There were plenty of fans, some heat, some humidity, and some excellent pickleball at MLP Austin. Five clubs participated in the Premier round robin: Miami, Dallas, Texas, Orlando, and New Jersey.
The rematch of last year’s championship game between New Jersey and Dallas was eagerly anticipated by fans. Texas was there to demonstrate their abilities as a top-tier playoff club, Miami wanted to establish themselves, and Orlando sought to carry over their scorching 9-2 start into the 2025 campaign.
1. Dallas Domination
Jorja Johnson was particularly dominant, losing only one game in Austin, and she came up big in the DreamBreaker win over NJ, defeating Anna Leigh Waters 5-3 in their singles matchup. The only minor setback on the weekend was that Dallas fell slightly behind St. Louis in points per game, but at this point, it does appear likely that Dallas and St. Louis will finish first and second in the regular season, securing important playoff positioning. Big D demonstrated their championship pedigree by going 4-0 in Austin while also defeating Miami and Orlando with ease, taking home 10 team points.
2. New Jersey’s Amazing Week
New Jersey had a really good week, even if they lost to Dallas in a DreamBreaker. They scored 10 team points and finished 4-1. In the regular season, New Jersey is very likely to finish third in terms of points. As usual, Will Howells dominated New Jersey, going 7-1 with the sole defeat coming in the final moments of a pointless mixed match. Losing 6-2 to JW Johnson in that crucial DreamBreaker loss to Dallas was his only shortcoming. Although Waters is excellent, Howells is the one who elevates this team to a contender for the championship.
3. Orlando’s Unexpected Ending
Orlando had a 9-2 record going into Austin, and some people thought they might be a contender for the championship. They lost 1-3 in women’s doubles, losing only to Miami. As might be expected, their women’s play proved the downfall of Orlando.
4. Women Hold Key To Clinching Title
The top three women’s doubles teams are Anna Leigh Waters/Meghan Dizon (New Jersey), Anna Bright/Kate Fahey (St. Louis), and Jorja Johnson/Tyra Black (Dallas). The Texas-based Etta Tuionetoa/Tina Pisnik women’s doubles pair is ranked fourth overall. Lea Jansen/Parris Todd (Columbus) and Rachel Rohrabacher/Jackie Kawamoto (Brooklyn) are the fifth and sixth-best women’s doubles teams, respectively. The bottom end is no exception. Either Dominique Schaefer/Lingwei Kong (New York) or Judit Castillo/Irina Tereschenko (SoCal) are the two poorest women’s doubles teams. The calibre of the women’s doubles teams is the straw that stirs the pot, even if there are many excellent men’s doubles teams in MLP and the late-round selections of Howells and Augie Ge have greatly contributed to the success of Dallas and New Jersey.It is interesting to note that St. Louis, who did not even play a match, emerged victorious from MLP Austin. St. Louis takes the lead in points per game for the season after Dallas “only” managed 10 points in 4 games. Although the top place may fluctuate throughout the season between Dallas and St. Louis, I firmly anticipate that they will finish the regular season 1-2. A top-two finish makes the playoffs simpler, and since New Jersey is probably going to finish third, a first-place finish would help them avoid the most difficult semi-final.