Category: Reviews

This year at Nationals for UWP was just as eventful as the last. UWP won the consolation bracket for the second year in a row and hope to do so again next year. At this tournament, UWP worked together as a team the most they have all season. Although communication was lacking at times and other issues occurred, UWP came together when the time came. When UWP got tired or got in their heads, our coach and our new captain, Ben Breidenbach, brought the team together and pushed them to keep on fighting. After many games and points, UWP continued to show everyone the underdogs are here to fight and do what we can to try to win. Many of UWP’s rookies also stepped up to turn some points over, and many veterans honed their talents to showcase at this tournament, especially in overtime. The two-day fight was intense, but UWP is proud of how they did, and are excited to see how they do next season.

Game One: UWP vs. GVSU

As the first game of Nationals, this was a great way to warm UWP up and shine a light on what skills they needed to focus on for the rest of the tournament. A few of the many struggles that were shown in this game were a lack of communication, poor teamwork, and not much confidence. UWP knew what to expect this game, due to facing GVSU previously in the season, but their skills were still no match against them. Despite being unable to score any points, UWP took this as a learning lesson and took note on what needed to be changed in the upcoming games. The final score was 0-7, with GVSU taking the victory. Even with losing this match, UWP was still ready to take on CMU in the next game.

Game Two: UWP vs. CMU

This game was a tense matchup for UWP and CMU, since either team could take the victory. UWP was hoping that by taking what they learned from the previous match,they would be better able to compete. Unfortunately, UWP couldn’t match CMU’s fight and energy. Communication and teamwork definitely improving compared to the last game, but Platteville still needed to make some changes if they wanted to beat UVA in the next game. The final score was 3-4 with CMU winning.

Game Three: UWP vs. UVA

This game was another tense matchup, especially since UWP has not faced UVA during this season and were unfamiliar with UVA’s playing style and strategy. To prepare, UWP watched film, and watched UVA’s games during nationals while UWP had a break, but there still were a lot of things to consider when playing UVA. By remembering what needed to be improved in the previous two games, UWP was able to be better at communicating and utilizing teamwork. This game ended up being fun and a challenge for both teams, with UWP getting a Buc-ee’s ball from UVA, and UVA eventually receiving a Culver’s ball from UWP. This game was an incredible way to end day one of Nationals, and the final score of this game was 1-4, with UVA taking the win.

Game Four: UWP vs. CMU

For day two of Nationals, and the second time CMU and UWP would face off this weekend, UWP was ready to give CMU even more of a fight than previously. UWP had newfound motivation from pep talks with their team captains, coach, and alumni. By remembering what they lacked in the day before, they improved and came back with a ton of energy that CMU couldn’t reciprocate. The final score was 5-1, with UWP taking their first victory of this year’s Nationals. With lots of energy and confidence, UWP was ready to take on their last game, which would be against UIUC, and would be their toughest battle of Nationals.

Game Five: UWP vs. UIUC

The final game of Nationals for UWP was the hardest one yet. UWP needed to continue working together as a team and keep what they did well from the game against CMU in order to win. With facing UIUC multiple times during the season, and winning once against them, UWP would have to play the best they could. UIUC really wanted the win, but so did UWP. This game was intense, and resulted in overtime, with the score at 3-3, so it could be anyone’s game. UWP’s overtime crew brought out their best abilities however and played as hard as they could to secure the win, the final score was 4-3, with UWP taking the victory, and winning the consolation bracket. UWP played extremely hard this entire season, and everyone was proud to end on a good note with a great record on day two.

Final Thoughts of Players

Chloe Kaderabek- Rookie

Q: How do you feel about your first Nationals?

A: I think it was extremely nerve wracking, but it was super fun, especially to be able to end off the year right with a really great group of people.

Q: How do you feel about your performance at Nationals?

A: I think I definitely should’ve tried to throw more and be more aggressive on the court, but I knew I could only do so much with being injured and only having some experience. I’m super proud that I got two catches, though.

Ethan Schmeling- Veteran

Q: How does this Nationals compare to past Nationals?

A: Compared to last year’s this team was way more of a cohesive unit when we needed to be, we did what we always wanted to do when we played on the last day and it really showed as we all played to the very end.

Q: How do you feel about your performance at Nationals?

A: My performance I believe was very good, even if I wasn’t able to play the whole time every match I felt when I was out there I was getting every out I could and landing many of my throws. I believe this was my best year yet and I believe I did extremely well.

