For the second weekend in a row, Major League Pickleball showcased several electric matches in front of some of the biggest (and most energetic) crowds the sport has ever seen.

This week it was the Dallas Flash serving as the host team at the Pickler Universe facility in Carrollton, Texas.

As the second-to-last event of the regular season, there were playoff implications on the line in several matches. In the end, the St. Louis Shock put together another undefeated week (6-0) to secure the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs.

The Flash were 5-1 in their home event, but the lone loss was to the new-look LA Mad Drops in a Dreambreaker, raising questions about where those two teams fit heading into the playoffs. It was the third loss of the season for Dallas (all coming in the past two weeks), after starting the year 19-0 (including Mid-Season Tournament matches).

The New Jersey 5s also went 5-1, with their lone loss coming to St. Louis in a Dreambreaker. It was the first event for the 5s since they traded for Noe Khlif and inserted him into the starting lineup over Zane Navratil, and the early returns were pretty good.

The weekend's results separated teams into 4 groups heading into the last week of the regular season. * = season completed

Seeding secured

St. Louis*: Guaranteed the No. 1 seed
Dallas*: Guaranteed the No. 2 seed

Clinched a playoff spot, seeding still unknown

New Jersey 5s (17-4, 51 points, 2.43 points per match)
Brooklyn Pickleball Team* (18-7, 56 points, 2.24 PPM)
Columbus Sliders* (18-7, 52 points, 2.08 PPM)
LA Mad Drops* (18-7, 49 points, 1.96 PPM)
Texas Ranchers (11-9, 36 points, 1.80 PPM)
Orlando Squeeze (12-8, 34 points, 1.70 PPM)

4 teams for 2 spots

Utah Black Diamonds (8-12, 23 points, 1.15 PPM)
Miami Pickleball Club (7-13, 19 points, 0.95 PPM)
Chicago Slice (5-15, 18 points, 0.90 PPM)
Atlanta Bouncers (4-16, 14 points, 0.70 PPM)

Mathematically eliminated

Phoenix Flames* (6-19, 19 points, 0.76 PPM)
Carolina Hogs* (5-20, 17 points, 0.68 PPM)
SoCal Hard 8s* (4-21, 16 points, 0.64 PPM)
NY Hustlers* (4 - 21, 10 points, 0.40 PPM)

Since Phoenix, Carolina, SoCal and New York are officially eliminated from playoff contention, we won't bother ranking them this week.

Major League Pickleball Week 9 Power Rankings

#1: St. Louis Shock ⬆️

Starters: Anna Bright, Kate Fahey, Hayden Patriquin, Gabe Tardio
Bench players: Judit Castillo, Erik Lange

Previous ranking: #2
Regular-season record: 24-1
Dreambreaker record: 3-1
Mid-Season Tournament: 2nd

Best result: Win vs. Dallas in regulation
Worst result: Loss vs. LA in a Dreambreaker

They leave me no choice but to move them to No. 1 after I have had them at No. 2 behind Dallas all season. The loss to the Flash in the Mid-Season Tournament final seems to have lit a fire under this team, as they are 11-0 since with 9 of those wins coming in regulation.

They also beat four of the other main contenders in that closing stretch -- Dallas, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and New Jersey.

The men's doubles duo of Hayden Patriquin and Gabe Tardio were 24-1 in regular-season matches, easily making them the best men's duo in the league. They also were 3-1 in the Mid-Season Tournament.

But the biggest improvement from last year (when they finished third) to this year was the mixed pairing of Tardio and Kate Fahey. In 2024, that duo was 6-22 and a clear weakness for the Shock. This season they were 21-6 and a legit strength of the team.

Next event: Playoffs

#2: Los Angeles Mad Drops ⬆️

Starters: Jade Kawamoto, Catherine Parenteau, Hunter Johnson, Ben Johns
Bench players: Wes Burrows, Mehvish Safdar, Thomas Wilson (IR)

Previous ranking: #3
Regular-season record: 18-7
Dreambreaker record: 7-2
Mid-Season Tournament: T9

Best result: Win vs. St. Louis in a Dreambreaker
Worst result: Loss vs. Orlando in regulation

It was an interesting week for the Mad Drops. On Friday, they were beaten 4-0 by St. Louis, but that doesn't tell the whole story. The women's doubles game between Catherine Parenteau/Jade Kawamoto and Anna Bright/Kate Fahey will go down as one of the best games in league history. Bright and Fahey ultimately came away with a 16-14 win, but I think all four players would tell you it could have gone either way. Both teams had multiple game points.

