Club Dodgeball traveled this past weekend to OSU to play in their Ohio Dodgeball Cup, ODC, improving their record to 5-7. Overall, they went 2 and 1, placing fifth that day, having played the University of Akron, Kent State University, and Miami University.

Against the University of Akron, BG lost 1 to 6, hoping that they would bring the weeks of on-court practice and film into the game to show how truly good a team they are. Although they went 1 and 6, they had a couple of good moments but were unable to overcome Akron's team. A few of the good things that Captain Kalin Strawther thinks the team did was understanding the game that they were playing and their attempt to adapt to the different playstyle, wallball, that their opponents were playing, as well as never losing true motivation. Strawther believes the play of the game was "the spectacular catch off-of the foot from Payton Hilling as he was backing up. That looked like a one-in-a-million sort of catch." While they did that good, "Communication needs to be stronger, as things began to fall apart once a couple of teammates got out. Catching also must be addressed as we only had a handful of good catches." Strawther states what they need to improve. Going into the game, BG had expectations, sadly they were not able to live up to their expectations, but they held their heads high with the loss and they will train so a loss like this doesn't happen this way again.

Although they had the loss against Akron, "We expected to dust off the loss against Akron and keep pushing. We knew that we weren't in the running for the title anymore, so we went out, played our game, and had fun." Strawther states and dusts off the loss against Akron they did. The team bounced back playing against Kent State University to take a 6 to 0 win.  They came back not allowing Kent to win a single point over them. With their improvement in communication, not letting the pressure of the game get to them, and playing better as a team. "Catching-wise, this was one of our best games, as we had twice as many catches as we had against Akron." Strawther says, "Our team throws were also very good and precise. The play of the game was Tyler Webb's trick shot, where he has been working on a behind-the-back throw for a couple of months and was able to hit it in-game, and "it was amazing." Strawther emphasizes. By taking the win, they surpassed their expectations, as they didn't expect to win by such a large margin, but they still need to work on maintaining ball control. Maintaining ball control is so pivotal in a game that it can determine who wins or loses a game.

Having taken the win against Kent, BG thought they would win against Miami without a fight. Without a fight was not what happened, having won against Miami 4 to 1. "In the first half, we had some struggles where we lost communication, but we woke up and got right back to work during the second half." Strawther says, "We had to play much more seriously, as we had somewhat underestimated the playstyle of Miami and their progress as a club." With their style of play, BG is known as a catching team. Not only did they prove that in the Kent game, but they also proved that in the Miami game, which was what gave them the ability to maintain ball control and win their game. One spectacular catch was Kalin's catch where the ball bounced off his chest and popped upwards. He fell to the ground, keeping his eye on the ball, which was heading out of bounds; he was able to make the opportunity to make the catch while he was on the ground. Although their catching was on point, they need to work on their cordiality towards other teams when they play against a team that is ranked under them. Underestimating their abilities and getting blindsided was big in this game, especially with Miami's team growing and not a team to ever sleep on. "We have to go into each game as if we're playing against a top ranked team." Strawther states.

At the end of the day, it was a decent end, as it was also their first tournament in almost three months. Having a slip-up, recognizing it, and growing from it. Having played three games and having many key points on for the team, the one that should be recognized, and a great key point was BG's ability to take a point on Akron, having only been able to take that single point, it came after losing two points to them and it shows they are capable of being competitive against a top 10 team. The team looks to work harder to contend with top teams, as Akron is placed eighth and there are seven more teams with more skill and ability to control the game. A few players that stood out to Strawther during the day were Payton Hilling, Reni Kaiser, and Captain Evan Brown, as they were able to be leaders on the court and show their catching ability. Having each play of the game, the play of the day was the team throw, Webb and Kaiser made against Kent. Strawther says, "Both balls hit the target, but Reni's hit was a little too accurate as it landed an insane headshot. It also shows our teamwork in action as the timing was perfect."

BG looks to compete next at Michigan State University on March 25, not knowing whom they play, they are working hard to prepare to play the top 10 teams.
Interested in joining? Contact the team on social media or through email at bgsuclubdodgeball@gmail.com.