This year at Women’s Nationals, the team fought and played hard all day. Our veterans and rookies were each able to showcase their skills and dodgeball knowledge that they’ve developed over the season. The team did a lot better than expected by everyone in the league, so that pushed the women to play even harder to show how strong of a team they were. Although there were some difficult points in the tournament where communication and teamwork were lacking, we were able to improve beyond that and win points from teams that was not expected. There were also multiple times in the tournament where we almost earned and won points we shouldn’t have, but they just didn’t quite turn out in our favor. Even though there were difficult teams at this tournament, our squad was still able to find fun in every single match, especially when starting off Women’s Nationals by showcasing their talents in the Rookie and All-Star matches. Also, finishing this year in the final four once again was incredible, so next year’s results will be great to see!

Game One: UWP vs. Mixed Two

This match was an incredible game to start Women’s Nationals. It allowed the women on each team to have some fun, and each player was able to get opportunities to throw and block for each other. Communication was great towards the end of the match, and confidence within every player was at an all-time high. This game ended with a score of 5-1, with UWP taking the victory!

Game Two: UWP vs. Akron

This match was a huge challenge for Platteville, and required the women to use much more communication, teamwork, and strategy compared to the previous match. Despite scoring no points against Akron, the UWP women still fought hard to win some points and at least prevent Akron from scoring several more. However, this match was only the beginning of the women’s hard fight, and they didn’t give up. This game ended with a score of 0-9, with Akron taking the victory.

Game Three: UWP vs. NKU

This match was once again challenging for the team. Everyone fought hard during this game, but communication and teamwork was at an all-time low, and this proved to be a huge weakness for UWP’s chances of success in this game. This game was a reminder to remember the basics of dodgeball, and that UWP works best as a team. This game ended with a score of 0-3, with NKU taking the victory, but this wouldn’t be the last time during this tournament that these teams face each other.

Game Four: UWP vs. MSU

This was another extremely difficult match for UWP, and even after losing the matches against NKU and Akron, the women still fought hard against the Spartans. There were a few points that UWP might have been able to get the point, but without their best communication and teamwork, they fell short. Even with being tired and unable to secure any points during this match, the women still fought extremely hard to stop MSU from scoring more points on them than Akron did! This game ended with a score of 0-9 with MSU taking the victory, but this didn’t stop UWP’s fight.

Game Five: UWP vs. NKU

Facing NKU for the second time during Women’s Nationals led the UWP women to fight even harder. Looking back at what they did wrong during the previous four games of the tournament also helped guide the women on how they could do better. This game was extremely intense and was closer than any game UWP had played so far, and their will to win was stronger than ever. This game turned into overtime with the score at 3-3. The stakes were extremely high at this point, and it turned into a 1v1, with UWP finally taking the victory. Each player fought extremely hard at that point and the final score of this game was 4-3.

Game Six: UWP vs. MSU

The second time against MSU was no easier than the first, and with every UWP player tired, and injuries starting to develop, this fight was hard to make sure to end Women’s Nationals on a high note. Every player on UWP fought her hardest to finish up this tournament, and we are all so extremely proud of how we did, and next year will be awesome to see how we all improve. This game against MSU finished with a score of 0-9, with MSU taking the win and moving into the final matchup against Akron, where MSU ultimately won the title.

Final Thoughts of Players

Jamie Damm, Rookie

Q: How do you feel about your first Women’s Nationals?

A: I loved it! The women in NCDA are super kind, and create a very welcoming environment. As a rookie, even something as simple as the other team smiling back at you while you are on the line, or hearing people cheer each other on during the livestream makes it so much less intimidating! Shoutout to Ian, Alex, Dylan and Eric from UWP for coming along to run our stream, shag balls, and help keep a positive vibe with our team, they helped make the games way less stressful.

Q: How do you feel about your performance at Women’s Nationals?

A: I’m happy with my performance, I wish I didn’t end up getting injured, that really put a strain on what all I was able to do, but I had some good throws throughout the first few games and I’m really grateful to have had supportive people on my team who kept the energy up, and gave recognition throughout the tournament.

Reagan Bucholtz, Veteran

Q: How does this Women’s Nationals compare to past Women’s Nationals?

