Category: Preview

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!

Mid Season Recap

Welcome back dodgeball fans! Before the second half of the season gets up and running, let’s have a look back at what the Pioneers have achieved so far.

Credit: Richard Laux

Goals

To start, for those who were unable to attend our home tournament banquet, the team has curated a list of goals we hope to achieve for each tournament, for ourselves, and for the season overall. We were finally able to create a list for our women’s team after recruiting enough members to finally compete. Some important goals we are working toward are:

  1. Play in at least 8 tournaments
  2. Earn at least one win at each away tournament.
  3. Score at least one point on each opponent.
  4. Start a women’s team.

We have five tournaments under our belt, and three more for our co-ed team and four more for our women’s team.

We haven’t had a win at every tournament, but each point earned was fought hard for.

We were able to earn at least one point on each of our opponents except one.

We have started UWP’s first women’s dodgeball team!

Credit: Andy McNeil

Growing As A Team

Something you might not know about the team is what time we practice or what we do at practice. We practice twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10pm to 12am, but don’t panic! The time is late, but it allows us to practice without distractions or scheduling conflicts. Additionally, we have two skills lessons a week where Coach can work more one-on-one with each player to focus on specific aspects of their gameplay. Generally, the first half of practice is structured where we run important drills. This is also a great time for teammates to get chatting about anything and everything which adds to the strength of our team dynamic! The second half is used for mock games. This year, after recruiting enough women to form a team, we have been incorporating the no-sting play style to help the women learn the game and build trust in themselves. As a member of the women’s team, I am extremely grateful to the guys and their enthusiasm for us as we learn and their excitement when they get to play us in practice.

But we don’t only play dodgeball together. We regularly have “team dinners” at Bridgeway with Coach (and sometimes alumni who are in town), hang out at Coach’s house, go bowling, and much more! The women recently went to a bingo event on campus and got quite a few wins between the six of us. A few of the players are involved in band or choir, and Coach is always eager to show his support for them during their performances. We are incredibly lucky to have a coach that is as invested in our other hobbies and is as proud of us outside of dodgeball as ours is.

Dubuque Fighting Saints Hockey Game

Upcoming Opportunities

The Central Region of the NCDA has grown in several ways over the last few years and has an opportunity to grow even more with the help of a former player. Tomas Zander, a former team captain, is finishing up his masters degree and for his capstone class, he is taking everything that he has learned from his classes and applying it to dodgeball. Tomas is using his love of dodgeball to put together an ambassador team to hopefully grow and expand the Central Region at even a faster rate. The hope is that it will give our club and the other clubs in the region more opportunities to play more games and be more competitive.

To wrap things up, I want to mention the Women’s team. We are extremely grateful to our teammates and families for supporting and pushing us to be the best players we can be. We hope to play in at least one more official no-sting match before Nationals this spring. Coach has incorporated no-sting drills and mock games into regular practices which helps the entire team, pinch and no-sting, learn the game and help referee. Each of us have our spots on the court, but we are all responsible for what success we will have as a team especially when we are so new to the game. It is truly amazing that just three semesters ago we only had one woman on the team, and now we have the opportunity to fulfill a long-time dream of our coach. We are eager to see what the rest of the season has in store for us.

Credit: Richard Laux

Welcome To Women’s Dodgeball

Hello all,

If you’re reading this article then you must have shown interest in the UWP Women’s Dodgeball team at some point.

We need a minimum of 4 team members in order to compete at women’s nationals, but we are allowed 6 players on the court. Ideally, we would have enough to fill the court and have subs. We can even compete with more than one team. Last year, there were roughly 4 women’s teams in attendance. This means that, even with a team full of new players, we have a good shot at competing at Women’s Nationals.

Women’s dodgeball uses smaller balls that are called “no-stings” and I can assure you they do not hurt and are easy to work with.

Left to Right: Reagan, Alison, Coach Erik, Hollie, and a female police officer who plans to join in the spring when she returns to school for further education.

