The whole staff from The Kitchen was on-site this weekend in Austin for the third event of the 2025 Major League Pickleball season.

We saw some epic matches, cheered on our Challenger Level team -- the Nashville Chefs -- and caught up with several players who were in town for the event.

A few of them even took some time to record upcoming PICKLEBALLER Podcast episodes (stay tuned in the coming weeks to find out who hopped on the mic with us).

5 takeaways from MLP Austin

1. The Dallas Flash continue to impress

This week was a big test for the Flash, as there were several other top teams at MLP Austin. They passed with flying colors, going 4-0 on the weekend and remaining undefeated on the season (8-0). They were pushed to Dreambreakers by the Texas Ranchers (more on them later) and the New Jersey 5s, but they won both of them. That shows that even when they don't win in regulation -- which is often -- they still have one of the best Dreambreaker lineups in the league.

Circle these dates on your calendar: July 9-13 (Mid-season tournament) and July 17-20 (MLP St. Louis). That's when Dallas will likely play the St. Louis Shock in what will be highly anticipated matchups. The Shock are also undefeated on the year and have looked like the clear next best team, if not No. 1.

2. Orlando and Miami are who we thought they were

Heading into the week both the Orlando Squeeze and Miami Pickleball Club had exceeded expectations by moving into the top half of the league standings. But their schedules in the first two events of the season were suspect, with the majority of their wins coming against bottom-tier teams. This week they had to play three of the best teams in all of MLP -- the Dallas Flash, New Jersey 5s and Texas Ranchers -- and they lost each of their matches against those teams.

They played each other on Monday, with the Squeeze winning in regulation. Orlando has all but secured a spot in the playoffs at this point -- they lead the league points standings with 28 points and have played 15 of their 25 matches already. Miami will likely be in a much closer race for a playoff spot, but I'd have them favored to get in at this point. They're good, just not good enough to beat a top 5 team.

3. Las Vegas takes early lead in Challenger Level (but don't sleep on the Chefs)

The Las Vegas Night Owls were a perfect 5-0 this weekend, as all six Challenger Level teams were making their debut and they all played each other once. Aside from Vegas, the standings are a bit jumbled. The next four teams -- Bay Area Breakers, Nashville Chefs, California Black Bears and D.C. Pickleball Team -- took turns beating each other, while the Florida Smash went 1-4.

But only two of those teams -- the Nashville Chefs, the team operated by The Kitchen staff, and the D.C. Pickleball Team -- were able to take Vegas to a Dreambreaker (both lost). All six Challenger Level teams will make the playoffs, so the regular season is all about getting in position for a good seed.

4. The Ranchers created an excellent in-person atmosphere

Credit to the Texas Ranchers ownership group, MLP staff and the staff at the Austin Pickle Ranch -- the event was well run and crowds on championship court packed the stands and brought the energy all weekend.

Saturday night's match between the Dallas Flash and Texas Ranchers was one of the most electric matches in MLP history. Dallas ultimately came out on top 22-20 in a Dreambreaker, but the Ranchers had a clear home-court advantage and the crowd was into the match from the start. I'm counting it as a win for the home team regardless, as it showed what's possible when MLP teams invest time and money in building a local pickleball community around their franchise. I saw a ton of fans walking around the grounds in Ranchers gear, and they were fired up whenever their team took the court.

An underrated part of the Ranchers' fan engagement effort is Michael Loyd, who is one of the team's bench players. Loyd seems to have embraced the role of hyping up the crowd during breaks and encouraging his teammates/offering suggestions between points. I'm sure he would like to be playing on the court, but he's making the most of his situation and giving his team an edge in the process. Being a good teammate is a valuable skill in pickleball and in life, and he definitely has that skill. Not all players can say that.

5. Conditions were tough all weekend in Austin

Temperatures climbed into the 90s each day during this weekend's event. Combined with occasionally gusty winds, the conditions presented a big challenge for the players. Many questioned why the event wasn't moved indoors (Austin Pickle Ranch is an indoor facility, but they built two outdoor courts specifically for this weekend's event), but the answer to that is simple in my opinion: They wouldn't have been able to accommodate the same number of in-person spectators if the event was indoors, and the in-person atmosphere is what made the event great (at least on Championship Court).