A: Both nationals were a ton of fun! I always love the atmosphere of women’s nationals because of how friendly everyone is and how there is usually good competition and sportsmanship. One difference between the years was our numbers. Last year we had a sub, but two of our girls were quite new and only played at nationals and had only been to a few practices. This year we had only six, but all of us were quite experienced from the year/years in dodgeball. Another difference was last year there were only 4 official teams, so it was awesome to have 6 this year. It also made the accomplishment of getting to the final 4 a bit more exciting for us!

Q: How do you feel about your performance at Women’s Nationals?

A: I feel like I played alright. I was able to get 5 catches and a good number of outs. I did also miss a lot of catches unfortunately. Overall, I’m proud of how I played and communicated with my team on the court.

To end 2025, UW-Platteville traveled to the University of Iowa to play in the Hawkeye State Showdown. UW-Platteville played against the University of Iowa (Hawkeyes) and University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL).

UWP vs Hawkeyes (6-0)

This would be the Hawkeyes’ first game of the season. The match started out with UWP getting ball control and keeping ball control throughout the first point and UWP would win the first point. UWP would continue to work together as a team and have great communication. The Hawkeyes wouldn’t back down that easily and would keep the pressure on. UWP would secure four points by half time. During the start of second half, UWP would put in some of the rookies and would continue working together as a team. UWP would end the match by securing two more points and #21 Co-Captain Ben Breidenbach would end the first game with 17 thrown outs.

UWP vs UNL (3-4 OT)

Once again, UWP faced UNL and were amped to get the win over them. The match started with even ball control for each team. #21 Ben Breidenbach would get the first out to get things started. UWP would continue to keep control of the game and would move as a unit and would win first point. The second point started and this time it would be UNL who would dominate and win the point. UWP would continue to keep UNL on the backline during the third and after a shot clock violation and with only 53 seconds left on the clock #21 Ben Breidenbach would get a catch leaving it to be a 3v1 in favor of UWP. With a three-person team throw set up,#21 Ben Breidenbach would get the out giving UWP the lead. The pressure was on during the second half. UWP would get the next point, giving them a two-point lead. However, UNL was not backing down and would take the next two thus forcing overtime. During Overtime, both teams would continue to keep the pressure on, but UNL would take the win.

UWP B vs Hawkeyes (3-1)

The UWP B team would play in their second tournament. This time the UWP B team would be led by the following veterans #47 Dalton Foreyt, #66 Andrew Jones, #5 Griffin Johnson, and #73 Keaton Bahr. UWP B would take two points in the first half and would have great communication throughout the 1st half. The second half would start the same with UWP B taking their third point. The Hawkeyes would though continue to apply pressure and be able to score their first point of their season. Rookie #1 Logan VanCamp would finish this game with a total of 9 outs.

Women’s Mixed team vs UWP No-Sting (7-1)

The Women’s Mixed team would be combined with UWP #20 Captain Hollie Wheeler and rookie #17 Anna Behnke and UNL #40 Abigail Nelson and #45 Rachel Tysdal and the UWP team would be combined of #14 Co-Captain Reagan Bucholtz, #15 Co-Captain Tori Sanborn, and rookies #34 Chloe Kaderabek, #4 Jamie Damm, and #13 Maisie Montemurno.

Players Thoughts:

Here are some thoughts from the players that played in the Hawkeye State Tournament.

Veterans:

Tori Sanborn (Women’s Co-Captain): I think Iowa went well. Our team communicated the best we have yet this year and almost got our win against UNL, but I’m still happy with how we did. Our Rookies once again had more experience, and our Vets got more experience on how our team was in compared to prior years. When it came to Iowa, we had fun and worked on being a close team and worked together. For our Women’s Match, everyone got experience and some Vets really stepping up to help the rookies. Everyone learned greatly and we are one step closer to succeeding as a team.

Hollie Wheeler (Co-Captain): All the teams involved brought a strong competitive spirit while still having fun. I think our team gained more experience and it was a great tournament to end the semester. I’m looking forward to seeing what our team can accomplish next semester, and I hope we can have Iowa host another tournament soon.

Dylan Fabry (Captain): As a whole, I feel our team played great once we started pushing each other and playing our strategy. We learned a lot from the previous tournament and used that to take the lead against UNL. We just need to keep improving and not making mistakes that cost us the game.

Ben Breidenbach (Co-Captain): We played well, and I’m proud of the work my team has put in this semester.

David Laux: I think we have improved a lot since our last tournament. Especially keeping pressure on our opponents. However, we still have a lot of work to do, especially when it comes to aiming and having our throws connect.

