The 2024 MLP season ended with a bang at the Orlando playoffs. The Dallas Flash emerged as the 2024 champs, but not after a playoff weekend for the ages. The final four had Dallas facing St. Louis and New Jersey against Texas. New Jersey, as was somewhat expected, eliminated Texas, although did so surprisingly easily, 3-0, 3-0 for a two match sweep. Dallas and St. Louis were expected to play a very tight match. Although many of the game scores were close, Dallas won in two matches, 3-0, 3-1. That set up the Dallas v New Jersey final. Here’s a review of all the highlights (and there were many).

 

The Dallas v New Jersey final was best two of three matches. In the first match, New Jersey as expected opened with women’s doubles, sending out the near undefeated pair of Anna Leigh Waters and Mari Humberg. They continued their dominance, albeit by a close score of 27-25 over Jorja Johnson and Tyra Black. But Dallas came back in men’s doubles with JW Johnson and Augie Ge defeating Will Howells and Zane Navratil 25-20. In mixed doubles, the teams split, with Waters/Howells defeating Black/Ge, but the Johnsons winning over Humberg/Navratil. This set up a Dreambreaker. New Jersey was undefeated all year in Dreambreakers, and a big part of their strategy is to try to get to Dreambreakers.

 

In the match one Dreambreaker, Dallas took an early lead, but Navratil turned the tide with a 4-0 win over Ge, and New Jersey took match one and a very important 1-0 lead. If Dallas wanted to win this final, they would have to take the next two matches.

 

 

Match two was similar to match one. The teams split 2-2, with each team winning the same matches they won earlier. So, match two went to a Dreambreaker again. New Jersey had to like their chances at this point. Unlike the first Dreambreaker, this time New Jersey had an early lead. But, Dallas came storming back. The highlight was a 4-0 run by Jorja Johnson over Waters. That turned the tide and Jorja’s teammates did the rest, with Dallas winning 21-15. With the split of the first two matches, everything was set up for the entire 2024 season to come down to one, final match.

 

In match three, New Jersey no longer controlled all the decisions. Thus, instead of women’s doubles being the lead match, Dallas now got to choose to send out men’s doubles first. But, irony of ironies, Howells/Navratil won that game, 25-23, the first win for New Jersey in men’s doubles. At this point, the odds were stacked, big-time against Dallas. Down 0-1, Jorja Johnson and Black had to face Waters and Humberg, a match that Johnson and Black had yet to win. But, just as the tables were turned in men’s doubles, such was the case in women’s doubles, too! Johnson/Black not only won, but did so in convincing fashion, 25-17. The match was now tied 1-1 headed to mixed doubles, the same score we had in matches one and two.

 

In mixed doubles, Dallas chose to send out the Johnsons, their best team all year. New Jersey chose to counter with Navratil and Humberg. New Jersey was obviously gunning for another Dreambreaker, figuring Waters/Howells could bring it home as needed. The Johnsons as expected did dominate, taking a 24-17 lead. But Navratil/Humberg took advantage of the freeze, coming all the way back to tie it at 24, defeating game point after game point. The Johnsons did hang on, finally winning 28-26.

 

 

We were now set up for the last doubles match of 2024. Out strode Waters, a nearly undefeated 2024 as her MLP record. One more win, and it would be another Dreambreaker. Despite losing the match two Dreambreaker to Dallas, New Jersey had to like their chances. Standing in their way were Black and Ge; great players yes, but great players that Waters and Howells had twice defeated in the first two matches. Would the third time be the charm?

 

Waters/Howells v Black/Ge was a game for the ages. Close, hotly competitive, with fine play all around. The stakes could not be higher. Black/Ge took a small lead and held it through the middle of the match. Speedups, as we have so often seen, proved to be the difference. In that final and decisive game, Black/Ge were successful on 11/15 speedups (with six resets), while Waters/Howells were 8/14 (with one reset). Waters, who had been the single best player, man or woman, at speedups in MLP all of 2024, was just 3/6 on speedups in the most important game of 2024. Ge was an amazingly perfect 7/7 in that last game. Further, Ge had zero unforced errors (all stats courtesy of RealClearStats).

 

Finally, hanging on by a thread, Black/Ge earned a game point, no a match point, no a Championship Point, serving at 24-23. The crowd knew the situation. If Black/Ge could win this serve, Dallas was the champion; if Waters/Howells could convert a side out, they would earn the serve at 24-24. Ge served, and off the return, Ge drove it at Waters who uncharacteristically dumped the volley into the net. And it was over. Waters, who had been so dominant all year, was oddly the one to play perhaps her worst game all year when it meant the most. That’s sports.

 

 

Dallas was the champion. New Jersey walked away with what I am sure was a disappointing to them second place. But all eight players in that final match played their hearts out, played excellent pickleball, and every fan could not help but appreciate the effort by all eight. The MLP finals for 2024 were over, but those eight players gave us all a match that we will not soon forget.

 

When does MLP 2025 start? I think we all want to see more.

 

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