very grateful that my female teammates stuck around. I have grown very close with my teammates, and they are now my best friends. Before joining the team, I was shy and had no confidence. I’ve seen myself grow both on and off the court, and now I feel more comfortable as a leader. I’ve also seen how much the female rookies have grown, and I want to help more new players find that confidence they never knew they had. 

Sometimes it sounds a little silly to say I play dodgeball in college, but I’ve never had so much fun. My only regret is that I didn’t join sooner. 

Alison Draxler, Content Writer, Women’s Team Co-Captain

Sophomore, Started in September 2024

I went to my first practice after being asked by my RA Hollie if I wanted to join her. I was very hesitant at first but wanted to get involved and told myself I had nothing to lose. After having fun at the first practice, I decided to keep going, and I am so grateful that I did. I had absolutely no idea how much fun I was getting myself into. Not only is playing dodgeball a lot of fun, but I am so proud of the community and environment that our team has created. Our club is so much fun and very inviting. So much so that we created UWP’s first women’s dodgeball team last year against all odds. I can’t wait to watch our team continue growing in numbers and in skill. We are only going up from here and I am so honored to be our women’s team co-captain. Lastly, I want to add that joining dodgeball has given me leadership opportunities that I would not have expected. Over the past year I have watched my confidence grow, not just on the court, but also in my everyday life in school and in my role as an RA.

Reagan Bucholtz, Secretary

Sophomore, Started September 2024

I joined the dodgeball club after seeing it a Bridgefest and my RA, Hollie, encouraged people in our wing to go with her to a practice. After having a lot of fun with the first practice I decided to keep going since I was having a lot of fun. Joining the club helped me with creating friendships quickly, which helped a lot with adapting to college life. The genuine friendships are the one of the biggest reasons I stayed with the club. Another reason I stayed is because it was great to be able to take a break from schoolwork, go get some exercise with a team, and see continuous improvement. After a week I was able to block and throw with much better form. By the end of the year, I was able to throw the dodgeball 50mph, compared to my throw at the beginning being around 30mph. Being able to see the improvement helps me feel even more motivated to do better and make goals to do so. Overall, dodgeball was one of my best college experiences so far, and I can’t wait to keep seeing our program grow, both our co-ed team and our women’s team!

Tori Sanborn, Treasurer

Sophomore, Started October 2024

Hello! My name is Tori Sanborn and I am sophomore here at UWP. I joined the dodgeball team in October of 2024, and I am now the treasurer of the club. I ended up joining the dodgeball club due to my ra at the time, and thought why not give it a shot. After joining, I realized the club is very welcoming and I was able to make so many friends. At the same time, it’s a perfect way to stay in shape and get out of your comfort zone. When I first started, I was nervous because I never really played dodgeball in school before. But over time, I improved a great amount. I learned how to catch, proper throwing form, as well as seeing the whole court and now I play call for the team. You do not need any prior knowledge or skill to join, and the club is very friendly. Giving it a try, was one of the best decisions I made. If you’d like to try something new, then the dodgeball team is a perfect way. 

Victoria Bonilla

Sophomore, Started February 2025

I joined because I thought it would be a fun way to stay active. I’ve continued with the club ever since because it was a great atmosphere and the other members were really welcoming. It didn’t matter whether I knew how to play the sport or not, everyone took the time to show me how to play. From just a couple of months of joining I’ve learned the skills needed to be successful during a game. I think more people should give this sport a try, as long as you have a great attitude and the eagerness to learn you’ll have a lot of fun. As a female player it can be intimidating at first, but you’ll impress yourself as you learn the ropes. I really do enjoy playing with the other women on the team, it’s a great bonding experience and team building. You’ll leave each practice with a smile and some new friends. 

Hannah Spencer

Sophomore, Started February 2025

I joined because Hollie was my RA and mentioned there was a girl’s team, I stayed despite my injury because I love the community the team provides. I think anyone reading this should join the team because you don’t need to be the most athletic or have every bit of dodgeball knowledge coming in, it is a very supportive and fun community that I think every personality can mesh with to some degree.

Please join us at practice! Our schedule is as follows:

August 31 – September 30

5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Memorial Park courts by Pickard Hall

October 2 – April 21

10:00 pm to 11:55 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the PAC wooden courts

If this time does not work for you, send an email telling us what might work for you, and we will try to accommodate! We have optional earlier practices starting in October on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-10 pm. Having more people at practice is beneficial in simulating real game scenarios, no matter your skill level.