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.

The Co-Ed team currently meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 pm to 12:00 am at the wood basketball courts in the Pioneer Athletic Center (PAC). We can meet at this time on a separate court for just us girls, or we can choose a day and time that works better for us. Also, it is totally understandable if you can only make it once a week or need to skip practices. We would love for you to join us when you can, even if you don’t think you can commit enough time to the team. Having more people to practice with is beneficial to all players.

Left to Right: Reagan, Rose, Faith, Alison, Hollie.

Here is a link to a TikTok of some of our highlights from games and tournaments: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTF2vYGym/

Learn a little more about our current female members who play for the Co-Ed team until we can get a women’s team:

Kate Douglas
6th Year
Started in September 2023
Club Content Writer

I decided to join because I finally had the time to dedicate to a club. I saw Dodgeball at Bridgefest 2023 as it was held inside the Markee due to extreme heat. I believe I met Nick (the president at the time), and he convinced me to show up to practice that evening. I wasn’t the only woman at first, but I was the only one to stay. I am extremely happy that I stuck around because I have built such great friendships within my team, and I have created many unique memories from team events and tournaments. I am extremely proud of my teammates, and I want to prove to other teams that we aren’t to be messed with!

Kate prepares to make a catch in a game with Club President Daniel watching from behind.

For the woman’s team, I hope that more women join because having an all women’s dodgeball team at a male-dominated university would be really cool. My experience on the team has taught me many things about myself and how to work as a team. I hope other women can learn just how fun dodgeball is while striving to become a better player.

Hollie Wheeler
Sophomore
Started in February 2024
Club Secretary

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 started attending tournaments. Kate helped introduce me to other players, our strategies, and the techniques we use. I knew that Kate was there for me and I became more confident. I soon felt comfortable being at practice even if Kate couldn’t make it. The guys are all super nice and several of them would often walk me home to my dorm at night.

When I first started, I threw around 20 mph (coach has a speed clock). By the time nationals came around in April, I hit 40 mph. Kate helped encourage me to go to 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 it’s no big deal if I have to miss a practice. I was the Rookie of the Month for April 2024, and I was nominated as most improved of the season. I am the RA for the WiSTEM LLC in Bridgeway Commons, so I am also a great resource for anything you might need. Our club is a great way to make new friends. We host study sessions and team meals. We want to do women’s only team bonding too! We all really want to have a women’s team, we just need more girls to join us!

Kate and Hollie ready to counter at the Eau Claire Dodgeball Brawl. (PC: Angel Lucero)

Alison Draxler
Freshman
Started in September 2024

I joined because I loved the idea of being on a team again and especially because there was a chance there could be a women’s team. I stayed because I felt welcome and I didn’t feel like I was being judged for being new and not knowing what I was doing. I like that I’m learning all the techniques and strategies to the game and that I wasn’t expected to know everything right away. I also like that it isn’t a huge commitment and that you don’t get penalized for not being able to make it to something. New people should join because everyone is super nice and wants to help you learn. Also because if they join, we can have separate women’s practices and do other fun activities together.

Reagan Bucholtz
Freshman
Started in September 2024

I joined this club after seeing it at Bridgefest, and I was only slightly interested, but still pretty hesitant. Then my RA, Hollie, recommended some people in the wing to go with her to a practice, so I decided to go. I had so much fun at the first practice that I decided to keep coming back. Also, after going to a practice, I realized that it is not anything like the middle school dodgeball I had always hated. There are different techniques, strategies, and positions, which make the game more interesting and fun. One thing I love about the club is how welcoming they are to new members, and how they try to get you involved in games as soon as you feel ready. After just three practices, they had taught me how to throw and block with the correct technique. I also like being able to get away from schoolwork for a little while and play dodgeball with friends! Whoever is reading this should join because it is fun, it is good exercise, you get to learn a new sport, and you get to make new friends. You should also join because it would be so much fun to have an all-girls team! And if you are scared to go alone (even though I promise we are not scary), bring a friend with!

