
New Jersey downs D.C. in rematch of Mid-Season Tournament final
The New Jersey 5s closed out the action at the Hertz MLP New York City event with a regulation victory over the D.C. Pickleball Team.
This bout was a rematch of the final of the Mid-Season Tournament, which took place back in July.
New Jersey took that one in thrilling DreamBreaker fashion, but Sunday’s 3-1 triumph was much less complicated.
The key difference between the two matches was men’s doubles; D.C.’s James Ignatowich and Dekel Bar won in Grand Rapids, while New Jersey’s Will Howells and Zane Navratil took it in Central Park.
From there, the 5s relied on No. 2 overall pick Anna Leigh Waters to win her matches in women’s doubles with Mari Humberg and mixed doubles with Howells to clinch the 3-1 win and finish their time in the Big Apple with a 5-0 record.
New Jersey’s general manager Ryan Harwood credits the team’s success to an attitude of continuous improvement.
“I think over the season, we’ve just continued to get better and better,” he shared. “Will and Mari haven’t even been playing pickleball that long, so they’re getting better and better every single day, and then the chemistry—that ‘Clown Culture’—is getting really strong.”
With another dominant performance, the 5s are now earning an average of 2.21 standings points per match, tops in the Premier level.
They’ll look to continue their strong season at MLP Las Vegas, set to run Oct. 14-16.
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