We get to choose how we practice, what we practice, and how we hang out outside of practice. We schedule both Co-Ed and Women’s only team bonding events throughout the season including, but not limited to, lunch/dinner on campus, bowling, billiards, disc golf, mini golf, movie night, game night, hockey game, study sessions, and more.

We could not ask for a more supportive team. The male players are always willing to help, be silly at practice, and make everyone feel welcome. The female veteran players are very supportive in helping new female members adjust to a Co-Ed setting and we will not push you to do anything you aren’t ready for yet. 

We look forward to dominating this season and we can’t wait for you to join us!

2025-26 Season Preview

Welcome back Pioneer Dodgeball fans! We are ready to dive into another season of college dodgeball and make it even better than the last!

In order to start of the year right our content committee has been working overtime getting out tons of new content in an effort to get as many new recruits as possible. So far, this has been going well for us. We have seen quite a few new faces at our first couple practices and talked to a lot of people interested at Bridgefest.

The next step to growing our team has to do with our team chemistry. Although we were all very close last year, we hope to keep improving. This will not only make our club more inviting, but it will also help us to play better. If each player is comfortable with their teammates our on-court communication will only improve.

We are also focusing on encouraging other schools to start their own dodgeball teams. We’ve reached out to Iowa State, UW Stevens Point, UW River Falls, UW Eau Claire, and UW Madison. Having more teams close by will get us another step ahead and new experiences.

Lastly, I would like to point out that this year’s starting roster is even larger than last year with 19 players’ total! We are very proud of this number, especially the fact that 6 of the 19 are women.

Based on how this season has started off we are confident that we will at least get our full women’s team. With this team we hope to participate in at least one official women’s game before playing at nationals.

Thank you to everyone for following along and supporting us! See you later this season!

Go ‘Neers!

2024-25 Season Recap

Another season of dodgeball has come and gone, and it is finally time to look back and review all of the struggles we endured and accomplishments we achieved.

CSU Nationals 2024-25

A few of our largest goals were to compete in at least 8 tournaments, recruit enough for a b-team and a women’s team, and at nationals, either make it to the championship bracket or win the consolation bracket. Overall, we had a pretty successful season.

By the end of the year, after traveling to many schools, we surpassed our goal and played in a total of eleven tournaments including nationals. You can read more about how nationals went here, but regarding our goals, although we did not make it to the championship bracket, we succeeded at winning the consolation bracket in a close game against WMU. This proved to us that we are closer to making it to the championship bracket that we realized and that it is 100% possible.

UWP vs. WMU winning point
Photo Credit: Reagan Bucholtz

We started off the year strong with six rookies ready to compete and learn the game of dodgeball, three of which were women. So, although we did not gain enough to form a b-team we successfully created Platteville’s first women’s no-sting dodgeball team. This allowed us to compete at women’s nationals in Miami, Ohio with seven women, more than a full team.

Women’s nationals at Miami University 2024-25
Photo Credit: Clare Beck

Although we did not win a title at women’s nationals this year, we showed that we are capable of great things. With another year of practice and recruiting more rookies we have a good chance of doing some winning next year. We are all very excited to work hard and come back stronger than ever next season.

Awards

All of this year’s awards required tough voting processes due to the growth each one of our members have made this year. In the end the winners were…

Nick Stocks – Team Impact

Hollie Wheeler – Most Improved

Jalen Sims – Baller of the Year

David Laux – Rookie of the Year

Hollie Wheeler – Women’s Baller of the Year

Alison Draxler – Women’s Rookie of the Year

Election Results

Here are our 2025-26 e-board members and what they are looking forward to for this upcoming season.

Captain – Dylan Fabry

“I’m looking forward to leading and bringing a full experienced team to our tournaments and taking home a lot more wins this season.”

Co-Captain – Ben Breidenbach

“I’m looking forward to having a larger impact on our team both on and off the court.”

President – Hollie Wheeler

“I am looking forward to seeing the team grow both on and off the court. When we have trust, confidence, and communication, we’ll be able to play better as a team. I want to see our hard work lead to success, and I’m excited to see how the new rookies will adapt.”

Vice President – Eric Sullivan

“I am looking forward to seeing how this team grows next season. We had a lot of growth from last season and I’m excited to see so many veterans on our team. I’m expecting big things from everyone next season.”

Secretary – Reagan Bucholtz

“What I am looking forward to the most is growing more as a team on and off the court, as well as competing stronger as a team.”

