MSU Club Dodgeball’s regular season has concluded for both the women’s and coed teams. The two teams lost a combined single game all regular season, with a combined record of 25 wins to one loss across the program. It’s the best start in program history for both teams, according to head coach Rebecca Nguyen.
“This whole season so far can be summed up in success,” Nguyen says. “It can be summed up in hard work. We have our women’s team doing extra workouts outside of practice and extra film sessions once a week for both teams. Everyone has been constantly honing their craft and improving.”
With a brilliant mix of young players and experience on both teams, mentorship has been a driving force behind the program’s success. Rookies join the club and quickly feel the culture of mentorship, togetherness and a collective buy-in that breeds a positive culture within the program.
“I truly love how everyone plays together,” senior Zach VanFleet says. “Not only do we work flawlessly together on the court, but off the court there’s a level of trust, friendship and genuine connection between all of us that’s hard to find in a lot of teams.”
The women’s team is no different, creating a culture around the entire program of genuine closeness and camaraderie on and off the court.
“We’re a very close team,” women’s team captain Allie Pohl says. “Some of my closest friends have come from this team. That closeness translates directly onto the court, because there’s a strong level of trust and support between everyone. I think that connection really strengthens how we play as a team.”
Dodging Losses
The program has been dominant this season. Beyond the impressive overall program record, this season has featured continuous improvement centered around a program-wide goal of national championships for both teams.
“I feel like our team has built a culture around us this year,” sophomore Jacob Piniatoglou says. “You can tell everyone is pushing each other to be better. We call each other out if something goes wrong, and doing this has definitely brought the team closer and built a culture around the team.”
The coed team won the Michigan Dodgeball Cup yet again in the middle of the season on the same weekend as the program’s first Hall of Fame induction took place.
On April 11, the women’s division won its first ever national championship, getting revenge on Akron University with a 6-3 final score to win the national title.
“Not only did they get the win, but in dominating fashion and on their rival’s home court,” Nguyen says. “That’s the best way to end a college career, if you ask me.”
On the open division side, the championship tournament takes place April 18–19, with the team looking to take back the title.
“I wasn’t here last season but hearing about how we lost in the semifinals last year has lit a fire under our team,” first-year standout Ashton Jager says. “We have been working hard to take back the trophy, and we’ve been practicing more rigorously than any other team thanks to our coaches Rebecca and Kevin.”
Everyone, from rookies to seniors, on both teams has an incredible level of buy-in and dedication to getting the national championship trophy back in Spartan hands.
“Having past success helps us buy in,” junior Jake Smith says. “With the amount of experience on this team, every upperclassman has been around to see a national championship and knows what winning and losing are like. We are a hungry program and that hunger is infectious and has drawn in the lower classmen. The talent and experience we have combined with that hunger and drive for winning creates the culture we all thrive in.”
Mentorship and Program Buy-In
Mentorship is a common theme that has created the program culture and prevailed throughout this season. Rookies like Jager come into the program as freshmen, sometimes just looking for some fun and a welcoming club sport community, then quickly realize the infectious collective culture of the program.
“The senior players played a huge part in my growth as a player and as a member of the team,” Jager says. “They are leaders on and off the court, and their guidance has built the team into a well-oiled machine that understands one another. They’ve made it easy to learn the sport, and it helps they’re some of the best players in the nation.”
Older players mentoring younger players is second nature for MSU dodgeball. It’s the foundation for one of the best club dodgeball teams in the country.
“Everyone buys into the culture because they know what MSU dodgeball means,” Piniatoglou says. “It’s a winning name with an alumni base that’s still very involved in the program. The people who have gone through this program and have been fans for a while know there is a camaraderie and community special to the MSU dodgeball program.”
“I think the thing that pushes everyone on our team to buy into the system is our friendships,” first-year student and front runner for the Women’s Division Rookie of the Year award Addie Wakefield says. “We all care so much about each other, so we want to work hard not only for ourselves but everyone around us.”
The women’s team had individual and team goals that led to a national championship win, again built on the theme of commitment and togetherness forged by off the court gatherings and reinforced by consistent practices.
“We’ve come very close over the past two years,” Pohl says. “That’s created a strong sense of motivation across the entire team. On top of that, everyone genuinely loves the sport and wants to see each other succeed. That combination of shared goals and passion creates an environment where people naturally buy in to the system and hold each other accountable.”
Nguyen says the national championship was the icing on the cake to an incredible season and the best pay off anyone involved with the program could ever ask for.
“It was a culmination of all the hard work our seniors have put in to establish this program over the last four years,” Nguyen says. “All of the years of training, learning, practicing, and putting in blood, sweat and tears finally paid off and in the best possible way.”
“Joining this team last year truly changed my life,” sophomore Makayla Paul says. “I am so glad to call these girls my family. I am lucky with how supportive they are and how events and hangouts off the court have brought this team together by balancing our community and competitive sides.”
Prepping for Nationals
With the women’s team taking home the national title, the open division team is seeking to follow suit, a goal they’ve had for the last 12 months. They’ll look to take home the title at Ohio University, where the current seniors won their first championship as first-year students. They’ll look to bring their careers full circle and secure another championship.
“We’ve been prepping for nationals by doing the little things right,” Piniatoglou says. “We make it a requirement to build up cardio. Those two days are very tiring and take a toll on your body.”
The tournament itself spans from as early as 8 a.m., Saturday morning through the championship game beginning around 4 p.m., Sunday. With game after game for around nine hours over two straight days, the team’s depth is going to be put on display.
“We have the deepest roster in the country,” Nguyen says. “We have 12 to 15 players who would start on any other team in the country, so we have the blessing of being able to rotate people in to keep everyone’s arm fresh.”
MSU is coming into the tournament as the number two team in the country with the confidence necessary to win a national championship.
“This year, we feel like we are the strongest team in the field,” Smith says. “We just need to play to our strengths, keep our heads clear and play like we practice.”
Practices have been physically demanding leading up to the tournament to condition the players to the large number of games in a single weekend.
“We know we will be the last team standing if we can outlast every other team physically,” Jager says. “Practices haven’t just been about doing drills and scrimmaging. They’ve also been about staying in shape for the hardest dodgeball tournament of the year.”
Through it all remains the same consistently strong program, culture and leadership from coaches and seniors.
“Every single person has a huge desire to win,” VanFleet says. “Our coaches might have more passion for the sport than some of the players do, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Every person is coached exactly how they want to be, resulting in growth between every single player, which builds confidence early on and is a massive part of our team’s culture.”
Author: Zachary Phelps