SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Friday was a busy day of great MLP action from Utah.

There were nine matches, so lots of team points available for every team that wanted to make a move. It was a good day for some teams and players, not so good for others.  

Let’s go over the highlights and a few things that did not go quite right.

 

 

1. Big day for big D. Dallas racked up a solid six points on the day, with a 3-1 win over Orlando and a 4-0 domination of Carolina. Dallas has taken over first place and they still have not played to their potential, due to inconsistency. This team can and should win the championship, but they continue to hit bumps in the road that could derail them at any point. But for now, they are enjoying being at the top of the heap.

 

 

2. Who needs Thomas? LA was another team making a strong move. LA beat Carolina 3-2, with an exciting 21-18 Dreambreaker victory. They followed it with a 3-1 victory over Utah in the last match of the day, netting five team points for the day. LA was missing Thomas Wilson but Blaine Hovenier did a good job filling in. But LA was carried by its women, as Catherine Parenteau and Jade Kawamoto finished  #2 and #3 in individual player standings.

 

 

3. New Jersey is steady. NJ lost a tough one to Dallas on Thursday but bounced back with two wins on Friday. NJ beat a tough Texas team 3-2, in a hard fought 22-20 Dreambreaker. NJ then added a 3-1 victory over Orlando, to gain five team points on the day. Like LA, NJ was carried by its women, with Anna Leigh Waters finishing the day ranked #1 among all players and Mari Humberg came in at #6. NJ is built to win through the play of its women, and so far they are stepping up to the plate.

 

4. Utah gets a win! Utah is winless no more, as they defeated AZ 3-1 in a major upset. Alix Truong in particular stepped up big time, netting two wins in the victory. She has played poorly to date in MLP, but today she was much better. Utah also looked more energized with Connor Garnett on the team. Utah still has no chance to make the playoffs but it is nice to see them being competitive.

 

 

5. The freeze gets a warm reception. The freeze gets grief from some fans, but I personally like it. The Augie Ge/JW Johnson match v Ben Johns and Collin Johns being a perfect example of it doing its job. The Johns got to 24 and had six game points but could not put it away. Ge/Johnson chipped away with side outs, and then capitalized on their one and only game point to win 28-26. Without a freeze, the Johns almost certainly win. Sure, you can argue the freeze is hokey, but it creates a lot of drama. Every pickleball fan watching that match got their money’s worth and more.

 

 

1. Low energy Ben? Ben Johns had a tough day with Carolina losing both of its matches. They did get one team point out of a Dreambreaker with LA, but Ben was taking a beating later on social media as the fans were criticizing his apparent low energy play. Indeed, the commentators on TV repeatedly opined that Ben was “not into” the match. To me, the greater problem with Carolina is that it was a poorly drafted team. They made a trade for Brooke Buckner, but their women are still a weak point. Buckner and Jessie Irvine lost their two women’s doubles matches 25-13 and 25-14. They finished the day both ranked among the bottom three players. At the time of the draft, I pointed out that Carolina could have and should have drafted Augie Ge, Mari Humberg, and spent some money on a player like Tina Pisnik (the team left well over $100k on the auction table). How would you like a team of Ben Johns, Ge, Humberg and Pisnik? That is a team that would be in the championship mix. This current team is unlikely to even make the playoffs.

 

2. Tough day for Todd/Rane. Milan Rane filled in for Vivienne David again for Orlando. She played well on Thursday but Friday was a tough day. Parris Todd and Rane lost their two women’s doubles matches 25-11 and 25-16. MLP is a team game and the teams that do well are balanced. When one part of the team is off, it makes it very difficult to win.

 

3. The Drive stalls. AZ had two wins Thursday but suffered two 3-1 losses on Friday to stall their momentum. Dylan Frazier in particular looked off. MLP forces Frazier to play left side in mixed doubles and he just does not look comfortable on the left. Frazier’s strength is his steadiness, and when playing left in mixed, he has trouble being the guy covering a lot of court and powering the ball away. Drafting a right side player as high as they did Frazier was probably not the best move.

 

MLP Salt Lake City returns to action on Saturday, with nine more matches. It will be a day filled with great play. St. Louis will be the team to watch, as they have two difficult opponents in New Jersey and Dallas. If St. Louis can net four points (or more) it will be a good day for them.

The stands were packed on Friday and I expect more of the same on the weekend.

 

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