If that women's doubles game goes in favor of LA, I think it changes the whole complexion of the match and likely goes to a Dreambreaker, where LA would have been favored. That was also the first real test for the Mad Drops since trading for Ben Johns, and I think you could see Johns becoming more comfortable playing with Parenteau in mixed and Hunter Johnson in men's doubles throughout the weekend (and them becoming more comfortable with him).

Johns finished the weekend 10-4 and was the best men's performer in the field this week, according to Real Clear Stats.

In their last match of the weekend, the Mad Drops took down Dallas in a Dreambreaker in a true road environment. I think that version of LA is closer to what they will be going forward than what we saw two days earlier against St. Louis when everybody was just getting used to each other.

Next event: Playoffs 

#3: Dallas Flash ⬇️

Starters: Jorja Johnson, Tyra Black, JW Johnson, Augie Ge
Bench players: Roscoe Bellamy, Samantha Parker

Previous ranking: #1
Regular-season record: 22-3
Dreambreaker record: 3-2
Mid-Season Tournament: 1st

Best result: Win vs. St. Louis in regulation
Worst result: Loss vs. Columbus in a Dreambreaker

It's been a shaky couple of weeks for a team that was widely regarded as the best team in the league less than a month ago. The defending champs have been beaten three times in the past 10 days after going the first three months of the season without a single loss.

That's not exactly how you want to be going into the playoffs, especially since all three of those losses are against teams -- St. Louis, Los Angeles and Columbus -- who the Flash could easily end up playing in San Diego or New York next month.

The biggest drop off down the stretch has been in men's doubles, as JW Johnson and Augie Ge were 5-6 in the final 11 matches of the regular season. And overall that line has gone backwards since last season. Ge and Johnson were 25-10 (71%) in 2024 including playoff matches, while this season they are 16-13 (55%).

I'm certainly not counting Dallas out heading into the playoffs, but I can't justify having them ahead of St. Louis or LA after recent losses to both of those teams.

Next event: Playoffs.

#4: New Jersey 5s ↔️

Starters: Anna Leigh Waters, Meghan Dizon, Will Howells, Noe Khlif
Bench players: Mari Humberg, Zane Navratil

Previous ranking: #4
Regular-season record: 17-4
Dreambreaker record: 3-3
Mid-Season Tournament: 3rd

Best result: Win vs. LA in a Dreambreaker
Worst result: Loss vs. Utah in a Dreambreaker

Early results say the Khlif trade is working out, as he was 9-5 on the week and 5-1 in mixed doubles with Meghan Dizon, which is really the line New Jersey was looking to improve by starting him ahead of Zane Navratil.

Anna Leigh Waters was also dominant all weekend, going 6-0 in women's doubles and 5-1 in mixed with Will Howells, including an impressive 11-4 win over LA's Ben Johns and Catherine Parenteau on Saturday.

The 5s beat the Mad Drops in a Dreambreaker in that match, but I don't think they can count on winning against LA in that scenario a majority of the time. Khlif played very well to earn a 6-6 split with Johns in singles, and Waters completely destroyed Parenteau 9-1. I would expect both of those matchups to be more in favor of LA long term.

The good news for the 5s is Dizon played well in that Dreambreaker to earn a 4-4 split with Jade Kawamoto, who can be a very tricky player to play singles against.

Singles performance seemed to be the motivation for the 5s making a trade to get back Mari Humberg, who was the team's No. 2 women's player during last season's runner-up finish to the Dallas Flash. Many (including me) thought Humberg would start over Dizon in matches where it looked like the 5s might need to win a Dreambreaker, but Dizon is clearly the better doubles player. So the fact that she is playing good (or at least good enough) in singles right now is a big plus for them.

