Some things in life just aren’t worth dodging. For SVSU’s dodgeball team, however, it’s an absolute necessity.

This weekend, the SVSU dodgeball team participated in the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association’s (NCDA) national tournament, placing fourth out of a possible sixteen seed bracket.

Heading into the tournament, Saginaw Valley was placed as a 5 seed, below fellow Michigan universities Grand Valley State University (1), Central Michigan University (2) and Michigan State University (4), as well as James Madison University of Harrisonburg, Virginia (3).

The 2015 NCDA nationals were held in Bowling Green, Kentucky, at Western Kentucky University, but the game was hosted on Livestream for those unable to make it to the school.

On the first day of the tournament, the Cardinals came out with a 2-1 record. The team defeated Western Kentucky, 3-1, found another victory over Towson, winning 3-1, and lost to James Madison University, 3-1.

The second day of the tournament began the morning of April 12, as SVSU would square off against its first opponents, 12 seed Penn State University at 10 a.m.

Sunday began the single elimination rule of the tournament; If SVSU loses, it’s out of the tournament. Their first game against Penn State was a victory, winning over the Big-10 University, 4-0.

Their second game would take place against Michigan State University, which defeated Bowling Green State University to make it to the Elite-8.

They were conquered by SVSU, however, which won 2-1. The team’s Twitter account reported excellent catches by player David Cook, securing the Cardinal’s appearance in the final four.

This year’s final four consisted of GVSU, SVSU, JMU and CMU.

Sadly, the Cardinals ended up falling to rivals Grand Valley State University, who stopped SVSU’s streak by winning 3-0.

GVSU and CMU would go on to face off in the final match.  Find out who won the tournament in an update on www.valleyvanguardonline.com.

While this loss ended the Cardinals’ 2015 season, it wasn’t all for nothing.

The tournament marked the final appearance for the team’s seniors, including team captain Max Siler and vice president Colleen McClure.

Additionally, the weekend added to the team’s impressive track record. This marked the team’s fifth consecutive appearance at the NCDA tournament and fourth time overall making it to at least the Final Four.