Highlights from MLP Salt Lake City

Now that 3 regular season events are behind us, we’re starting to see teams emerging from the pack. The clear frontrunner is the Dallas Flash, who have now taken over the #1 spot in league standings in almost all metrics: points (31), matches (14, tied with Ranchers), games won (38), and games % won (66.67%). Nipping on their heels are the St. Louis Shock, #2 seed with 28 points following this weekend’s matchups.

Highs and lows of the weekend’s events in Salt Lake City:

Favorites are still the favorites. Strong-performing teams before BCO are still dominating (except for.the fallen star of the Squeeze, who are now ranked 11th): Flash, Shock, Ranchers, and 5s were neck-and-neck at SLC. The Mad Drops are sneaking up on the leader pack; they went 4-2, including a 4-0* shut-out of the Flash, despite not having #1 man Thomas Wilson.

Andrei’s back in the Driver’s seat…? Back from his 60-day suspension, Andrei Daescu couldn’t seem to find a rhythm, going 6-6 in his games, and slipping to the 16th position in player rankings. Given the field at SLC, and having Dylan Frazier by his side, this isn’t good enough for the #5 drafted player.

Trade outcomes. This was the Sliders’ moment to show off their moves, but let’s just say - it was underwhelming. There were a few golden moments (Koop and Meghan defeated the Shock women, thanks to Meghan’s sizzling performance), but they won just one match and went down in 3 Dreambreakers. Perhaps Riley and Jay need more time to meld their styles and establish some chemistry. Meanwhile, Brooke Buckner seemed unhappy on her team (more on that in a moment), winning just 3 of her 12 games and landing in last place in player standings.

Utah nabs their first win. With newly acquired Connor Garnett, the Black Diamonds were re-energized and finally found their first win of the season. The most surprising part was the invigoration of Alix, who went 6-6, after going 0-8 in DC and 0-4 at BCO. Clearly having CG on their team gave her the confidence she needed, having previously medaled with him.

The Johns bros are absolute trash in MLP. Looking past their meager wins, they are completely checked out. Ben is the undisputed GOAT, but even with his brother and a mixed partner of his choosing, his on-court attitude stinks. Witnesses of his poor behavior reported eyerolls, negative body language, and general indifference. Whether he likes the team format or not, he committed to play, and Tom Dundon paid real money to secure him to lead Carolina. His recent effort and attitude stinks of immaturity and unprofessionalism and is quite surprising for the prince of the sport. It’s no wonder Koop was desperate to leave and Brooke Buckner looked miserable this weekend.

Juice not worth the Squeeze. Both Tyson and Fed dropped from the last day of SLC after being diagnosed with COVID, but even prior to that, they were not performing well. The Squeeze currently sit at the bottom of the standings, and have just 2 match wins in the 2024 season.

*NOTE- If you’re wondering, all matches are played to 4 games, even if the outcome was decided after 3. This is so teams play the same number of games by the end of the season, which determines seeding and placement for end-of-year playoffs

Next Up: MLP Kansas City

As the slogan says, “there’s nothing like” an MLP event. The twists and turns of partnerships unique to MLP make for unexpected outcomes. Crowd energy is high, rivalries are hot, and you really never know what you’re going to get. Whether you root for your hometown team, or just a favorite with beloved players, the excitement is palpable.

If you haven’t had a chance to attend in person, make a plan to come to the next event. KOTC is offering an exclusive discount for tickets using code KOTC for 25% off! Note: This code ALSO works on registration for amateur PPA events.

MLP KC is August 3-5th at Elite Tennis and Wellness

This will be the 4th regular season event, and leads up to the PPA Tour Kansas City Open, which starts August 7th. Teams participating are:

Premier Level Teams
Arizona Drive, Carolina Pickleball Club, Columbus Sliders, Dallas Flash, D.C. Pickleball Team, LA Mad Drops, NY Hustlers, Orlando Squeeze, St. Louis Shock, Texas Ranchers, Utah Black Diamonds 

Challenger Level Teams
Atlanta Bouncers, Bay Area Breakers, California Black Bears, Chicago Slice, SoCal Hard Eights 

Games to Re-Watch

If you’ve missed watching this weekend, or just want to re-live games with thrilling action or intrigue, we recommend the following:

• Mad Drops vs. Flash - Catch the surprise upset of Dallas by LA, who came out exceedingly strong with Blaine Hovenier stepping in for Thomas Wilson.

• 5s vs. Carolina - Because why not? You hardly ever see Ben and Anna Leigh on opposite sides of the net, and even though Ben opted to go up against Zane & Mari instead of his regular mixed partner, it’s still a “fun” watch. Some might say.

• Black Diamonds vs. AZ Drive - You’re gonna wanna watch Tyler & Co. take down Arizona in CG’s debut match

• 5s vs. Ranchers - This thrilling back-and-forth battle was buried on Grandstand, and ended in a Dreambreaker.

• Flash vs. Carolina - Enjoy the sweep between the top seed and the team who couldn’t care less.

• Cali Black Bears vs. Bay Area Breakers - Breakers really broke down with their new team finally united (Allyce, DJ, and Jilly B joining Collin Shick). Watch CBB annihilate the Breakers (match not yet uploaded to YouTube so keep an eye on the channel)

NEXT KOTC Pod the guys will chat about the excitement and drama at MLP SLC, and give a sneak peak at the next MLP/PPA stop in Kansas City.