Please join us from 10:00 pm to 12:00 am on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays at the PAC.

If this time does not work for you, reply or send a separate email telling us what might work for you and we will try to accommodate!

We get to choose how we practice, when we practice, and how we hang out outside of practice.

Hope to see you at practice!

2024-25 Season Preview

Photo Credit Richard Laux
Back Row (L to R): Erik Zander, Jalen Sims, Dylan Fabry, Teigan Reich, Ethan Schmeling, Griffin Johnson, Cody Baxter, Caleb Laux, Tomas Zander. Bottom Row (L to R): Eric Sullivan, Daniel Breitenstein, Hollie Wheeler, Nicholas Stocks, Erik Nelson, Dalton Foreyt, Kate Douglas

Welcome back Platteville Dodgeball fans! Welcome weekend is upon us, and that means dodgeball is set to start up again. So here’s a sneak peak for this up-coming season.

As students move in over this Labor Day weekend, the Dodgeball Club will be participating in welcome weekend festivities like Bridgefest 2024 on Sunday, September 1st. After Bridgefest, we will be holding our first practice on the basketball courts at Memorial Park. The E-board officers have been working hard all summer to design new graphics and videos to come up with better ways to retain and recruit members.

Our starting roster this year is the largest it’s been in years with 14 players. We are especially proud to have two women sticking around for another season, and they are the starting blocks for the UW-Platteville Women’s Dodgeball Team. Both are E-board members and are directly responsible in the decision making process.

We plan on competing in several away tournaments, hopefully two home tournaments, and a few of the last NDA events. Several of our players, past and current, participated in the NDA season over the summer. These events were very fun, and the differing structure was a good challenge. The Pickaxers will be hosting a tournament on September 7th at UW-Platteville that we hope to see some alumni at.

The club is trying to encourage other UW schools to join the NCDA, so we plan on playing UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout this fall. We look forward to seeing how each team developed and grew from our last encounters.

This year we are focusing on playing fast and hard. But don’t just hear it from me. Below are some responses from two of our most senior players about their hopes for this season.

Q. How do you hope to impact the new players this year?

Jalen Sims-I hope to impact the new players by getting the best out of them. This means teaching them the basics and going hard at them later in the season.

Nicholas Stocks-I hope to pass on my knowledge of the game to the recruits, so they do not make the same mistakes that I have in past seasons. I want to set an example of what a strong leader looks like on and off of the court.

Q. What skills do you personally want to focus on, and what skills do you want to team to focus on?

JS– I want to focus on getting quick low throws and as a team. I want more people showing up to practice.

NS-I plan to improve the speed of my throw and continue to work on my communication on court. For the team, we need to focus on the basics and communication amongst players on the court.

Q. What do you hope to accomplish this year?

JS– Something I would like to accomplish this year is getting my throw lower constantly.

NS-This season I aim to be a more well-rounded player. To be the leader the team needs I must improve upon my weaker areas and build on my strengths.

Q. What is a goal you hope our team will reach by the end of this season?

JS-Something I would like are team to accomplish this year is beating UNL and making it to top 8 at nationals.

NS-I have two goals for the team this season, the first is to win half of the games we play in, and second, to strengthen the camaraderie among the team. Over the past three years, this team has made significant progress, both on the court and within our bonds between teammates. I am excited to see what this team will accomplish this year.

We are extremely grateful for all the support from our fans and families. We want to prove to the NCDA that the Pioneers are a force to be reckoned with!

Go ‘Neers!

See you this season!

Season Preview 2023-24

Another season is upon us and we are ready to get back on the courts! Last year we told ourselves that we were coming out of the gates guns blazing and biting kneecaps on our way back up if we ever fell. The first half of the season we did just that, we had a few tournaments where we ended above .500 and finished the first half of the season with a lot to look forward to. Unfortunately, the second half did not quite go the way we wanted it to. This year we are looking to put that behind us and to take things one step further. We want to continue to grow the culture we started from the previous season and build ourselves up from the inside out. That being said, here is a look at what we have in store.

