FAU Captures DUPR Super Regional in Florida

Florida Atlantic University brought the heat and secured first place without dropping a match in DUPR’s first super regional tournament of the semester.

Held at The Pickleball Club in Port St.Lucie, Florida, this event was the first of five super regionals that DUPR will host before the Collegiate Nationals in Dallas this November.

Schools that hadn’t already qualified for nationals were fighting for one of four bids. Kennesaw State, Florida State, and the University of Miami, in addition to FAU, secured bids for their schools to be represented in Dallas.

Saturday featured group play with 21 teams from 11 schools competing for top seeds in the elimination bracket. After five teams were eliminated, the remaining squads faced off in a round-of-16 matchup for the finale on Saturday.

Collegiate pickleball follows a thrilling format inspired by MLP. You can read more about it here.

Multiple schools, including the University of Florida, brought several teams, with Gator Nation having the largest presence, fielding four teams. Schools are allowed to enter unlimited teams to super regional events, helping to grow collegiate pickleball participation.

Sunday kicked off early, with quarterfinal matches starting at 8 a.m., as top seeds UF and FAU were on a collision course. Both teams cruised through elimination rounds, setting the stage for a thrilling final.

FAU once again dominated, defeating UF 3-0 and taking home the $2500 top prize. The Owls' top female pairing of Bella Nelson & Ava Cavataio took care of business without dropping a single game all tournament.

With the Port St.Lucie and Virginia Beach regionals now finished, DUPR’s attention will shift to the Midwest, where it will host schools in Las Vegas at Green Valley LifeTime on Oct. 5-6.

The race to nationals in Dallas is heating up.