Rookies:

Jamie Damm: The Iowa tournament was a great opportunity for UWP to teach Iowa a few of the things we do as a team when we play and a great opportunity for our women to get to play a match! As a team, we did a good job pump faking and applying pressure across the whole court which really helped us throughout the whole match.

Logan VanCamp: I think it was cool to see how well we played as both individuals and as a team. The A team and the Mixed B team had a great showing against Iowa, and we stuck right with Nebraska till the very end. Overall, I think it was a good end to the first semester and I’m sad to see Griffin go.

Stephen Brittner: We did well with communication, advancing, and retreating together in a line. We set up throws and teams throw really well. Some things we struggled with were throwing low; I remember that there were a lot of catches. I think we also might have struggled with throwing behind our blockers sometimes as well.

Chloe Kaderabek: For the Iowa tournament, I felt that the entire team did a good job with challenging themselves on the court and cheering on their teammates. The amount of support compared to the past tournament seemed to be a lot better, and I am excited to see how the team continues to grow with each other for future tournaments.

Written by Maisie Montemurno

UW-Platteville traveled to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan to compete in the Dr. Peter Broe Classic IV on November 23^rd. Seven teams competed in Dr. Peter Broe Classic; University of Akron (Akron), Cleveland State University (CSU), Central Michigan University (CMU), Western Michigan State University (WMU), Grand Valley State University (GVSU), Michigan State University (MSU), and University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP). The Pioneers would compete in three matches in this tournament.  

MSU Vs UWP (11-0) 

The first match of the day, the Pioneers faced Michigan State University. Ranked #4, MSU faced #23 UWP, The Pioneers knew this match was going to be very challenging. The first point started off with MSU getting ball control and leading them to win first point. MSU would continue to dominate and would end the first half with seven points. During the second half, the Pioneers only conceded four points. This was a great opportunity for the rookies to play and get a sense of how top teams like MSU played. Rookie #4 Jamie Damm ended this match with 14 throws and had 3 outs.  

GVSU vs UWP (6-1) 

For the second match, UWP would face Grand Valley State University. GVSU ranks #5 overall. The first point would start with GVSU getting ball control and first out. GVSU would take the first point. The second point would last longer and would end with a 1v1 with GVSU #11 against UWP #47 Dalton Foreyt, this point would go back and forth and end in a balls over to GVSU. Dalton Foreyt would get the catch, winning the point for UWP. GVSU would then win the next five points. 

Akron vs UWP (6-2) 

The Pioneers would play Akron in their last match of the tournament; Akron would be ranked #10. The match would start with Akron getting ball control, however both teams would take turns pressuring each other. In the end, Akron would secure the first point. Akron would continue working as a team and would end the first half up by four points. Off the start of second half, Akron would take their 5^th point. However, UWP wouldn’t go down without a fight and would take the next two points. Akron would finish this match by taking the last point. #62 Dylan Fabry would end this match and have a total of 43 thrown outs on the day.  

The following was written by Maisie Montemurno. UW-Platteville hosted the sixth Pioneer Classic tournament on November 8^th. The Pioneers competed against the following teams; University of Wisconsin-Stout, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (UWEC), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), and some alumni.  The Pioneers would go into this tournament with an A Team consisting of all veterans, and a B team consisting of nine rookies and being led by veteran #7 Alison Draxler and #47 Dalton Foreyt. 

UWP A vs UNL (3-1) 

The Pioneers had just competed against UNL one month ago and were ready to play once more. The first point started off with no one getting ball control, then #69 Ethan Schmeling got things started with the first out of the day! Both teams would continue battling back and forth. UWP would take second point, and UNL would then take the last two.  

UWEC/Alumni vs UWP B (5-1) 

This year, UW-Platteville recruited enough rookies to create a B-team going into the tournament. Being led by veteran #7 Alison Draxler and #47 Dalton Foreyt, this would be the B-team’s first tournament competing. The pioneers would face UW-Eau Claire and Alumni in their first match of the tournament. The point started slow, but UWP would get ball control soon after. However, UW-Eau Claire/alumni would find their footing and win the point. UW-Eau Claire/alumni would later go on to win four more points. UWP would win one point this match; the Pioneers would gain much valuable experience.

