MLP Playoff Quarterfinals Preview

The first round of the Major League Pickleball (MLP) playoffs saw the top seeds advance to the Quarterfinals in Newport Beach, California. The action begins on Friday with two matches, and then Saturday and Sunday are jam packed with action.

Seeds #1 through #8 are playing in the Quarterfinals and these are the matchups:

• #1 New Jersey Fives v #7 Palm Beach Royals
• #2 St. Louis Shock v #8 Texas Ranchers
• #3 LA Mad Drops v #6 Dallas Flash
• #4 Columbus Sliders v #5 Brooklyn Pickleball Team v

Reminder about the Playoffs

Looking at the above matchups, you may wonder why New Jersey isn't playing the lowest seed, the #8 Texas Ranchers. MLP has a very unique format for the playoffs - The best seed gets to choose it's opponent from the bottom four seeds. From their, the next best seed chooses, and so on.

Unlike the regular season, if a match is won 3-0, a fourth game will not be played.

Each playoff matchup is best two out of three matches. So if a team wins their first two matches, they move on. If it goes to a third match, the winner moves on and the loser goes home. In each matchup throughout the playoffs, the better seed is considered the home team in the first two matches. If a third match happens, there is a coin toss to determine the home team.

Home court matters because as the home team, you get to react to the other team's lineups, including their Dreambreaker lineup.

What's on the line

The teams that win this weekend in Newport Beach will move on to the Semifinals in two weeks in the Big Apple. That's right, the Semifinals and Finals will take place for the third year in a row at City Pickle at Wollman Rink in Central Park.

Broadcast Schedule of the MLP Dallas Playoffs

*All times listed are in local Pacific Daylight Time

All matches are available on Pickleballtv and the Pickleballtv App, in addition to:

Friday, August 14

• FS2 4-6 pm PT (LIVE)

Saturday, August 15

• FS1 (Exclusive) 4-6 pm PT (LIVE)

Sunday, August 16

• FS1 (Exclusive) 4-6 pm PT (LIVE)
• MSG 12-4pm PT (LIVE)

Weather Outlook

I don't know if the forecast could be any better for pickleball than this. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the upper 60s will make for picturesque pickleball weather. Winds may play a small factor if they are between 10-15mph, but nothing noticeable.

Preview of each matchup

Note: Partner records listed are during the entire 2026 season, including the Mid-Season Tournament and first round of playoffs

#1 New Jersey Fives v #7 Palm Beach Royals

Major League Pickleball

Schedule:

• Match #1 - Saturday, Aug 15 ~1pm EDT
• Match #2 - Sunday, Aug 16 - 4pm EDT
• Match #3 (If necessary) - Sunday, Aug 16 ~7pm EDT

Rosters:

• New Jersey: Anna Leigh Waters, Federico Staksrud, Jorja Johnson, Will Howells, Noe Khlif, and Milan Ran
• Palm Beach: Sofia Sewing, Tyson McGuffin, Dekel Bar, Tina Pisnik, Tammy Emmrich, and Casey Diamond

Matchup History:

The only that matchup between these two teams occured on August 1, at MLP Orlando in Pool B play. The Fives took a 3-1 victory, having won the match 3-0, and Sewing and Diamond beat Johnson and Staksrud in the fourth game.

Injury Concerns: None

Days since Last Match:

• New Jersey Fives: 13 Days
• Palm Beach Royals: 7 Days

Game By Game Preview:

Women's Doubles

• Anticipated lineups - Jorja/Anna Leigh (31-1) v Sofia/Tina (26-7)
• What to watch - This is the best women's doubles team this year against the fourth best women's team (minimum of 10 games). Sofia and Tina are one of the few teams that can hang with Jorja and ALW. Kate and Anna Bright from the Shock implemented an ISO of Jorja, meaning Anna Leigh didn't see a ball in the Mid-Season Tournament. Will we see Sofia and Tina implement a similar strategy? This is much more difficult to execute than many would think.

