Michigan State dominates dodgeball, wins third title in four years

Michigan State University kept the trophy in East Lansing by winning its third national dodgeball title in four years, finishing an undefeated run that ended with a convincing victory over Ohio State University in the 2026 championship game. The Spartans also beat Ohio State once in seeding play, a double result that underlined how far ahead they stayed of the field when the bracket tightened in April.

The title came with the same markers that have turned Michigan State into the sport’s measuring stick. NCDA’s season recap said the Spartans also won the 2026 Michigan Dodgeball Cup and placed Matt Barriball and Alex Edson in the top two spots on the 2026 All-American Team. That pairing sat at the center of a roster that already included National Player of the Year Barriball, All-Americans Zach VanFleet and Edson, and Rookie of the Year Luke Foco entering the season.

The numbers from the regular season were just as lopsided. One NCDA preview said Michigan State went 16-0. Another said the Spartans played seven second-semester matches and won all seven by a combined score of 35-9. The win total mattered, but the margin mattered too: Michigan State was not just surviving close calls, it was controlling matches from start to finish.

That depth showed up beyond the headline names. NCDA’s recap pointed to contributions from Zach VanFleet, Jacob Rademacher, Colin Miller, Luke Foco, Jake Smith and Gavin Bangs, a reminder that Michigan State’s edge was built on more than Barriball and Edson alone. When the Spartans faced Grand Valley State University, they went 4-0 in the 2025-26 season. They also beat Kent State University twice, extending their grip on the region and keeping another would-be challenger from turning a rivalry into a turning point.

Grand Valley State gave the clearest look at the gap below Michigan State. The Lakers responded to a 2025 quarterfinal exit by reaching the Final Four again, but they still lost all four meetings with the Spartans, including overtime in September, a blowout at home, a one-point loss at the Michigan Dodgeball Cup and the nationals semifinal. Western Michigan University, Saginaw Valley State University and Central Michigan University round out a Michigan region that NCDA called the gold standard of collegiate dodgeball, but the region still runs through Michigan State.

The bigger question heading into next season is not whether the Spartans belong at the top. Ohio State remains the most obvious national challenger, but Michigan State beat the Buckeyes twice when the bracket was at its sharpest, and Barriball and Edson finished as the top two players in the country. Until someone turns those matchups, the Spartans remain the benchmark.