The New Jersey Fives won MLP Columbus two weeks ago, had the weekend off while others played MLP St. Louis, and then just won the MLP Austin event.
How did the 5s get it done?
The Fives have moved themselves into second place in terms of points per event and are sitting pretty for the playoffs. In pool play, they beat the Smash 4-0, and also beat the Breakers, Ranchers, and Bouncers 3-1. Their biggest test in pool play came from the last place Dallas Flash, winning 3-2 in a Dreambreaker, 22-20.
Anna Leigh Waters and Jorja Johnson carried the team, both going 11-1. Howells and Khlif continued to do be mediocre, going 7-5 overall, but 2-4 in men’s doubles. If there is a weak link in the Fives lineup right now, it is the men’s doubles team. They are 9-8 overall in men’s in the three events they have played thus far in the 2026 season.
In the #1 v. #1 finals on Super Sunday, the Fives beat the Columbus Sliders 3-1 to earn all 25 regular season standings points for the event. They finished the win just in time, too, as rain storms unleashed on the city of Austin moments after the trophy ceremony.
The Columbus Sliders Win Pool A and Second Place without Parris Todd
Rumors were swirling around the Austin Pickle Ranch grounds about the validity of Parris Todd’s sickness, but the team itself didn’t let that get in the way of it’s goals. Judit Castillo played in her stead, going 5-5 in Austin, helping the team earn a second place finish overall.
Despite not having their top woman, the Sliders swept Pool A, winning all four matches. The closest anyone came to beating the Sliders were the California Black Bears (the team I am the General Manager for), who took them to a Dreambreaker, but the Sliders won that 21-9.
BIG BREAKING NEWS AS THIS STORY WAS PUBLISHED
Danni-Elle Townsend has been traded to the Dallas Flash with cash in exchange for Hurricane Tyra Black. Black chose not to play this weekend for the Flash due to illness and/or injury (I am sure which). She will be teaming up with Parris Todd, who she has played with on the PPA Tour.
This is a blockbuster trade that could have major consequences this year, but also into the following years.
The Heat and Court Placement was an Issue
First, there is nothing the league can do about the heat of Austin in the middle of June, but boy was it brutal. At one point this weekend it was 95 degrees, with 95% humidity, and the “feels like” was 104 degrees. The league did a great job ensuring teams had plenty of towels, ice bags, hydration, etc., but the heat definitely took a toll on the players.
From an insider's perspective (being the GM of the California Black Bears), the court positioning on Championship Court was very problematic. Only two players could be on the bench, with an additional staff/player standing near the bench. The rest of the staff and players? They were in the first row of the stands behind the benches. In order to access the court, the players and staff in the stands had to go all the way around the court to the entrance on the other side. This made timeouts, team huddles, and logistics for getting the next players on the court more complicated than they needed to be.
Big Winners of the Austin Event (Outside of the 5s)
Miami Pickleball Club
Miami started off hot, beating the Black Bears on the first day. However, after that they fell to both SoCal and Columbus. So they got third in the pool and then took care of business against Bay Area on Super Sunday, earning 10 standings points. They are now tied for the last playoff spot.
I think as Dylan Frazier goes, so does Miami Pickleball Club. They moved up 8 spots in the standings in terms of points per event in Austin. Can they bring that momentum to St. Pete next week?
SoCal Hard Eights
The Hard Eights went from T-15 in the standings to 10th, earning 12 points at the MLP Austin event. Specifically, Cailyn Campbell made her mark this weekend. It seems a light just switched with the youngster, and they ended up in fourth place, losing to the Ranchers on Super Sunday.
The Hard Eights had a rough go in St. Louis, which was their first event, earning one point and finishing fifth in their pool. Huge shoutout to the Hard Eights coach, Adam Stone, for finding some strategies that worked well this weekend to turn it around. This could mark the beginning of a playoff hunt for the Eights.
Texas Ranchers
Speaking of the Ranchers, Nico Acevedo looked good in his Ranchers debut, going 7-5 overall. The Ranchers lost to the 5s 3-1, but lost men's 12-10. Had they flipped the script in that scoreline, it could have been the Ranchers playing for first, instead of the Fives.
Despite trading away Dylan Frazier for Acevedo recently, the Ranchers moved up four spots in the standings points, from 10th to 6th this weekend, earning 15 standings points. And it looks like Acevedo will only continue to get better and develop on the right side with Oncins and continue to build chemistry with Jansen as the season progresses.
Pool Play Recap
Pool A Notes:
- The Hogs were competitive in most games, but couldn't get the job done to earn a match win
- The Black Bears won the 4v4 matchup on Sunday in a Dreambreaker over Florida, bringing home six points, while debuting two new men: Joey Wild and James Delgado
Pool B Notes:
- The Dallas Flash finishing last is probably the craziest outcome from the weekend (but they just traded for Danni, so we will see how quickly they can bounce back)
- The Atlanta Bouncers were without Kaitlyn Christian and almost finished third, but with tiebreakers, ended up fifth
- The Florida Smash finished fourth in the pool and played really well, particularly their women, who went 4-2 on the weekend, and are a real threat moving forward
Standings from MLP Austin
Up next on the MLP schedule is MLP St. Petersburg, which starts at 11am ET on Wednesday. OF NOTE - this is an early start for the event, because there is no Grandstand Court - only a Championship Court. I have personally been to the venue (thanks to Graham D’Amico and Luke Burton for the tour), and it is easily one of the nicest indoor facilities in the world - hopefully that can translate to the livestream. MLP St. Petersburg goes Wednesday through Sunday. I will have a preview for you either Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning (after I complete all my stats from MLP Austin).
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