Next event: MLP Salt Lake City starting Thursday

#5: Columbus Sliders ↔️

Starters: Lea Jansen, Parris Todd, Andrei Daescu, CJ Klinger
Bench players: Ross Whittaker, Marcela Hones

Previous ranking: #5
Regular-season record: 18-7 (regular season complete)
Dreambreaker record: 3-1
Mid-Season Tournament: 5th/6th

Best result: Win vs. Dallas in a Dreambreaker
Worst result: Loss vs. Orlando in regulation

Columbus showed they have a high ceiling with a win over Dallas at MLP St. Louis, but they have been inconsistent throughout the season.

The women's pairing of Parris Todd and Lea Jansen finished the regular season strong after some early struggles, going 13-5 over the last 4 events including the Mid-Season Tournament.

But the men's team of Andrei Daescu and CJ Klinger has underperformed throughout the season, going 16-8 (66.67%) together. Columbus is one of three teams in the league with two men's players who are ranked in the top 10 in men's doubles this season on the PPA Tour -- Daescu is ranked No. 2 and Klinger is No. 7. The others are Gabe Tardio (No. 3) and Hayden Patriquin (No. 6) for St. Louis and Federico Staksrud (No. 5) and Dylan Frazier (No. 10) for Orlando. Tardio/Patriquin are 27-2 (93.1%), while Staksrud/Frazier are 18-6 (75%), both better than Columbus' men's team.

It doesn't make much sense, as Daescu and Klinger won a gold medal together on the PPA Tour back in December. And if you had asked most fans and pundits before the season what Daescu and Klinger's winning percentage would be, I think everyone would have said a number much higher than 66%.

But if they can get it together for the playoffs, they will be dangerous against anybody.

Next event: Playoffs

#6: Brooklyn Pickleball Team ↔️

Starters: Rachel Rohrabacher, Jackie Kawamoto, Dekel Bar, Riley Newman
Bench players: Hannah Blatt, Pat Smith

Previous ranking: #6
Regular-season record: 18-7 (regular season complete)
Dreambreaker record: 1-3
Mid-Season Tournament: 5th/6th

Best result: Win vs. LA in regulation (x2)
Worst result: Loss vs. Utah in a Dreambreaker

Brooklyn hasn't played with all four starters since June 1, as all three of their men's players have been out at various points with injuries or illnesses in the weeks since. But they have kept the train on the tracks in spite of the absences, much thanks to the great play of Rachel Rohrabacher and Jackie Kawamoto over the second half of the season. In the 20 matches since the injury to Newman at MLP Phoenix, Rohrabacher and Kawamoto were 17-3, and they are 22-8 overall on the year.

On the men's side, AJ Koller has filled in as Brooklyn's main sub with Dekel Bar missing the past several events. Koller has played as well as you could hope for as a sub, going 8-7 with Newman in men's and 13-5 with Rohrabacher in mixed. Bar was 5-5 with Newman and 9-2 with Rohrabacher in mixed before he was sidelined -- so the mixed line is where Bar really makes a difference.

Overall, Brooklyn was 6-4 when they had all 4 starters early in the season, and 12-3 in regular season matches when they were playing with bench players or subs. That stat is a little misleading, however, because their 4 losses early in the season were to Dallas, St. Louis, New Jersey and Texas -- so their schedule was tough in the first 10 matches.

I think they are very similar to Columbus heading into the playoffs. All signs point to Bar making a return for the first round of the playoffs in San Diego in a couple weeks, but it's hard to know what level he'll be playing at after so much time off. I'll be interested to see if he plays the PPA Tour Bristol Open as a tune-up.

Next event: Playoffs

#7: Texas Ranchers ⬇️

Starters: Tina Pisnik, Kaitlyn Christian, Christian Alshon, Eric Oncins
Bench players: Wyatt Stone, Felicity Di Laura

Previous ranking: #7
Regular-season record: 11-9
Dreambreaker record: 0-3
Mid-Season Tournament: 4th

Best result: Win vs. Brooklyn in regulation
Worst result: Loss vs. Carolina in a Dreambreaker

This team seems to be slipping. They were 3-3 in Dallas, with their only wins coming against Carolina, Phoenix and SoCal, all teams who are eliminated from playoff contention.

They lost 4-0 to LA, 4-0 to New Jersey and 3-1 to the Flash. That's probably not what they were looking for when they swapped Etta Tuionetoa for Kaitlyn Christian. 

