Top 3 overall storylines:

• Category 5 warnings - Hurricane Tyra Black joins the defending champs (Columbus Sliders) and will be in the lineup starting Wednesday. Parris Todd also returns - how will they fare as MLP teammates?

• Will the Shock pick up where they left off when they were dominating everyone at their home event in St. Louis?

• Kawamoto Bowl 2.0 features two top teams as Jade and the LA Mad Drops will battle Jackie and the Brooklyn Pickleball Team - who will come out on top this time?

Storylines per team competing in St. Petersburg:

Group A:

Brooklyn Pickleball Team: Jackie Kawamoto and Rachel Rohrabacher started the season a perfect 6-0. Can they continue to consistently give their fellas a 1-0 lead? Riley Newman expected to return to the lineup. Brooklyn’s second event of the 2026 season. 

Chicago Slice: Just event number 2 on the season for the Slice as well. They went 3-3 in their initial event, grabbing 6 standings points. Their strength of schedule from their first event was the easiest of all 20 teams to date (small sample size).How will they gel in St. Pete and can they find a top 3 finish in their group? 

Florida Smash: Will the energy from their hometown crowd help them pull an upset or two? They have utilized everyone on the roster thus far. Will the mix and match continue.

LA Mad Drops: Can Catherine Parenteau and Jade Kawamoto find their top form? They are just 6-6 so far this season. Ben Johns is 19-5 across his matches so far this season - will he lead the Mad Drops to another winning weekend? 

Utah Black Diamonds: Despite some very solid gender doubles lineups, Etta Tuionetoa and Allyce Jones are 4-6 and Tama Shimabukuro and Connor Garnett are 6-5 so far this season. Can they find consistency to help Utah vault up the standings as they currently sit on the playoff bubble (top 12 teams make it) with 10 points?

Group B:

Columbus Sliders: They will field their 4th different female lineup in 4 events which is wild - but, the star power this week is what everyone will be watching. Todd and Black have been golden on the Carvana PPA Tour. Can they lead the Sliders to 25 standings points in St. Pete?

Miami Pickleball Club: The Dylan Frazier experience had a winning men’s doubles record in Austin, going 3-2 with Clayton Powell. In an absolutely stacked group B in Florida, how will they fare against stiffer competition?

Orlando Squeeze: The men are showtime, as Staksrud and Sock are off to a 7-3 start. Can Milie Rane and Lacy Schneemann find their top form? What’s the upside of this group? A journey 90 minutes to the west may provide all of those answers.  

Palm Beach Royals: As the new team on the block, they head to the other coast of Florida seeking more standings points. They need more from Dekel Bar and Tyson McGuffin, just 4-6 so far this year. Sofia Sewing is off to a nice MLP start with an overall record of 14-6. Similar to Orlando, where do they fit within the MLP contenders?

St. Louis Shock: They wrecked everything in their path at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. Can they match that performance again without the Shock crowd behind them? Anna Bright and Kate Fahey are 14-2 on the campaign, with both losses coming to Anna Leigh Waters and Jorja Johnson (they cannot seek revenge in St. Petersburg as the Fives are not in the field). 

Texas Ranchers: They rounded up their opponents and took 3rd in Austin, including 3 dominant games vs. the SoCal Hard 8s to close out their win in the 2 vs. 2 matchup. However, the competition level rises significantly in Florida - how does this team fare vs. the top teams in the league?

Marquee Matchups:

Group B: St. Louis Shock vs. Columbus Sliders (Saturday, 6/20): Fans will be treated to what could be a playoff semi-final or final with the new look Sliders battling the Shock. Bragging rights, a great mid-year litmus test, and Super Sunday seeding will be on the line. 

Group A: Brooklyn Pickleball Team vs. LA Mad Drops (Saturday 6/20): This could be the battle to claim the top spot in Group A. With just the top 4 teams earning a bye in the first round of the playoffs, these matchups carry extra weight. Plus all pickleball fans love a good Kawamoto Bowl - Jackie won the last one, but the LA Mad Drops won the match in St. Louis.