Continue reading “Season Preview 2023-24”

The 2019 University of Wisconsin Platteville Dodgeball Season Preview

Left side ready, right side ready, Dodgeball. These words haven’t been heard on the dodgeball court for what seems like forever. The long offseason is finally over. The University of Wisconsin-Platteville dodgeball is ready to show the NCDA that it is a contender this season.

UW-Platteville Dodgeball

Last season (Finished 13th Power Ranking, T9 Nationals)

Preseason Ranking 14th 

Coached by Erik Zander (1st season)

Preview

Left side ready, right side ready, Dodgeball.  These words haven’t been heard on the dodgeball court for what seems like forever. The long offseason is finally over.  The University of Wisconsin-Platteville dodgeball is ready to show the NCDA that it is a contender this season. Platteville has many returning players from last year’s squad with a few new additions.  Last year’s team was competitive at nationals giving MSU all it could handle. Our younger players were key contributors in that Michigan State match. The UWP dodgeball team is dealing with key losses of Erik, Tomas and Ian.  Returning players will have to step up to replace their contributions.  This team returns most of its core players and with the hopes of getting a solid freshman class this season. The sophomore class should continue to flourish with the rookie of the year Josh Zauche returning, with contributions from Eli Hundley, and Jared Colden. This team will need to jell as a unit and work on fundamentals. University of Wisconsin-Platteville Dodgeball team will need to figure out what the identity of team is. The home tournament will be on November 16th. More details on the home tourney will be released when they become available.

Board Members Preview

Jerome “JT” Warren

 Vice President

  • What are your expectations for the season?
    • My expectations are to be a better player than I was last year, and to beat the teams that don’t take us seriously.
  • What are your goals for the fall semester practices and tournaments?
    • My goal for the fall semester is to develop the rookies and the new players we have, so we have many options available to us when the bigger tournaments come around.
  • What area does this team need to improve this season?
    • What the team needs is more arms. We only have a select few people that we would consider elite throwers and we need a few more.
  • What do you want this team to be remembered for?
    • I want to be remembered for giving it our all no matter how lopsided the odds may be against us.

Next onto the Assistant captain of the Jared Colden.

Jared Colden

Assistant Captain/Secretary

  • What are your expectations for the season?
    • One of my expectations is to improve from last season. We were a young team last year and lacked experience. We started out rough, but got better throughout. I feel like we did pretty well at Nationals and it left a goal for us to achieve this year. I expect us to continue where we left off and only get better from there while also growing together as a team.
  • What are your goals for the fall semester practices and tournaments?
    • One goal is to find out what kind of team we are this year. We lost some key players last year that had some good throws. Once we figure out what some of the new guys can do, we can begin to work that out. Another goal is to grow as a team and give our new guys a chance to gain some experience. And the last goal is to just have fun and make some friends along the way. You can’t go wrong there.
  • What area does this team need to improve this season?
    • Blocking and calling out cross throws. We had too many people get out from missed blocks and cross throws that no one called out. That hurt us in key situations because we were getting picked off one by one. I also think we could improve in everything else as well. 
  • What do you want this team to be remembered for?
    • I want this team to be remembered for being the fun loving team who can be competitive on court, but are the chill guys off court. 

Now onto the 2019-2020 Team Captain Daniel Brogli. 

Daniel Brogli

Captain

  • What are your expectations for the season? 
    • Final Four,  
  • What are your goals for the fall semester practices and tournaments?  
    • Individuals’ improvement, developing awareness and strength 
  • What area does this team need to improve this season? 
    • To early to tell, but relying on individuals to carry team 
  • What do you want this team to be remembered for?  
    • Having fun, being honest