MLP New York Event Preview

Major League Pickleball (MLP) takes no breaks - the league is back in action in New York City this week.

MLP New York is set to take off at the Sportime Randall’s Island near Manhattan on Thursday, in the seventh of 10 regular season events.

Just four days after finishing MLP San Clemente, six Premier Level teams and all six Challenger Level teams are playing in New York. There will be 30 matches played this holiday weekend, 15 in Premier and 15 in Challenger.

Top Storylines Headed into MLP New York

• Will the trade for Etta Tuionetoa and the addition of Roscoe Bellamy help the Carolina Hogs get out of the basement in terms of the standings?
• This is the first time we will see the Orlando Squeeze and the Miami Pickleball Club play since MLP Austin in late May - Where do they truly stand in the playoff hunt?
• The Brooklyn Pickleball Team took home 10 points out of 12 in MLP San Clemente with two subs - can they keep the momentum going in their hometown event?

List of Premier Level Teams Playing, w/ Number of Matches

In Challenger Level, all teams play each other once, which happens at every stop they play.

Premier Level Standings Headed into MLP New York

Teams highlighted in light blue are the ones playing in MLP New York

Challenger Level Standings Headed into MLP New York

Weather Outlook for MLP New York

While it looks to be hot and humid, the overall weather outlook is ideal for pickleball. The Vulcan ball will be playing slower than the LifeTime ball in San Clemente due to the heat and humidity.

Broadcast Schedule & How to Watch MLP New York

*Blue indicates a Premier Level match and Peach indicates a Challenger Level match

In addition to the above broadcasts, the following regional networks are airing play:

Thursday, July 3

• ORL vs. MIA (3:30 p.m. ET) on FanDuel Sports Network Sun

Friday, July 4

• NY vs. MIA (12:00 p.m. ET) on FanDuel Sports Network Florida
• CAR vs. ORL (2:00 p.m. ET) on FanDuel Sports Network Florida

Saturday, July 5

• COL vs. CAR (11 a.m. ET) on Tennis Channel
• ORL vs. NY (12:45 p.m. ET) on Tennis Channel

Sunday, July 6

• MIA vs. COL (11 a.m. ET) on Tennis Channel
• BRK vs. CAR (12:45 p.m. ET) on Tennis Channel

Premier Team By Team Preview and Analysis

(Teams are in order of standings in terms of points per match, from best to worst)

Brooklyn Pickleball Team

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 15 matches played, 33 points, 2.2 PPM, 4th in PPM

# Matches: 4

Opponents: Miami, Orlando, Carolina, New York

Projected Starters: Rachel Rohrabacher, Jackie Kawamoto, Dekel Bar, and Riley Newman

Bench: Hannah Blatt and Pat Smith

The Brooklyn Pickleball Team pulled out 10 points of a possible 12 in MLP San Clemente last weekend, with two subs. To my knowledge, Riley Newman is going to be playing for the first time since injuring his hip in MLP Phoenix. I do expect AJ Koller to continue to sub for Brooklyn as an on-site alternate, due to Bar and Smith’s illnesses.

Brooklyn has solidified its playoff hopes, but now everything is for seeding. They are a ridiculously good mixed doubles team, no matter who is playing, mostly because both Jackie Kawamoto and Rachel Rohrabacher are so solid.By the way, Rachel Rohrabacher was the highest rated player in MLP San Clemente, and you can check out all player rankings from that event (and all others) by visiting my Public 2025 MLP Stats Google Sheet.

Predicted Points: The Brooklyn Pickleball Team takes a slight step backwards at home this weekend, earning eight points on the weekend, out of a possible 12, falling behind Columbus.

Columbus Sliders

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 15 matches played, 30 points, 2 PPM, 5th in PPM

# Matches: 5

Opponents: New York, New York, Carolina, Miami, Orlando

Projected Starters: Parris Todd, Lea Jansen, Andrei Daescu, and CJ Klinger

Bench: Marcela Hones and Ross Whittaker

The Sliders did well in San Clemente, but are really trying to get over the 2ppm average. In a unique scheduling situation, Columbus gets to play the Hustlers twice, a huge advantage over the competition.

Predicted Points: Columbus earns the most points in New York, with 11. They beat New York twice and find five more points between the other three matches.

Orlando Squeeze

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 15 matches played, 28 points, 1.87 PPM, 8th in PPM

# Matches: 5

Opponents: Miami, Carolina, New York, Brooklyn, Columbus

Projected Starters: Federico Staksrud, Dylan Frazier, Lacy Schneemann, Samantha Parker

Bench: Alli Phillips and Grayson Goldin (Tom Evans is on the Restricted List)

Orlando hasn't played in well over a month - they play the team they are closest to in the playoff hunt right off the bat. I think whoever wins the Orlando/Miami match wins momentum going into the weekend. I am favoring Orlando in a Dreambreaker.

The question that will be answered this weekend: Is Orlando a fringe playoff team, or are they a first round bye contender?

Predicted Points: Orlando earns nine points out of a possible 15.

Miami Pickleball Club

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 15 matches played, 16 points, 1.07 PPM, 10th in PPM

# Matches: 5

Opponents: Orlando, New York, Brooklyn, Carolina, Columbus

Projected Starters: Noe Khlif, Jay Devilliers, Milan Rane, Mya Bui

Bench: Ava Ignatowich and Yuta Funemizu

Miami is the other team looking to solidify their playoff chances in New York. In order to do so, they need a win against New York, and to find a couple of points from the other matches where they will be underdogs.

Predicted Points: I think Miami earns six points from their five matches, keeping them right around 10th place.

NY Hustlers

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 13 matches played, 8 points, 0.62 PPM, 15th in PPM

# Matches: 6

Opponents: Columbus, Carolina, Miami, Columbus, Orlando, Brooklyn

Projected Starters: Zane Ford, Donald Young, Helena Jansen, Domi Schaefer

Bench: Luana Stanciu and Stephen Madonia (Helena Spiridis is on the Restricted List)

The Hustlers are going to be underdogs in every one of their matches. The move for Jansen was good, but I don't know how much it moves the needle. I expect a lot of losses for New York.

Predicted Points: The Hustlers earn one point, making it to a Dreambreaker somewhere, but not getting a win.

Carolina Hogs

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 14 matches played, 7 points, 0.5 PPM, 16th in PPM

# Matches: 5

Opponents: New York, Orlando, Columbus, Miami, Brooklyn

Projected Starters: Ben Johns, Etta Tuionetoa, Roscoe Bellamy, Tammy Emmrich

Bench: Liz Truluck and Martin Emmrich

Does Carolina actually care? Can they make the playoffs? We are about to find out. They went out and traded for Tuionetoa and paid cash for her as well. Roscoe is an immediate upgrade in mixed doubles for the squad as well. I think Carolina finds a way to earn some wins and work their way back into the playoff hunt.

Predicted Points: 10 out of a possible 15, but more importantly, they earn 2ppm while in New York, inching them closer to that last playoff berth.