Men's Doubles

• Anticipated lineups - Federico/Will (3-2) v Casey/Dekel (3-3)
• What to watch - By far the two least practiced men's doubles teams remaining in the playoffs because Palm Beach just switched Casey in for Dekel and New Jersey only had one event with Federico. Casey and Dekel played straight up in Dallas and I think they do this again. I expect to see a lot of driven thirds and dropped fifths from the Fives since it is so difficult to get to the kitchen line playing Diamond and Bar. I think Howells will get targeted in the dink pattern with whomever is playing the left at the time - they will test his consistency.

Mixed Doubles #1

• Anticipated lineups - Anna Leigh/Noe (29-3) v Tina/Dekel (16-10)
• What to watch - Tina and Dekel kept this previous meeting close, losing 11-13 in Orlando just a couple of weeks ago. I could see a complete ISO of Anna Leigh in this one, where every ball is played to Noe and see if he can hold up under the pressure.

Mixed Doubles #2

• Anticipated lineups - Jorja/Fed (5-1) v Sofia/Casey (11-6)
• What to watch - Sofia and Casey beat Jorja and Fed 11-7 in their only meeting, in a game that didn't matter. New Jersey had already locked up the match win, having won 3-0. I think Casey and Sofia test Jorja's consistency early and then move Federico around. Sofia has to be careful dinking line on Fed because he such an Erne threat - same with Jorja and Casey.

Tice's Prediction

The Royals are underdogs in every single lineup in this one, so one or two players are really going to have to step up and play above their normal level for them to have a chance. As long as the Fives men can figure out a way to win one or two games, the Fives have to assume they are going to win the to games Anna Leigh plays in. Worst case scenario for the Fives is a Dreambreaker, where they are heavily favored. Fives win 2-0, and 6-1 in games.

#2 St. Louis Shock v #8 Texas Ranchers

Major League Pickleball

Schedule:

• Match #1 - Friday, Aug 14 - 2pm EDT
• Match #2 - Saturday, Aug 15 - 10am EDT
• Match #3 (If necessary) - Saturday, Aug 15 ~5:30pm EDT

Rosters:

• St. Louis: Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin, Kate Fahey, Gabe Tardio, Hunter Johnson, and Angie Walker
• Texas: Eric Oncins, Lea Jansen, Nico Acevedo, Kaitlyn Christian, Rafa Hewett, and Layne Sleeth

Matchup History:

The Shock have won all three matchups between these teams this year:

• May 23 - MLP Dallas - Shock won 4-0
• June 17 - MLP St. Pete - Shock won 3-1 (Nico & Eric won 12-10)
• July 11 - Mid-Season Tournament - Shock won 3-0

Injury Concerns: None

Days since Last Match:

• St. Louis Shock: 12 Days
• Texas Ranchers: 5 Days

Game By Game Preview:

Women's Doubles

• Anticipated lineups - Kate/Anna (28-4) v Kaitlyn/Lea (5-12)
• What to watch - Kate and Anna have recently been on a tear and I think they are going to test Kaitlyn's consistency in dink patterns. Both Lea and Kaitlyn are good out of the air, so I expect to see some driven thirds and dropped fifths from St. Louis to help them get in. Both Lea and KK are going to have to play at the top of their powers to have a chance to beat the second best women's team this year.

Men's Doubles

• Anticipated lineups - Gabe/Hayden (28-4) v Nico/Eric (20-8)
• What to watch - Nico and Eric have the only win for the Ranchers over the Shock this year, 12-10 in St. Pete. Nico's hands are going to have to be on fire and Oncins is going to have provide more pressure than Hayden for the Ranchers to win. I expect the Shock to test the consistency of Nico in the dink patterns.

Mixed Doubles #1

• Anticipated lineups - Anna/Hayden (23-7) v Lea/Eric (12-4)
• What to watch - Anna and Hayden have proven they are one of the top mixed doubles pairings, but also that they are not invincible. They have lost a few to Noe and Anna Leigh, to Ben, and to Christian. Lea will need to play consistently and be able to go behind Hayden enough to keep him honest. Anna will need to do the same thing with Eric, as both guys are very capable of taking up 80% of the court.