UIUC vs UWP A (3-2) 

For the 2^nd match of the day, the Pioneers faced the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The match would start with UIUC getting ball control. The Pioneers would continue to hold their ground but would fall to UIUC. The second point would start off strong for the Pioneers, who got game control early on. UWP would continue to shine and would lead them to winning the point. Going into the second half, both teams were hungry to win the next point. UIUC would prevail and win the next two points. #10 Jalen Sims and #18 Eric Sullivan ended this match with double digits outs. 

Mixed/Alumni vs UWP A (3-2) 

The Pioneers would play their final match of the day against the Alumni and UW-Eau Claire. The Alumni were a mixed team of well-experienced veterans. Six out of the 13 players were formerly on the UW-Platteville team. The A team came into this game with one goal in mind: winning this game. The first point would go back and forth, but it would be UWP who would take the first point. The Mixed/Alumni would come back and claim the second point. As halftime was approaching and both teams were tied, UWP would take the third point and taking the lead. As the second half started both teams kept the pressure on each other. However, the Mixed/Alumni team would take the next two points and to win the match.  

UW-Stout vs UWP B (3-1) 

UWP B-team in their second game faced UW-Stout. Being led by #47 Dalton Foreyt and #7 Alison Draxler, the team went in very confident as they just faced the Mixed/Alumni Team. They had excellent communication and teamwork and were able to win the first three points. However, UW-Stout was able to secure one point. This match consisted of very long points, and each side played more aggressively and pressured one another. Rookie #51 Shaun De Vries and Co-Captain #47 Dalton Foreyt ended this match leading the team with seven out apiece.  

UWP A Women’s vs UIUC Women’s (4-1) 

The UWP Women’s A Team consisted of four veterans; #20 Captain Hollie Wheeler, #14 Reagan Bucholtz, #15 Tori Sanborn, #7 Alison Draxler. UIUC Women’s team included #31 Tera Pabico, #28 Christina Nasios, #13 Jia Kim, and #95 Naila Kudla. UWP would play strong throughout the whole match, winning four points in a row. UIUC would be able to score one point towards the end. #20 Captain Hollie Wheeler would finish the match with a total of 10 outs and 47 throws.  

UWP B Women’s vs Women’s Mixed (0-8) 

UWP Women’s B teams consist of all rookies; #34 Chloe Kaderabek, #4 Jamie Damm #17 Anna Behnke, #13 Maisie Montemurno, and #77 Auria Mills. The Mixed teams would consist of UNL’s #45 Rachel Tysdal and #40 Abigail Nelson, #41 Aleah Lazure, and UWEC’s #7 Cleo Moen. The game was to get the rookies more experience playing in no-sting matches but also to learn how to work with one another. Each rookie took turns play-calling. This was a great opportunity for our rookies to grow.  

Once again we traveled to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to compete at the Cornhusker Clash. We had a great time and already can’t wait for next year! This tournament taught us a lot about ourselves and our capabilities.

Rookies:

All of our rookies that came along to this tournament got more great experience with all aspects of the game. Throughout the tournament, they had great communication and quickly picked up the throwing rotation to keep everyone from getting worn out too fast. There were a lot of successful throws being made and good resets to help out the rest of the team. Many attempts for catches were made and although did not always go as planned, we are happy to see the rookies know that they are capable of great things.

Veterans:

Our vets played well throughout the day. For most of the points we worked together, communicated and got off lots of successful team throws getting us out after out. A few issues we had though, were throwing without blockers and throwing without reason or without being called to throw. We plan to learn from our mistakes and focus on them during practice!

Now let’s here from some of our players.

Co-Captain Ben Breidenbach: “Everyone played as individuals and not as a team, that’s why we lost. Last year we had time to get to know one another’s tendencies and play style, so we played much more synchronized. We have time to correct this as it is still early in the season.”

Rookie Chloe Kaderabek: “I think UNL was a great first experience. I liked that the rookies got a ton of play time, so I felt like I learned a lot. I also enjoyed the help I received from my teammates and other players as well.”

Rookie Logan VanCamp: “It was fun! It was very helpful to get the rookies a lot of minutes and really helped with our confidence going into the next tournament.”

We had a great time at the Cornhusker Clash and can’t wait for next year!

If you missed the action, check it out here!

This tournament was a great start to our season. We played in two games that helped us get back into the NCDA format and gave our 6 rookies a chance to really learn the game.

