Jack Sock Returns Home As Major League Pickleball Descends on Kansas City
Major League Pickleball is back in action for the second straight week.
Last week, we saw plenty of action at MLP Salt Lake City and now MLP is taking its talents to Kansas City this weekend.
MLP Kansas City is just three days, but they are packed with action. A total of 15 teams are participating in the 26 matches being played on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
How to Watch MLP Kansas City
- Saturday and Sunday's Championship Court matches will be livestreamed on Pickleball TV, starting with the second match of the day
- All Monday Championship Court matches will air on PBTV
- All Grandstand Court matches and the first Championship Court match of the day on Saturday and Sunday will air on the MLP YouTube channel
All matches listed below will also be streamed on the following platforms:
- Saturday: FS1 - 2-4pm ET - Dallas Flash vs. St. Louis Shock
- Sunday: FS1 - 2-4pm ET - Texas Ranchers vs. Columbus Sliders
- Monday: Tennis Channel - 1-5pm ET - Dallas Flash vs. Columbus Sliders; D.C. Pickleball Team vs. Texas Ranchers
Full Schedule
Weather Forecast
It’s going to be a scorcher this weekend in the Midwest. Player hydration is going to be key. While there is no worry about rain or wind, the heat may cause some problems. Additionally, since it is going to be so hot and humid, play will be visibly slower than it was in Salt Lake City, with the ball playing much softer.
Player Status
There are two player substitutions for MLP Kansas City:
- Martin Emmrich is playing for the Chicago Slice in place of Jack Munro (approved absence)
- Blaine Hovenier is playing for the LA Mad Drops in place of Thomas Wilson (IR)
Players available on-site for substitutions:
● Men: Roscoe Bellamy, Marshall Brown, Greg Dow, AJ Koller, Wyatt Stone
● Women: Hannah Blatt, Michelle Esquivel, Dominique Schaefer
Teams Playing MLP Kansas City
Premier Level: 10 teams playing a total of 16 matches
Challenger Level: Five teams, each playing each other once, for a total of 10 matches
Erik Tice
Premier Level
Utah Black Diamonds
10 Matches Played, 4 Points, 0.4 Points Per Match - 12th Place in PPM
Roster: Callie Jo Smith, Tyler Loong, Connor Garnett, Alix Truong
Opponents at MLP KC: NY Hustlers, LA Mad Drops, St. Louis Shock
- Utah got its first win in SLC, but can the Black Diamonds register some Ws outside of their home state?
- Connor and Tyler looked really good together in SLC but couldn’t get a win, losing three matches by two and a fourth by three. They need to win in KC.
- Truong/Garnett went 4-2 in SLC, but three of those wins didn’t really matter to win the match. Can they do it when it counts?
Prediction: The Black Diamonds beat the Hustlers, lose to LA in a Dreambreaker, and lose to the Shock - 4 points from 3 matches, inching closer to 1 PPM.
Orlando Squeeze
9 Matches Played, 7 Points, 0.78 Point Per Match - 11th Place in PPM
Roster: Federico Staksrud, Parris Todd, Tyson McGuffin, Vivienne David
Opponents at MLP KC: Dallas Flash, LA Mad Drops, NY Hustlers
- Will everyone be healthy? Fed and Tyson had to pull out of Sunday’s SLC due to illness
- It seems Viv David is back – we have no idea why she missed SLC – hopefully her and Parris can get back to their winning ways.
- At less than 1 PPM, Orlando is close to being out of consideration for the playoffs – they need to turn it up ASAP.
Prediction: Upset Alert - Squeeze beat the Flash in a Dreambreaker, beat the LA Mad Drops in a Dreambreaker, and beat the NY Hustlers - 7 points in 3 matches, getting them above 1 PPM.
NY Hustlers
10 Matches Played, 18 Points, 1.8 Point Per Match - 5th Place in PPM
Roster: Jack Sock, Lea Jansen, Jackie Kawamoto, CJ Klinger
Opponents at MLP KC: Utah Black Diamonds, AZ Drive, Orlando Squeeze
- The Hustlers are very hit or miss. They barely got one win in the Mid-Season Tournament but had a ton of success in D.C. They were bad in Atlanta.
- As Jack Sock goes, so go the Hustlers. He has one of the highest ceilings of any player in MLP, but he also misses at least five dinks into the net nearly every match. Which Jack will we get for these three matches?
- Lea and Jackie are a big force in women’s and could very conceivably beat all three women’s teams they face this weekend.