Treasurer – Tori Sanborn

“I would say I am mostly looking forward to seeing the improvement of me and the rest of the team as well as watching our team grow. Not in just numbers, but also in the bonds we create.”

Content Writer – Alison Draxler

“I am looking forward to watching our team improve and helping with recruiting more players. Especially for growing our women’s team because this season proved that it is possible.”

Season’s Favorite Memories

This season was filled with fun memories, starting off strong with dressing up for practice for Halloween.

Team bonding on and off the court. Study sessions, team dinners, bowling, disk golf, pool and mini golf

Fundraising with the Popcorn Kernel on Main Street in Platteville.

Going to see a Dubuque Fighting Saints hockey game.

Forming UWP’s first women’s dodgeball team and getting to play other women. Scoring our first point on the guys playing no-sting during practice.

Zanderthon Throwdown 2025
Photo Credit: Richard Laux

For more UWP Dodgeball content check out all of our social media here!

Women’s Rookie of the Year – Alison Draxler

This is award given to a first year player on the women’s team that has put in a lot of effort and makes an impact on the court. They provide us with throws and catches when it is needed the most. After being voted on my teammates, I was chosen for our team’s first Women’s Rookie of the Year. Here are the questions given to me for winning this award!

Q: How do you feel about winning this award?

A: I feel so proud of myself for earning this award. Although I already knew this, it proved to me that I belong on the team and that my teammates also see that. This makes me even more excited to improve and play next season.

Q: What was your proudest moment from this season?

A: It is hard to pick just one moment from the whole season, but my favorite has to be competing at women’s nationals with a full team. Even though we didn’t win in the end, I am so proud of our accomplishments and the number of catches and thrown outs we were able to get.

Q: What do you hope to improve on?

A: Next season I really want to focus and improve on my skills in pinch. My main goal is to get more comfortable with letting throws hit me in order to secure more catches. I know it is possible if I continue going to skills practices.

Q: What are you looking forward to for the next season?

A: I am looking forward to recruiting more players and winning some more games. Our team is already very talented and getting some new rookies will only help us improve.

Q: What is your greatest takeaway from this season?

A: My greatest takeaway is that we are capable of really competing with good teams as long as we work as a team and have good communication. We had lots of close points and games that we could have won if we worked together just a little more.

Rookie of the Year – David Laux

This is award given to a first year player on the team that has put in a lot of effort and makes an impact on the court. They provide us with throws and catches when it is needed the most. The winner is voted on by their teammates and this year’s rookie of the year is David Laux. Let’s take a look at the interview below and what he thinks of winning this award!

Q: How do you feel about winning this award?

A: I feel great! It is awesome to see that all the hard work this year has paid off.

Q: What was your proudest moment from this season?

A: My proudest moment this year was at the tournament in NIU where I got 4 catches in one game and got “rookie of the month for the league”.

Q: What do you hope to improve on?

A: I hope to be more consistent in everything next year especially blocking and throw accuracy.

Q: What are you looking forward to for the next season?

A: I’m looking forward to playing more and being a big part of the team.

Q: What is your greatest takeaway from this season?

A: My greatest takeaway is that I need to watch what my teammates are doing just as much as watching what my enemies are doing.

Women’s Baller of the Year – Hollie Wheeler

This is a new award this year that is given to the best woman on the court. She throws outs, makes catches, provides pressure, and allows our women’s team to compete. The winner is voted on by their teammates and this year’s winner was Hollie Wheeler. Let’s take a look at the interview below on his thoughts of winning the award.

Q: How do you feel about winning this award?

A: I’m very appreciative that both my male and female teammates felt I deserved this recognition. It’s exciting that we even get to have this award this year. I hope I can keep it up and be a contender for it again next year.

Q: What was your favorite moment playing women’s no-sting this season?

A: Although I loved getting the opportunity to play at women’s nationals, I had the most fun playing no-sting on our home courts during practice. I’m glad we decided to record a few no-sting practices against the guys, and there were a lot of great moments. One of my favorites are when Ian acted as a human shield for our club President, Daniel, and my ball was still able to get Daniel in the foot. Another good play was when I caught a ball at my hip at close range while holding two balls in my hands.

Q: What is your proudest achievement this season?

A: My proudest achievement has got to be playing on an official women’s team. I really thought it wouldn’t happen until after I graduated, but I was hoping I could help lay the foundation before I left. Turns out, it was a pretty strong foundation and now we have a team.

Q: What goals do you have for recruiting new players next season?