Mixed Doubles #2

• Anticipated lineups - Kate/Gabe (21-4) v Kaitlyn/Nico (9-6)
• What to watch - Kate and Gabe have the third best mixed doubles record on the year. Nico is a sneaky good athlete that is capable of taking over much of the court. This one comes down to consistency in dink patterns between KK and Kate for me. Can KK stay steady under the barrage of balls that Kate makes?

Tice's Prediction

The Ranchers are 0-3 in matches against the Shock and are 1-10 in games. Granted, one of the 0-4 losses to the Shock came in May when the Ranchers were an entirely different team, so take that with a grain of salt. The Shock are heavy favorites, but the Ranchers' guys have the ability to play at another level. If either Eric or Nico can get hot, they could look to force a Dreambreaker, where anything can happen and the Ranchers have had a lot more experience and they just won two Dreambreakers in Dallas. St. Louis wins 2-0, 3-1 in both matches.

#3 LA Mad Drops v #6 Dallas Flash

Major League Pickleball

Schedule:

• Match #1 - Friday, Aug 14 - 4pm EDT
• Match #2 - Saturday, Aug 15 - 4pm EDT
• Match #3 (If necessary) - Sunday, Aug 16 - Noon EDT

Rosters:

• Los Angeles: Ben Johns, Catherine Parenteau, Jade Kawamoto, Max Freeman, Connor Garnett, and Samantha Parker
• Dallas: JW Johnson, Danni-Elle Townsend, Augie Ge, Alix Truong, Brooke Buckner, and Ivan Jakovljevic

Matchup History:

The series this year is tied up 1-1. The Mad Drops dominated Dallas in the Mid-Season Tournament (loser's bracket) and the Flash beat the Mad Drops 3-2 in a Dreambreaker in San Diego.

• June 12 - MLP Mid-Season Tournament - Mad Drops won 3-0 in the semis of the consolation bracket
• July 18 - MLP San Diego - Flash won 3-2

Injury Concerns: None

Days since Last Match:

• LA Mad Drops: 12 Days
• Dallas Flash: 6 Days

Game By Game Preview:

Women's Doubles

• Anticipated lineups - Jade/Catherine (19-13) v Alix/Danni (17-12)
• What to watch - This is a toss up matchup. I think Jade and Catherine really test Alix' left foot a ton - will Danni come over too much and get overextended or will she play like 60% of the court? Jade and Catherine have not been nearly as good this year as they were last year, but they are still a formidable duo. I think Alix tests Jade's backhand in a cross court dink pattern and keeps Catherine honest so she cannot be as big of an offensive threat.

Men's Doubles

• Anticipated lineups - Max/Ben (26-6) v Augie/JW (24-10)
• What to watch - Another toss up game. The question for me in this one is who makes more unforced errors - Max or Augie? JW and Ben have been playing at such a high level that I think they will maintain it. Max likes to run around his backhand (like Pablo and Augie), while CJ is comfortable hitting his twoey backhand dink all day.

Mixed Doubles #1

• Anticipated lineups - Jade/Ben (24-7) v Brooke/JW (21-10)
• What to watch - JW Johnson has been getting a ton of credit for playing unbelievably the past month or so - and it is very worth mentioning. The Flash are on a 13 match unbeaten streak, thanks in most part to JW Johnson's play. However, Brooke has really been playing at a top top level throughout the streak as well. Brooke's steadiness and sneaky offense out of the air allows JW to play a bigger middle than he is used to on the PPA Tour and their games have complimented each other, going 11-2 in those 13 matches. Ben and Jade lost 1-11 to JW and Brooke in San Diego - not a normal occurance for Ben Johns.

Mixed Doubles #2

• Anticipated lineups - Catherine/Connor (3-2) v Danni/Augie v (17-3)
• What to watch - The second best mixed team in all of MLP (minimum of 10 games), according to winning percentage? Danni Townsend and Augie Ge. Garnett has been brought in as a mixed and singles specialist alongside Catherine Parenteau. They had five matches in Orlando to work out their issues as a tune up for the playoffs. Can they pull off an upset in one of these games? I expect both teams to really test the middle.