Predictions: The Hustlers had a great MLP D.C., but I feel like they are going to drop back down to Earth in Kansas City. They lose to the Black Diamonds, lose in a Dreambreaker to the Drive and lose to the Squeeze. 1 point in 3 matches will bring them back below 1.5 PPM.
AZ Drive
10 Matches Played, 10 Points, 1 Point Per Match - T-9th Place in PPM
Roster: Andrei Daescu, Dylan Frazier, Lacy Schneemann, Kaitlyn Christian
Opponents at MLP KC: Ranchers, Hustlers, D.C. Pickleball Team
- The Drive are underperforming significantly and need to start stacking wins on wins. I just don't see it happening.
- Andrei and Dylan should be winning at a high rate, but instead they have won just 3 of 10 men’s doubles matches and need to win all three matches in KC.
- The AZ women are going to face three very tough teams in women’s doubles – I don’t expect them to get one win in KC.
Predictions: This is a tough three-match stretch for AZ. Lose to the Ranchers in a Dreambreaker, beat the Hustlers in a Dreambreaker, and lose to the D.C. Pickleball Team. 3 points in 3 matches, keeping them at 1 PPM.
Columbus Sliders
10 Matches Played, 10 Points, 1 Point Per Match - T-9th Place in PPM
Roster: Riley Newman, Meghan Dizon, Jay Devilliers, Andrea Koop
Opponents for MLP KC: St. Louis Shock, Texas Ranchers, Dallas Flash
- The Sliders can’t get off 1 PPM, but they need to if they want to be playing for something later this year
- Can Brooke and Riley find some success together?
- Jay and Meghan look to be a good second mixed team; look for this to continue.
Prediction: This has to be the toughest three-match stretch Columbus will face all year – the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place teams in the PPM standings. Unfortunately, I don’t see the Sliders winning a point in Kansas City – 0 points in three matches, moving them to 11th place.
LA Mad Drops
14 Matches Played, 9 Points, 1.56 Points Per Match - 7th Place in PPM
Roster: Catherine Parenteau, Hunter Johnson, Jade Kawamoto, Blaine Hovenier (subbing for Thomas Wilson)
Opponents in MLP KC: Utah Black Diamonds, St. Louis Shock, Orlando Squeeze
- The Hovenier show continues! He is still filling in for Thomas and he brings the energy.
- I am very concerned about Thomas and really hoping he is healthy.
- Hunter and Jade need to do better than they did in SLC – they are a very good second mixed team but fell off a little bit. That can’t happen in KC.
Prediction: Win a Dreambreaker against Utah, lose to St. Louis, and lose to Orlando in a Dreambreaker. Three points in three matches will keep the Mad Drops in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Texas Ranchers
15 Matches Played, 29 Points, 1.93 Points Per Match - 3rd Place in PPM
Roster: Christian Alshon, Etta Wright, Tina Pisnik, Quang Duong
Opponents in MLP KC: AZ Drive, Columbus Sliders, D.C. Pickleball Team
- The Ranchers OWNED MLP SLC.
- Quang Duong is turning out to be the real deal in both men’s and mixed.
- Tina Pisnik is easily the steal of the Premier Level draft, going 30th – she is easily a top 10 female in doubles.
- The Ranchers are going to make the playoffs and this event is going to help them get there.
Predictions: The Ranchers beat AZ in a Dreambreaker, beat the Sliders, and beat D.C. in a Dreambreaker - five points in three matches.
Dallas Flash
14 Matches Played, 31 Points, 2.21 Points Per Match - 1st in PPM
Roster: JW Johnson, Jorja Johnson, Hurricane Tyra Black, Augie Ge
Opponents in MLP KC: D.C. Pickleball Team, St. Louis Shock, Orlando Squeeze, Columbus Sliders
- The Flash are first in the standings, but I think they hit a rough patch in KC.
- They tend to start slow, so I think they get beat by DC and might struggle to recover.
- The mixed team of Augie and Tyra really need to start getting some more wins.
Predictions: Dallas takes a loss against D.C. and St. Louis, lose to the Squeeze in a Dreambreaker, and beat the Sliders - four points in four matches, keeping them just above 2 PPM.
D.C. Pickleball Team
9 Matches Played, 15 Points, 1.67 Points Per Match - 6th in PPM
Roster: James Ignatowich, Rachel Rohrabacher, Dekel Bar, Vivian Glozman
Opponents for MLP KC: Dallas Flash, AZ Drive, Texas Ranchers
- D.C. didn’t get to play in Utah, so it’s been a while since they played together in the MLP Mid-Season tournament.
