Top 3 overall storylines in San Diego:

• Which four Premier teams will punch their ticket to Central Park in New York for the semis and finals? And will it be the top 4 seeds? 

• With the trade for Ben Johns, the LA Mad Drops are the most dangerous team outside the top 4 – will they make it to NYC?

• Who will win the two play-in matchups to make the quarterfinals, and will there be a Cinderella run?

How the playoffs work (Premier):

• The 7-10 seeds are playing a single elimination play-in match with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals.

• The Texas Ranchers (7) play the Miami Pickleball Club (10) and the Orlando Squeeze (8) play the Utah Black Diamonds (9). 

• For the quarterfinals, the top seeds get to pick their opponent, starting with St. Louis choosing either of the play-in winners or the Columbus Sliders or the LA Mad Drops. Dallas chooses next, then New Jersey, and finally Brooklyn will play the remaining team. 

• The quarterfinals and on is a best 2 out of 3 match series. The 4^th doubles game will not be played if one team leads 3-0. 

• The higher seeded teams will be the home teams for the first two matches in the series, which is significant as that team will get to react to both the mixed doubles pairings and the DreamBreaker lineup.  

• A coin flip will determine the home team if a 3^rd match is necessary.

Storylines per Premier team participating in the playoffs (by seed):

St. Louis Shock (1): They are the favorite after a dominant regular season, with all 4 players ranking in the top 7 in the player standings. Can they learn from their 2024 playoff loss to Dallas and run it all the way to the title?

Dallas Flash (2): Jorja Johnson finished as the #1 player in the MLP regular season with a 51-7 record and is the engine for this team. Can the guys (Augie Ge/JW Johnson) win critical matches to get the Flash to New York?

New Jersey 5s (3): Noe Khlif was acquired in a trade late in the regular season to be a difference maker – how will he perform in the playoffs? And will Zane Navratil or Mari Humberg get into the lineup?

Brooklyn Pickleball Team (4): Rachel Rohrabacher was outstanding all year and a female MVP candidate amidst the infirmary that was the Brooklyn men. How healthy will Dekel Bar be as he hopes to return from injury?

Columbus Sliders (5): Finished 4 points behind Brooklyn in the standings. With a strong women’s team, will Andrei Daescu and CJ Klinger (Carvana PPA tour gold medalists), rise to the height of their powers in California?

LA Mad Drops (6): The Ben Johns trade turned them into an instant contender, proving it with a win in Dallas over the Flash. Can Catherine Parenteau and Jade Kawamoto continue to beat the higher seeded teams?

Texas Ranchers (7): Will the real Texas Ranchers please stand up? Christian Alshon did not make the lineup in Utah (expected back for the playoffs) then plays very well in the Carvana PPA Tour event in Bristol. After all the trades and lineup decisions, can the Texas Ranchers find their best level in time to make it to NY?

Orlando Squeeze (8): Settled into 8^th place for most of the regular season (which sounds low considering the talent of Federico Staksrud, Dylan Frazier, and Lacy Schneemann). Will the acquisition of Millie Rane be the difference in getting into the quarterfinals and a chance to make it to New York?

Utah Black Diamonds (9): This team played lights out in Utah, conquering their home court by winning their last 4 matches there, including a 4-0 sweep over their play-in opponent (Squeeze). Can their team chemistry, plus the addition of Etta Tuionetoa, help them beat the Squeeze again in San Diego?

Miami Pickleball Club (10): Barely held onto the final playoff spot by a single point over the Chicago Slice. After trading Noe Khlif and Millie Rane, this new look team has nothing to lose. Can they ride the underdog story into the quarterfinals with a win over Texas?

How the playoffs work (Challenger):

• Las Vegas Night Owls (1) and Nashville Chefs (2) get the byes. 

• Quarterfinal single-elimination matchups: California Black Bears (3) vs. Florida Smash (6) and DC Pickleball Team (4) vs. the Bay Area Breakers (5)

• Las Vegas will pick their opponent from the two winners of the quarterfinals. Nashville will play the other. Both of these semi-finals will be a best 2 of the 3 match series. Winners play in NYC for the title. 

Premier play-in matchups: 

• Friday, Aug. 15th at 10:00am PT: Texas Ranchers (7) vs. Miami Pickleball Club (10) on Grandstand Court.

• Friday, Aug 15th at 11:00 am PT: Orlando Squeeze (8) vs. Utah Black Diamonds (9) on Championship Court. 

Location/times:

• Barnes Tennis Center: 4490 W Point Loma Blvd. San Diego, CA 92107

• Play on Championship Court starts on Friday at 11am, Saturday at 11:30am, and Sunday at 10:00am (all times PT). 

• Catch the action on Pickleballtv.