Tice's Prediction

This one is a bit closer than the previous two matchups. The Flash just proved they could beat the Mad Drops in San Diego in a Dreambreaker. The question is, can they do it again? LA wins 2-1 over the Flash, winning the first, losing the second in a Dreambreaker, and winning the third in regulation.

#4 Columbus Sliders v #5 Brooklyn Pickleball Team

Major League Pickleball

Schedule:

• Match #1 - Saturday, Aug 15 ~11:30am EDT
• Match #2 - Sunday, Aug 16 ~1:30pm EDT
• Match #3 (If necessary) - Sunday, Aug 16 ~5:30pm EDT

Rosters:

• Columbus: Andrei Daescu, Parris Todd, Tyra Black, CJ Klinger, Alex Crum, and Judit Castillo
• Brooklyn: Christian Alshon, Rachel Rohrabacher, Jackie Kawamoto, Riley Newman, Chris Haworth, and Hannah Blatt

Matchup History:

These teams never played each other this year.

Injury Concerns:

Riley Newman seems to be close enough to 100% with his knee injury that he is going to play men's doubles and mixed doubles. Rachel Rohrabacher, on the other hand, said in a post match interview that she is still dealing with pain in her foot/ankle from when the videoboard fell on her in MLP New York. She played women's doubles and mixed doubles in the first match of the playoffs against SoCal, but only played in mixed doubles in the second match.

Days since Last Match:

• Columbus Sliders: 27 Days
• Brooklyn Pickleball Team: 6 Days

Game By Game Preview:

Women's Doubles

• Anticipated lineups - Parris/Tyra (14-3) v Hannah/Jackie (6-12)
• What to watch - There is no nuance to this one - Parris and Tyra are the heavy favorites and will try to bully Hannah. Jackie has been playing bigger from the left side with Hannah and they do have some results. If Hannah can stay consistent and bring a bit of offense, the task is not impossible for Brooklyn, but very unlikely.

Men's Doubles

• Anticipated lineups - CJ/Andrei (22-11) v Riley/Christian (20-3)
• What to watch - A battle of the titans in men's doubles. CJ and Andrei haven't played together in a month and are 7-3 in their last 10. Riley and Christian 9-1 in their last 10. I think Brooklyn is going to mix up spots and keep both guys guessing where the dinks are going. Andrei and CJ are going to try to grind down Riley and Christian. Brooklyn wants a bit of a faster game, so expect them to speed up quicker than Columbus.

Mixed Doubles #1

• Anticipated lineups - Parris/Andrei (15-6) v Rachel/Christian (18-4)
• What to watch - Rachel's health and movement. I don't expect Rachel to play women's doubles anymore after her attempt in the first round of the playoffs. Christian is one of the few guys in the game that can realistically take 80+% of the court and win, so he will do that. The question in this one for me is how often can Parris find offense behind Christian to maybe make him only take 60% of the court and force Rachel to play more?

Mixed Doubles #2

• Anticipated lineups - Tyra/CJ (10-4) v Jackie/Riley (12-6)
• What to watch - Two good second mixed lineups that are somewhat comparable. Jackie and Riley are 0-2 against lefty guys (Augie and Danni) this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see Riley on the right and Jackie on the left to make it more of a typical mixed lineup. Jackie will roll cross court to Tyra, who doesn't have a twoey roll dink. I think the reverse stack for Brooklyn helps them in this matchup.

Tice's Prediction

This is the closest matchup of the weekend on paper, which makes sense based on the seedings. I think Columbus is heavily favored in women's, men's is a toss up, and mixed are also toss ups. If this one comes down to a Dreambreaker, the Sliders are favored. Crum and Castillo on the bench are key in this matchup. In Dreambreakers, the Sliders are 2-1 this year and Brooklyn is 3-5. I think Columbus takes this one in three, winning the third in a Dreambreaker.