And while I'm generally a proponent of indoor pickleball, I thought the conditions made it interesting to see which players could handle the heat (literally) and which players couldn't. The weather dictated play by softening the ball significantly, forcing players to make adjustments to their game. In a sport where the court dimensions and surface are always the same, varying weather conditions and a mix of indoor and outdoor events presents an interesting wrinkle from week to week.

Major League Pickleball Premier Level updated standings

Major League Pickleball Power Rankings - Week 3

#1: Dallas Flash ↔️

Starters: Jorja Johnson, Tyra Black, JW Johnson, Augie Ge

Bench players: Ivan Jakovljevic, Tatiana Ruhl

Previous ranking: #1

Record: 8-0
Dreambreaker record: 2-0

The defending champs solidified their No. 1 ranking this week. I thought New Jersey might have a chance to beat them, and while that match was 2-2 after doubles, the Flash smoked them in a Dreambreaker. Seemingly the only unknown at this point is whether St. Louis could beat them. We'll have to wait until July to find out.

#2: St. Louis Shock ↔️

Starters: Anna Bright, Kate Fahey, Hayden Patriquin, Gabe Tardio

Bench players: Felicity Di Laura, Erik Lange

Previous ranking: #2

Record: 8-0
Dreambreaker record: 1-0

St. Louis had the week off and I see no reason to move them from the No. 2 spot.

#3: New Jersey 5s ↔️

Starters: Anna Leigh Waters, Meghan Dizon, Will Howells, Zane Navratil

Bench players: Christa Gecheva, Craig Johnson

Previous ranking: #3

Record: 8-2
Dreambreaker record: 2-1

I think the 5s will walk away from Austin happy and disappointed at the same time. They went 3-1, but the one loss against Dallas was a golden opportunity missed. This is a team that is supposed to be strong in Dreambreakers, but they laid an egg against the Flash in the extra frame. They dismantled the Ranchers in regulation on Monday, though, so their top 3 ranking isn't in jeopardy at this time.

#4: Texas Ranchers ↔️

Starters: Tina Pisnik, Etta Tuionetoa, Christian Alshon, Eric Oncins

Bench players: Michael Loyd, Helena Jansen

Previous ranking: #4

Record: 5-3
Dreambreaker record: 0-1

Texas was 2-2 at MLP Austin, with a Dreambreaker loss to Dallas and a regulation loss to New Jersey. They took care of business against Orlando and Miami, though, so I feel comfortable keeping them at No. 4. As much credit as I give the fanbase for bringing the energy this weekend, I do think it is slightly damning that the team still couldn't get over the hump against the better opponents even with a clear home-court advantage. It'll be even harder to get wins against the top teams when they don't have the crowd behind them.

#5: Brooklyn Pickleball Team ↔️

Starters: Rachel Rohrabacher, Jackie Kawamoto, Dekel Bar, Riley Newman

Bench players: Hannah Blatt, Pat Smith

Previous ranking: #5

Record: 2-3
Dreambreaker record: 0-2

The overall record doesn't look great, but two of their losses came in Dreambreakers to New Jersey and St. Louis -- can't fault them much for that. The other loss was against Texas, so they've had a very tough schedule to this point. They didn't play in Columbus or Austin.

#6: Orlando Squeeze ↔️

Starters: Lacy Schneemann, Samantha Parker, Dylan Frazier, Federico Staksrud

Bench players: Tom Evans, Alli Phillips

Previous ranking: #6

Record: 10-5
Dreambreaker record: 2-0

Orlando had been the breakout team in MLP heading into this weekend, but had a bit of a reality check with regulation losses to Dallas, New Jersey and Texas. I think it's clear that they are a step below the top 4 teams, but are still capable of beating everybody else. I'm keeping them ahead of Columbus because they have a head-to-head regulation win vs. the Sliders. 

#7: Columbus Sliders ↔️

Starters: Lea Jansen, Parris Todd, Andrei Daescu, CJ Klinger

Bench players: Ross Whittaker, Marcela Hones

Previous ranking: #7

Record: 7-4
Dreambreaker record: 1-0

Columbus has been the most disappointing team for me so far this season. I thought they would be able to push for a spot in the top 3, but it just isn't clicking. They obviously were hurt by not having CJ Klinger for their home event in Columbus, but Bellamy is a plenty capable bench player. They now have regulation losses to New Jersey, Dallas, St. Louis and Orlando this season. I'll need to see them be more competitive against those top teams before I consider moving them back up.

