Words are insufficient to describe the incredible run Columbus went on to win the 2025 MLP championship. Seeded #5, they had to run a gauntlet of tough teams, defeating #2 Dallas, #1 St Louis, and #3 New Jersey in the finals. What more can any team do than to defeat the top three seeds? Talk about a deserving champion. What were the secrets of their success?

 

 

The quarterfinals of the playoffs started with top seed St. Louis having their choice of opponent. They logically picked #8 Orlando. The second seed, Dallas, then had their choice and illogically picked #5 Columbus instead of #7 Texas. Every team remaining was a talented team, but the roster of Columbus is clearly and markedly better than that of Texas. Indeed, Columbus was one of only two teams with a roster where all four starters are ranked in the top 12 in doubles on the PPA Tour (Brooklyn is the other one, but their roster was weakened by injuries). There were some rumors of dissension on the Columbus roster, but talent matters much more, so choosing to play a markedly better team made no sense. And Dallas paid the price, with a quarterfinal loss to Columbus. In the end, that choice may well have had no effect on the outcome as Columbus beat all three of the top teams; it may simply have changed the order in which they beat them.

 

 

 

In the semifinals, Columbus drew top seed St. Louis, leaving New Jersey to play LA. St. Louis definitely was trying to stay away from LA due to LA having picked up Ben Johns. But Johns played poorly in the semifinal, reverting to his disinterested ways. His demeanor was accurately called “mopey” online, and New Jersey easily dispatched LA.

 

Columbus meanwhile was firing on all cylinders. St. Louis was uncharacteristically subdued in the first match against Columbus, and meekly lost 3-0. St. Louis looked more energetic in the second match, forcing Columbus to a DreamBreaker. But Columbus dominated the DreamBreaker and won 21-13 to sweep St. Louis 2-0. After seeing how LA played, St. Louis was defintely regretting their choice of picking Columbus instead of LA.

 

 

 

In the final, both New Jersey and Columbus were fired up. Both brought great energy. You could just feel how much all eight starters wanted to win it all. It made for great pickleball. New Jersey took a 2-1 lead and had their dominant mixed pair of Anna Leigh Waters and Will Howells for the last game. But Andrei Daescu and Parris Todd played one of the great games of their lives, not only winning, but winning 11-2 to send match #1 to a DreamBreaker. New Jersey had a small but steady lead and was able to close it out 21-17.

 

In match #2, we had another repeat, with New Jersey easily winning women’s doubles and Columbus winning men’s doubles. Meghan Dizon and Noe Khlif defeated Lea Jansen and CJ Klinger again, giving Waters and Howells the ball and the chance to close it all out. But Todd and Daescu came up big again, winning 11-8 and giving us another DreamBreaker. Columbus flipped the script in the second DreamBreaker, maintaining a lead throughout for a 21-15 win.

 

Thus, it all came down to a third match. The script started the same, with New Jersey winning women’s doubles for the third straight time and Columbus winning men’s doubles for the third straight time. But in mixed, Jansen and Klinger flipped the script, gutting out a very tough and pressure filled win 11-4. That set the stage for Waters/Howells vs. Todd/Daescu, round #3. Could ALW be beaten for a third straight time? Or would we have a third straight DreamBreaker? Todd and Daescu decided they had played enough and finished it off with an 11-6 win and took the title.

 

 

 

Columbus could not have won but for all four players contributing and contributing well. But Daescu was very clearly the playoff MVP. Not only did he play consistently great pickleball, he was definitely the emotional rock of the Columbus team. Again and again, his play elevated the team and when he was on the sidelines, he was a consistent steady presence, always encouraging his teammates. Daescu was the best player in the MLP playoffs and he was the heart and soul of the championship team.