Major League Pickleball is back for the second week in a row. We’re still on the east coast, but a little south of last week’s event in the Big Apple.

This week’s event at Pickleball Virginia Beach is special because it’s the first and only Challenger level-exclusive event of the season.

All ten Challenger teams will be in action across four days, with each one set to play at least six matches.

With so many matches to be played, lots of standings points will be up for grabs as teams try to cement their spot in the top 6 and make the playoffs come November.

Setting the stage

It’ll be a full house in Virginia Beach with every team in attendance.

Here’s what the latest Challenger rosters are looking like:

Atlanta Bouncers: Jaume Martinez Vich, Todd Fought, Susannah Barr, Emily Cederquist

Bay Area Breakers: Collin Shick, Martin Emmrich, Allyce Jones, Jill Braverman

Brooklyn Aces: Pablo Tellez, Daniel de la Rosa, Lina Padegimaite, Layne Sleeth

California Black Bears: Chris Haworth, Brandon French, Genie Erokhina, Amanda Hendry

Chicago Slice: Jack Munro, Brendon Long, Megan Fudge, Allison Harris

Florida Smash: Travis Rettenmaier, Donald Young, Martina Frantova, Christa Gecheva

Frisco Pandas: John Cincola, Stefan Auvergne, Ewa Radzikowska, Tammy Emmrich

Las Vegas Night Owls: Rafa Hewett, Blaine Hovenier, Judit Castillo, Zoey Wang

Miami Pickleball Club: Noe Khlif, Eric Oncins, Milan Rane, Bobbi Oshiro

SoCal Hard Eights: Erik Lange, Max Manthou, Irina Tereschenko, Yana Newell

Each team has played between 12 and 14 matches on the season. Here’s where each team ranks, in terms of average standings points earned per match.

All the details

Every team has its own intriguing storylines, with some carrying impressive winning streaks into Virginia. My thoughts on each team’s prospects ahead of this weekend are below, starting at the top of the standings chart.

Miami Pickleball Club (2.00pts/match): Miami has arguably the most momentum of any team at the Challenger level. They’re just a few days removed from a 5-0 campaign in New York, which began with a regulation victory over the Mid-Season champion Brooklyn Aces. I don’t see a glaring weak spot for this squad as they bring a five-match winning streak into their six-match stand in Virginia.

SoCal Hard Eights (1.85pts/match): Miami isn’t the only team on a hot streak. The Hard Eights—who we haven’t seen in action since MLP Kansas City—have won ten matches in a row, a streak that extends back to the back draw of the Mid-Season Tournament. Yana Newell, who the team added during Waiver Period 1 after starting the season 1-5, has been a difference-maker, especially on the singles side in DreamBreakers. SoCal and Miami will face off in the first match on Grandstand Court on Thursday at 9:30am ET. Mark that one on your calendars.

Chicago Slice (1.83pts/match): Chicago is another team with a lot to be proud of after MLP New York City. They went 4-1, with their only loss coming to Miami. The men’s doubles pairing of Jack Munro and Brendon Long looked especially sharp for the Slice, as they finished with a 4-1 record themselves. Chicago is in prime playoff position after dropping the first five matches of the season and will look to bring that momentum into this week, with seven matches on the books.

Atlanta Bouncers (1.67pts/match): The Bouncers have made some adjustments to their roster since the last time we saw them in action. They have a new women’s doubles pairing after trading for Susannah Barr and picking up Emily Cederquist during Waiver Period 2. Barr and Cederquist won a title as teammates on the Chicago Slice in 2023 and will look to replicate that success on an Atlanta squad that also features Jaume Martinez Vich and Todd Fought. The question mark for Atlanta—as it has been all season—is DreamBreaker proficiency. The Bouncers have a 1-6 record in those contests, a mark they will need to improve to keep their playoff spot.

Las Vegas Night Owls (1.62pts/match): The Night Owls are coming off a middling performance in NYC, where they ended with a 2-3 record. Despite moving downwards in the standings, Las Vegas is still in a good spot to make the playoffs. The mixed doubles pairings of Judit Castillo and Blaine Hovenier and Zoey Wang and Rafa Hewett both finished with winning records on the weekend, and the new men’s doubles pairing of Hovenier and Hewett should also continue to improve as they play more matches together. Something to keep an eye on, however, is the Night Owls’ DreamBreaker performances; they went 1-2 in such contests in New York after going 4-0 to start the season. Even though there’s only a one-point difference in standings points for winning and losing a DreamBreaker, those points can make a significant impact down the stretch.

Brooklyn Aces (1.38pts/match): It feels weird to write about Brooklyn so far down in the list, but the Aces currently occupy the sixth and final playoff spot after a dismal 0-5 performance in their home state. It was massive disappoint for the squad, especially because they won the Mid-Season Tournament the last time they had taken the court together. Pablo Tellez and Daniel de la Rosa performed up to their standards with a 4-1 record in men’s doubles, but Tellez and Lina Padegimaite struggled mightily in mixed doubles and went 1-4. Brooklyn has the talent to compete for a title on paper, but they’ll need better play from all four players to rebound after last week’s collapse.

Frisco Pandas (1.33pts/match): The Pandas went just 1-4 in New York City and are now on the wrong side of the playoff bubble. John Cincola went a shocking 0-10 himself in those matches, failing to pick up a win with Stefan Auvergne in men’s doubles and new addition Tammy Emmrich in mixed doubles. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that No. 1 overall draft pick Ewa Radzikowska went 8-2 in her matches, but the team will need better numbers in both men’s and mixed to avoid falling too far out of the playoff picture.

Bay Area Breakers (1.31pts/match): We haven’t seen the Breakers in action since MLP Kansas City, where they went 0-4. They had a strong start to the season in Atlanta but completely re-did their roster during Waiver Period 1. One of their more notable moves was trading Vivian Glozman to the Premier level’s D.C. Pickleball Team in exchange for Allyce Jones and heavy cash considerations. Collin Shick is the only remaining member of the season-starting squad for Bay Area and will look to right the ship with Jones, Jill Braverman, and new addition Martin Emmrich.

Florida Smash (1.25pts/match): The Smash are trending in the right direction after a 3-2 showing in New York City. New additions Donald Young and Christa Gecheva got better throughout the weekend despite finishing with individual records of 3-7 and 4-6, respectively. All three of Florida’s wins came via DreamBreakers, so the squad should have plenty of confidence if they win two of the initial doubles contests. The Smash will need a good performance across their seven matches in Virginia Beach to stay competitive in the playoff race. 

California Black Bears (0.86pts/match): California—like Atlanta—has a new women’s doubles pairing of Genie Erokhina and Amanda Hendry. The Black Bears acquired Erokhina in the aforementioned trade involving Susannah Barr to play alongside the lefty Hendry, who is California’s only remaining member of its original roster. On the men’s side, Chris Haworth will make his MLP debut. He’s still somewhat of an unproven commodity in doubles, but he should certainly be a force in DreamBreaker situations. California’s not out of contention yet, but they’ll need a big weekend in Virginia Beach to give themselves a realistic shot of making the playoffs.

Where to watch

Each match from Pickleball Virginia Beach will be streamed on the MLP YouTube, with streams for Championship Court and Grandstand Court. You can find the order of play below. 

 

 

 

 

 

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