#8: Los Angeles Mad Drops ↔️

Starters: Jade Kawamoto, Catherine Parenteau, Hunter Johnson, Quang Duong

Bench players: Wes Burrows, Angie Walker, Thomas Wilson (IR)

Previous ranking: #8

Record: 1-2
Dreambreaker record: 0-1

They didn't play in Columbus or Austin, so they hold steady at No. 8. We still haven't seen them with their ideal starting lineup yet, as Johnson was injured in Week 1, so this team is a bit of a wild card at this point.

#9: Miami Pickleball Club ↔️

Starters: Milan Rane, Mya Bui, Jay Devilliers, Noe Khlif

Bench players: Yuta Funemizu, Ava Ignatowich

Previous ranking: #9

Record: 6-9
Dreambreaker record: 3-1

They got exposed this weekend, with regulation losses to each of the four other teams in attendance in Austin. But all of those teams are ahead of them in these here rankings, so I can't justify moving them down at all.

#10: Chicago Slice ↔️

Likely starters: Vivienne David, Callie Smith, James Ignatowich, Max Freeman

Bench players: Pierina Imparato, Carlos Di Laura

Previous ranking: #10

Record: 2-6
Dreambreaker record: 1-3

This team will need to figure out their Dreambreaker troubles to have a chance at a playoff berth. They didn't play in Austin.

11: Phoenix Flames ↔️

Starters: Jessie Irvine, Genie Bouchard, Jack Sock, Tyson McGuffin

Bench players: Alex Walker, Pesa Teoni

Previous ranking: #11

Record: 2-6
Dreambreaker record: 2-3

If I would have told you before the season that Phoenix was going to play in five Dreambreakers in the first two weeks of the season, you'd think they would have more than two wins at this point. This team is built for Dreambreaker success, but just hasn't had it so far. If they can turn that trend around, they will be in good shape to make the playoffs. I think they will, but I can't put them higher than No. 11 as things stand right now.

#12: Atlanta Bouncers ↔️

Starters: Vivian Glozman, Victoria Di Muzio, Todd Fought, Jaume Martinez Vich

Bench players: Sam Querrey, Rachel Rettger

Previous ranking: #12

Record: 3-6
Dreambreaker record: 1-0

They've shown flashes at times, including a win over Miami in Columbus, but their overall body of work is looking pretty bottom 5-ish. Their other two wins are against New York and Carolina, who we haven't named yet.

#13: Utah Black Diamonds ↔️

Starters: Allyce Jones, Mehvish Safdar, Tyler Loong, Connor Garnett

Bench players: Genie Erokhina, Yates Johnson

Previous ranking: #13

Record: 0-3
Dreambreaker record: 0-1

They had the week off.

#14: New York Hustlers ↔️

Starters: Lingwei Kong, Dominique Schaefer, Zane Ford, Donald Young

Bench players: Helena Spiridis, Stephen Madonia

Previous ranking: #14

Record: 2-5
Dreambreaker record: 1-0

They had the week off.

#15: SoCal Hard Eights ↔️

Starters: Judit Castillo, Irina Tereschenko, Roscoe Bellamy, Ryan Fu

Bench players: Blaine Hovenier, Lauren Hidalgo-Smith

Previous ranking: #15

Record: 0-2
Dreambreaker record: 0-1

They had the week off, but they have picked up Roscoe Bellamy since our last power rankings. I'll need to see it in action before I make any decisions about where to put them.

#16: Carolina Hogs ↔️

Starters: Kaitlyn Christian, Tamaryn Emmrich, Ben Johns, Collin Johns

Bench players: Liz Truluck, Brandon French

Previous ranking: #16

Record: 0-8
Dreambreaker record: 0-2

Do I truly think that this team (when everybody plays) is worse than SoCal or New York? No, probably not. But do I think they deserve to be last in my rankings after what we witnessed in Columbus? Absolutely. They didn't play this week, so they didn't get a chance to prove they're better than their record says.