Veterans – We worked well together and moved as one throughout the tournament. Our communication was good but can always use improvement. I was very impressed with some of our teams’ veterans stepping up when needed and taking on the captain role when our captains couldn’t. Overall, each veteran did a good job of teaching our rookies necessary skills and how to handle certain situations during the middle of a game.

Rookies – For barely getting to practice inside all the rookies did a good job handling the transition from mostly practicing outside. I was also impressed with the amount they seemed to focus on eye contact and connecting/communicating with their teammates. They were all very confident for it being their first tournament and caught on to the flow of the game very quick. Even when there was frustration after getting out, they communicated with veterans on ways to improve or fix their mistakes. In the end the rookies were able to secure multiple catches and even a few outs.

Overall, for the first tournament of the year, the team did well and learned a lot. It helped us get back to working together and got rid of any nerves we may have had.

Captains Thoughts

What are your thoughts on how our team played? What is something we did well and what do we need to work on?

Dylan Fabry: I think our team did alright for the first tournament of the season. We were moving as a team and the rookies are learning fast. We just need to work on the basics and shake off the rust from summer break.

Hollie Wheeler: I was very proud of how fast our rookies picked up on our play style. The veterans got back into the swing of things while being good role models for the rookies to learn by example. With a few more weeks of practice, the rookies will be more caught up to speed about what our play calls mean, how to cover for our teammates, applying pressure, team throws, and squaring up to secure catches. Our team is looking very promising this year and I’m excited to see what they do at our next tournament. Something we did well was playing as a unit and making sure to reset the clock. We were able to retrieve the center balls effectively, especially when the rookies ran for them. We can work on our communication between the veterans and rookies. We need to guide the rookies and explain why we are doing what we’re doing. The veterans tend to talk to each other more, but as the year goes on, they’ll talk to the new players more and help them out on the court. I believe we are headed in the right direction as a club, and it will be interesting to see how the year progresses.

Rookies Thoughts

What did you think of your first tournament? What is something you learned?

Jamie Damm: I loved our first tournament, there was an amazing and encouraging environment which allowed me to learn a few more of the fundamentals of the game that we hadn’t covered yet in practice but also gain experience in a real game. I learned things like how the stop clock works, how to do a team throw, and when to throw vs. when to block for someone in a game.

Maisie Montemurno: I think it went well. It was amazing to see all the rookies work really well. Even though there were some things that we still didn’t know we all were able to adapt to it. It was also amazing to see the vets celebrate the things we did well.

On April 5th and 6th, Cleveland State University hosted the 2024-2025 season’s National tournament. We initially had a full roster, but a couple unlucky developments resulted us taking a team of sixteen. Another accomplishment was four of those sixteen players were women! That’s two more than last year! We were all very excited to show what we’ve learned over the season, and we got to test our skills out on JMU first!

UWP vs JMU

Our first game of the day was against James Madison University, a team we played and lost to last year. Due to that, we had a few team goals and individual goals we wanted to achieve. Players Hollie Wheeler and Griffin Johnson had personal beef they were able to sort out, professionally, mind you.

We started half way through the day which allowed us ample time to watch our opponents’ other games and to warm up thoroughly. Much like most of our previous tournaments, the first game of the day is never our best performance. The first half against JMU showed many beginner mistakes like not moving up together, throwing from both sides of the court, and throwing high. After getting some tough love from Coach, we were able to screw our heads on straight and we managed to take a point on them this year. Last year, when we played JMU, we lost 4-0 , but this year we went 3-1! It is one of our goals to score at least one point on each opponent we play, and while we didn’t win against them, we are proud to have rocked the boat and showed how hard we are willing to fight!

UWP vs SVSU

Just like JMU, we played Saginaw Valley last year as well and we lost to them in overtime in Saturday play. It was a disappointing way to end the game as the win would have put us in the championship bracket. We hoped to redeem ourselves from last year’s loss at this year’s nationals.

Unfortunately, either due to physical or mental exhaustion from playing JMU right before (or both), we did not perform how we wanted to against Saginaw. Over the spring semester, we integrated drills that exhausted us with the intention of teaching us how to play smart while tired. We also focused on building endurance at our skills practices, but these practices were not mandatory. So while some of our players were building endurance, others were not which prevented the team from growing as a unit.

