Top 3 overall storylines in Columbus:

• Will the hometown Columbus Sliders have a similar winning experience as the hosts of the first event (the Orlando Squeeze went 4-1 in their backyard)? 

• Can the Shock keep rolling after winning their lone 2 matches in Orlando?

• Can one of these 3 winless teams (Hogs, Slice, Hustlers) show that Orlando was an aberration?

MLP Orlando MVP:

• Jorja Johnson: Or, as she is better known: Jorja "Freaking" Johnson. Won her 8 matches by a combined score of 88-15 leading the defending champion Dallas Flash to a 4-0 start (and all wins without a DreamBreaker for 12 points in the standings). 

Storylines per team participating in Columbus: 

Atlanta Bouncers (1-2, 3 points): Got one win in Orlando over the winless NY Hustlers. With 6 matches in Columbus, can they jump into the win column 3 times to stay in the race to the playoffs? 

Carolina Hogs (0-2, 0 points): Tough start for the Hogs against 2 teams expected to be at the top of the standings (Flash, Sliders). Can this team find some energy, and some chemistry with its female duo of Tammy Emmrich and Kaitlyn Christian, to grab some wins in their 6 matches in Columbus? 

Chicago Slice (0-2, 0 points): Got Texas 2-stepped on, losing to the Dallas Flash and the Texas Ranchers and winning just one of 8 individual games in the process. Was it the strong competition or does this new look team not mesh? Six matches in Orlando will tell that tale. 

Columbus Sliders (4-2, 12 points): After 2 losses to start the campaign, the Sliders played well the rest of the way in Orlando, winning 4 straight. Will they rule the home court, munching White Castle sliders all the way to at least 5 victories in their 6 matches?

Miami Pickleball Club (2-3, 4 points): Tough start for Mya Bui who went 1-9 in her first MLP experience – can she rise up now that the first event jitters should be gone?

New York Hustlers (0-2, 0 points): After the fire sale, the forecasted rough season started exactly that way…rough. The Hustlers only won one individual match in their 2 losses (and that was by a score of 12-10). Will they escape the bottom of the standings or will that be their spot all summer?

Orlando Squeeze (4-1, 11 points): Buoyed by the home crowd, Samantha Parker stepped up in her first MLP event and was a big part of the hot start for the Squeeze. How will they play when they don’t have the hometown support?

Phoenix Flames (0-2, 1 point): You cannot start better than “Team Showtime” did as they pickled the Squeeze women in their first ever game as a new look team. Howevah…they were only able to win 2 of the next 7 games, earning one single point in the standings for their DreamBreaker loss to the Squeeze. Is this team all show or will they hang around that playoff line all season?

St. Louis Shock (2-0, 5 points): Their performance delivered as expected, beating two good teams in Orlando. In the RIP Girlies matchup, the Shock won a DreamBreaker over the Brooklyn Pickleball Team. In the showdown with the clowns in Orlando, the Shock were dominant, winning 3 of the 4 doubles matches vs. the 5s. Are they the team to beat or is it the Flash?

Premier teams not playing in Columbus:

Brooklyn Pickleball Team, Dallas Flash, LA Mad Drops, New Jersey 5s, SoCal Hard 8s, Texas Ranchers, Utah Black Diamonds.

NOTE: Each team participates at 5 of the 10 regular season events and all teams play 25 matches.

NOTE #2: Challenger teams will begin play at the Austin event.

Marquee matchups: (All times ET)

• May 2 at 6pm: Battle of the hosts – Orlando Squeeze vs. Columbus Sliders

• May 3 at 2pm: Columbus Sliders vs. St. Louis Shock 

• May 4 at 4:15pm: Miami Pickleball Club vs. Carolina Hogs (Sunday Night Pickleball)

Location/times: (All times ET)

• Pickle & Chill - Columbus Sliders are the host team. 

• Play starts at 2pm on Thursday 5/1, 11am on Friday 5/2 and Saturday 5/3, and 10am on Sunday 5/4.