Spartan Dodgeball Gears Up for Tournament

MSU Dodgeball was firing on all cylinders late Thursday night at I.M. Circle, in their last practice before hosting a six team tournament this weekend.

The Spartans, who lost to Grand Valley in the National Championship last season, are looking to get back to the top of their game.  After three tough outings early this season, the Spartans are winless. But hope to get back to championship caliber play they are accustomed to.

Michigan State’s club dodgeball plays on the varsity level in the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association. 15 players are on the court at once for each team, and the Spartans bring a roster of 20 to each tournament.

Senior Mike Van Ermen, who is the captain of the co-ed Spartan team, addressed the team at the beginning of practice. Mike stated that Sunday’s tournament is the biggest of the year for the Spartans, and was set on getting his team focused on the task at hand.

“The roster is not set yet. There are a couple spots up for grabs and those will be 90% determined based on tonight’s performance, so I want you to keep up the intensity”, Van Ermen said as the team took the court to begin practice.

Freshman Becca Shappell supported her team from the sideline while recovering from a concussion suffered last week, seeming very optimistic about the team’s chances Sunday.

“Our throwers and blocking has been getting much better, and we are really working on our transitioning. I definitely think we have a chance to turn our season around,” Shappell said.

Ohio State, Bowling Green, Kent State, Depaul and Siena Heights are all traveling to East Lansing this Sunday to participate in what will be the Spartans’ third tournament of the season. The tournament will be held at I.M. West and begins at 10:30 a.m.

Bradley Allen is a multimedia journalist for Impact Sports

Photo: MSU Dodgeball