Next event: MLP Salt Lake City starting Thursday

#8: Orlando Squeeze ↔️

Starters: Lacy Schneemann, Milan Rane, Dylan Frazier, Federico Staksrud
Bench players: Grayson Goldin, Alli Phillips, Tom Evans (on restricted list)

Previous ranking: #8
Regular-season record: 12-8
Dreambreaker record: 2-0
MId-Season Tournament: 7th/8th

Best result: Win vs. LA in regulation
Worst result: Loss vs. Columbus in regulation

I'm in wait-and-see mode with this team after they made a trade for Milan Rane. I'm not sure that's a big enough upgrade to make this team a serious threat in the playoffs, as Rane was 9-15 with Mya Bui in women's doubles and 12-12 with Noe Khlif in mixed. Her new partners are better than her old partners, though.

The women's doubles pair of Lacy Schneemann and Parker was 9-15, as was the mixed doubles pair of Dylan Frazier and Parker.

Next event: MLP Salt Lake City starting Thursday

#9: Utah Black Diamonds ↔️

Starters: Allyce Jones, Etta Tuionetoa, Tyler Loong, Connor Garnett
Bench players: Chloe Igleski, Yates Johnson

Previous ranking: #9
Regular-season record: 8-12
Dreambreaker record: 3-2
Mid-Season Tournament: T12

Best result: Win vs. New Jersey in a Dreambreaker
Worst result: Loss vs. SoCal in regulation

The Black Diamonds are looking frisky after getting Etta Tuionetoa in the Ben Johns trade. That move should secure their spot in the playoffs and I think it makes them a dangerous team.

Jones and Tuionetoa have made several deep runs in PPA Tour events over the years, and I expect them to be a top-tier women's team in the league going forward.

Jones is currently ranked No. 8 in women's doubles on the PPA Tour in 2025, while Tuionetoa is No. 10. The only other team with two women's players in the top 10 of the women's doubles points standings is the Dallas Flash, with Tyra Black at No. 5 and Jorja Johnson at No. 7.

Next event: MLP Salt Lake City starting Thursday

#10: Chicago Slice ↔️

Starters: Vivian Glozman, Callie Smith, James Ignatowich, Max Freeman
Bench players: Pierina Imparato, Carlos Di Laura

Previous ranking: #10
Regular-season record: 5-15
Dreambreaker record: 3-6
Mid-Season Tournament: 

Best result: Win vs. Utah in a Dreambreaker
Worst result: Loss vs. SoCal in a Dreambreaker

Going to 9 Dreambreakers in 20 matches and only winning three of them is a tough way to live. I do think it's a good sign that they can get to a lot of Dreambreakers, though, because they are guaranteeing themselves points in those scenarios. They have even forced Dreambreakers against St. Louis and Dallas, but lost both of them.

I give them the slight edge over Miami in the race for the last playoff spot going forward because of what I'm about to say about Miami.

Next event: MLP Salt Lake City starting Thursday

#11: Miami Pickleball Club ↔️

Starters: Tamaryn Emmrich, Mya Bui, Jay Devilliers, Yuta Funemizu
Bench players: Juan Benitez, Tatiana Ruhl

Previous ranking: #11
Regular-season record: 7-13
Dreambreaker record: 3-1
Mid-Season Tournament: 7th/8th

Best result: Win vs. Utah in a Dreambreaker
Worst result: Loss vs. Carolina in Regulation

Somewhat surprisingly, they were sellers at the trade deadline, sending Noe Khlif to New Jersey and Milan Rane to Orlando. That seems to be an admission that they weren't in a position to make a serious run even if they did make the playoffs, and now it will be a tough road to even get there. They have a head-to-head match against Chicago at MLP Salt Lake City that could be the decider.

Next event: MLP Salt Lake City starting Thursday

#12: Atlanta Bouncers ⬆️

Starters: Vivienne David, Victoria Di Muzio, Todd Fought, Jaume Martinez Vich
Bench players: Eric Roddy, Rachel Rettger

Previous ranking: #13
Regular-season record: 4-16
Dreambreaker record: 1-3
Mid-Season Tournament: T9

Best result: Win vs. Miami in a Dreambreaker
Worst result: Loss vs. Phoenix in a Dreambreaker

Their last regular-season win was in May. That was a long time ago.

Next event: MLP Salt Lake City starting Thursday