We started off strong, moving as a team and only occasionally throwing without a blocker. If I could add sarcasm, I would add it here. The center players applied pressure well which allowed us to execute swift counters and return to our baseline. The first point looked good when it started, but our teamwork started to slack which allowed poor habits to sneak into our gameplay. We ended up giving up four points before earning one, and in the end we couldn’t secure another. The game ended with a score of UWP 1-SVSU 4.

UWP vs GSU

We played GSU twice–last on day one and first on day two. Our first game against them occurred after a one-game break where we refereed. This gave us a little bit of time to rehydrate and eat something. This was the first game of the tournament where we weren’t sure of what to expect. Much like other teams we have played, GSU likes to throw crosses, but this doesn’t mesh well with our bad habit of throwing in front of our blockers. This resulted in several outs. We were fortunately able to maintain ball control which diminished the chances of getting hit by a cross, but it made us overly confident to attack without coverage. One upside is we did well with only throwing from one side each time we attacked. Our court awareness is rather selective. By the end of the first point, we were displaying throwing in proper rotation while setting up team throws. The rest of the game played out very similar to the first point–so similar, in fact, that we gave up two points to them before finishing the game. The final score was UWP 4-2 GSU.

Day two started off against GSU bright and early in the morning. After an okay night’s rest, we had the energy to focus on our style of play and practice our good habits. Our counters were fast, and we remained relatively level across the court. Additionally, our on-court communication was much better that morning than it was the day prior, resulting in throws being made behind blockers and adequate coverage provided. We had GSU up at half-court most of the time while we got to sit back on our back line. It was quite refreshing to see the team move up as a unit, reset the attack, and continue as a unit. In the end, we only gave up one point to them on day two with the final score being UWP 5-1 GSU.

UWP vs UNG

Game two of day two was against the other Georgia team, UNG. In my humblest opinion, UNG is one of the most fun teams I have ever played. They are truly there to have fun in every game they play, and their sportsmanship should be applauded. It was also refreshing to see another woman playing pinch.

Even though it was the second game and we were tired, we maintained our composure and kept playing our style. There were a few obstacles we had to overcome during this game like the number of court lines that were confusing or even missing and the hard-to-grip balls from both teams. Even with these handicaps, both teams played hard in the semifinals, and the final score came out to UWP 4-0 UNG. I just want to praise UNG one more time for being such good sports and for playing their hardest!

UWP vs WMU

This game was the one that could make it all–the consolation championship! This was the game that hurt us last year when we lost against CSU, the current hosts, in the last minute of play. We had everything to lose in this game, both figuratively and literally.

The atmosphere was tense because both teams were determined to not give up the championship to the other. We started off a bit unorganized with uneven sides and improper throws. Luckily these mistakes didn’t result in any outs right away, and we were eventually able to fall back into our rhythm. WMU, to our benefit, rarely ran into their throws or used a blocker, and this allowed us to powerfully counter and run them down. But like all our other matches (ever) we forgot to check across the court and we got crossed several times. And like our other matches, once we start to drop in numbers, our strategy goes out the window. We start to throw from both sides, we throw in front of or without a blocker, and we miss easy blocks.

We gave up two points in the first half but scored one with a minute-thirty-four rolled over. This point gave us a bit of a boost for the second half, and we were able to score two more points with just under ten minutes left in the game. The score was UWP 3-2 WMU, and we were determined to score one more before the end of the day. Unfortunately, our confidence came back to bite us, and we gave up one more point with just under five minutes left on the clock. Thankfully, we managed to run the timer out which pushed the game into over time.

OT was the most stressed I was all weekend, and I know my teammates felt the same. Our 6 best players had all the pressure on their shoulders to hopefully not repeat our loss in the consolation championship game once again. We not only wanted to win the bracket, but we had a responsibility to make our graduating members’ last tournament a good one.

After an agonizing five minutes and several team throws from our vets, Nicholas Stocks and Jalen Sims we were able to take the point and take the win! The final score came out to UWP 4-3 WMU OT.

Final Thoughts

This nationals we were able to accomplish several of our goals. We scored a point on each opponent; we won at least one game per day; and we won the consolation bracket! We were able to redeem ourselves from last year’s loss by pulling out the win in OT against WMU. But most importantly, we were able to pull out the win for our graduating members.

This tournament is just the beginning of the growth in store for UWP. Not only are we going to grow stronger as a co-ed team, but our women’s no-sting team is going to turn heads at their first ever national tournament.

Thank you to all our supporters, families, and friends who helped us get this far! We hope we made you all proud!

See you at No-Sting Nationals!