- D.C. is one of my favorites to win the whole thing with the addition of Viv Glozman. The team needs to start getting wins in order to set themselves up for a high seed.
- I expect Rachel and Vivian to win all three matches in KC, even though Dallas and Texas have the second- and third-best women’s teams thus far.
Prediction: D.C. beats the Flash, the Drive in a Dreambreaker, and lose to the Ranchers in a Dreambreaker. Six points in three matches will get them closer to 2 PPM.
St. Louis Shock
14 Matches Played, 28 Points, 2 Points Per Match - 2nd in PPM
Roster: Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin, Gabe Tardio, Kate Fahey
Opponents in MLP KC: Dallas Flash, Columbus Sliders, LA Mad Drops, Utah Black Diamonds
- The Shock underperformed in SLC, only earning 11 points in six matches - they want to get back on track.
- Is it worth it to try Hayden and Kate and Anna and Gabe as a 1a and 1b team rather than 1 and 2 team?
- I wouldn’t be surprised if the men’s team wins all four matches this weekend.
Predictions: The Shock beat the Flash, Sliders, Mad Drops, and Black Diamonds - earning a full 12 points from the four matches – putting them back in first place.
Challenger Level
I like this kind of "round robin" theme the MLP has going with Challenger Level in this event and the last one. You get a more well-rounded picture of how each team played at a particular event this way.
Chicago Slice
3 Matches Played, 2 Points, 0.67 Points Per Match - 10th Place in PPM
Roster: Martin Emmrich (for Jack Munro), Megan Fudge, Brendon Long, Allison Harris
- Emmrich is super consistent, but I don’t think he is dynamic enough to really set them off on a winning streak.
- The Slice were bad in the Mid-Season Tournament, can they bounce back?
- The Slice will go from three to seven matches played thus far this year, by far the least – they have a chance to make up some ground for sure.
Predictions: The Slice lose to the Black Bears in a Dreambreaker, and then lose all three of their other events. After seven total matches and three points, Chicago has a steep mountain to climb to make the playoffs.
California Black Bears
10 Matches Played, 7 Points, 0.7 Points Per Match - 9th in PPM
Roster: Rafa Hewett, Susannah Barr, Brandon French, Amanda Hendry
- California didn’t fare well in Utah, but it was the first time together.
- If they are looking for any chance of making the playoffs or getting promoted, this team needs to start winning some matches.
- I can’t imagine Brandon French is on this team after the next Waiver Wire period – I wonder who else is on/off the team.
Predictions: The Black Bears beat the Slice in a Dreambreaker, but lose to the other three teams, only earning two points. Two points from the Bears, who will be active in the Waiver Wire period.
SoCal Hard Eights
9 Matches Played, 15 Points, 1.67 Points Per Match - T-5th in PPM
Roster: Irina Tereschenko, Erik Lange, Yana Newell, Max Manthou
- The Hard Eights are on a roll from SLC and Mid-Season Tournament.
- Yana Newell really adds value in terms of all three disciplines - singles, women’s and mixed.
- "Purple Jesus" continues to raise his capital in MLP. Should he be in Premier?
Predictions: The Hard Eights beat California and Chicago, beat Bay Area in a Dreambreaker, and lose to Atlanta in a Dreambreaker. Nine points from four matches will firmly put them in playoff contention.
Bay Area Breakers
9 Matches Played, 15 Points, 1.67 Points Per Match - T-5th in PPM
Roster: Allyce Jones, Collin Shick, DJ Young, Jill Braverman
- I think this is either going to be a very good event or very bad for the Breakers. I am leaning toward good.
- Their three alleged "Premier-level" players didn’t do well in SLC – can they turn it around?
- If the Breakers do what I am predicting, they will continue to be in playoff contention.
Predictions: The Breakers beat California, and Chicago, lose to the Hard Eights and the Bouncers in a Dreambreaker. Eight points in four matches keeps them in that playoff/promotion hunt.
Atlanta Bouncers
8 Matches Played, 15 Points, 1.88 Points Per Match - T-1st in PPM
Roster: Jaume Martinez, Genie Erohkina, Todd Fought, Angie Walker
- The Bouncers are one of the most well-rounded teams in Challenger Level.
- Todd Fought has the best stats in Challenger; can he continue to make a name for himself?
- If Jaume continues to win, when will someone offer $200k for him to join their Premier Level team?
Predictions: The Bouncers are going to come away from this event not tied for first – they will be in the sole lead after Kansas City. They're going to beat California, Chicago, and beat both Bay Area and SoCal in a Dreambreaker – earning them 10 points in four matches.
