2022 Maryland Madness

Penn State Dodgeball Club Goes Undefeated defeating #4 JMU and #6 Towson for 2 technical upsets

Over the weekend, Penn State traveled to the University of Maryland to kick off its 2022-23 season. While they were favorites to beat the University of Maryland and the University of Virginia, they were underdogs for their Towson and James Madison matchups.

After starting off with a strong 4-2 win over UVA, Penn State would then move over to the main court for their match against UMD. After a hard-fought battle, Penn State secured its second win of the day with a final score of 4-1.

Going back over to court two, Penn State was once again faced with a new challenge in the form of Towson University which they had struggled against in the 2021-22 season. Although the score was an even 1-1 at halftime, PSU came into the second half with a new mindset, controlling the court and securing another 2 points for the 3-1 victory.

In their final matchup back on court one, they faced JMU, another top 5 contender who gave the Nittany Lions some struggles in the past. These struggles seemed to be the case again with PSU down for the first time at the half as JMU led 2-1, but once again Penn State showed why they were an even stronger second-half team.
In the second half alone, PSU would go on a 4-0 run, with fast-paced play and hard counters leading to them finally overcoming the Duke Dogs for the first time in almost a year.

With their final victory over JMU, Penn State walked away with their first sweep in over a year, and take down two teams from the 2021-22 NCDA top 5. This performance begs the question, will this be the year Penn State secures its first national title?