A: I would really like to have a B team so that we can practice playing other girls, but also so we can dominate against other B teams in the league.

Q: What personal goals are you setting for yourself for the upcoming season?

A: There is always room for improvement in every aspect of the game. I want to be a strong player on both courts. Mostly, I want to throw far fewer catches. My goal is to become a player that others look up to and want to learn from.

Baller of the Year – Jalen Sims

This is an award that is given to the best player on the court. This individual throws outs, makes catches, provides pressure, and allows the team to compete. The winner is voted on by their teammates and this year’s winner is Jalen Sims. Let’s take a look at the interview below on his thoughts of winning the award.

Q: How do you feel about winning this award?

A: I appreciate the award. I feel a lot of people on the team could have gotten it, thank you for the votes.

Q: What was your favorite moment or moments from this past season?

A: My favorite moment from this past season has to be getting the last hit at nationals (felt pretty good).

Q: What does your future in Dodgeball look like?

A: Undecided 

Q: What do you hope to see the club achieve this coming season?

A: I hope to see the club be in the top 10 teams next year.

Q: What advice can you give to any young or rookie players for the next season?

A: My biggest advice would be to don’t be afraid to throw the ball and get hit.

Most Improved 2025 – Hollie Wheeler

This award is given to the individual that puts in the work and effort to improve and take their game to the next level. They are always looking for ways to get better and want to make an impact on the court. The award is voted on by their teammates and this year’s most improved player is Hollie Wheeler. Let’s take a look at her interview and what she has to say about winning this award!

Q: How do you feel about winning this award?

A: I feel very proud to have earned this award. I was nominated last year after just 2 months on the team, and when I lost, I told myself I would work hard to get it the next year. I know that every other candidate for this award has worked hard and their efforts shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Q: What moment or moments from this past season are you most proud of?

A: Overall, I’m most proud of how much I’ve changed since last season. Before, I had very little confidence doing anything. When I was left as the last player left multiple times, I didn’t know what to do. Now, I don’t even have to think about what to do in that situation. My coach just lets me do my thing and I don’t feel any pressure or stress from my team. I’ve been able to secure a good amount of catches as the last player left, and I’ve learned to survive and draw out the clock.

Q: What skills do you hope to continue focusing on? Any new skills you want to learn?

A: I want to keep up on my ability to catch. I love the satisfaction when it just sticks and the team just lights up with excitement. I want to improve my throwing and pump fakes that make people fall over like my captain, Dylan, can do. I’d like both me and my team to work on dropping to catch since there’s a lot of weak resets that can be an easy catch rather than a block. 

Q: What was your favorite moment from this past season?

A: I think one of my favorite moments this past season was my 6 catches and a team catch at UNL. I believe it was technically my 5th tournament ever and I completely surprised myself. It marked a turning point in my confidence that helped me progress so much the rest of the season. Feeling how excited my team was after each catch and watching back the footage to see my coach enthusiastically clapping really cemented how much I enjoy being a part of this team. 

Q: Do you have any plans to continue playing Dodgeball in the future?

A: Of course, I don’t think I could ever leave this team prematurely. I have plans to play in some NDA tournaments in the summer and I’m sure I’ll be back after I graduate. But until then, I’m not done improving. Thank you again to my team for voting me most improved this year!

Team Impact 2025 – Nicholas Stocks

The Team Impact Award is given to the player that always gives it his all on the court and brings the energy regardless of the score. They know how to rally the team and keep the mood light when it is needed. This individual was voted on by their teammates and the winner of this year’s team impact award is Nicholas Stocks. Let’s take a look at his interview on how he feels about winning!

Q: How do you feel about winning this award?

A: I am honored that the team selected me to receive this award. I wanted to see the best brought out in the team because my teammates helped me be the best dodgeball player I could be.

Q: What do you hope to see the club achieve this coming season?

A: Next season I plan to see Platteville in the championship bracket at Nationals. With the momentum from winning the consolation bracket this year, the club will be off to a great start next season.

Q: What advice would you give to younger and new players?

A: My advice to new players is to show up to practice. If you want to become better, attend regular practices and a few skills practices, you will see your skills grow significantly by consistently showing up.

Q: What was your favorite moment from this past season?

A: I always enjoyed coming to practice to play dodgeball and hang out with friends, but my favorite moment this season was the team throw with Jalen for the final out against WMU in overtime to win the consolation bracket.

Q: Do you have plans to continue playing Dodgeball in the future?

A: I plan to come back and play on the alumni team at home tournaments.