Major League Pickleball Season Two kicks off with this weekend’s MLP Atlanta, hosted at Life Time Peachtree Corners. After three months without MLP, we’re back at it again with a whole new set of team rosters!
Last week, we tackled going through the Premier Level groups, where we determined some of our favorite teams and matchups to watch out for going into the event. This week, we’re checking out what the Challenger Level has to offer, and, spoiler alert, we think it will be just as exciting to watch as Premier!
Group A
Frisco Pandas – Andre Mick, Bobbi Oshiro, Martina Frantova, Ryler DeHeart
Milwaukee Mashers – DJ Young, Rianna Valdes, Christa Gecheva, Pesa Teoni
New Jersey 5’s – Alli Phillips, Stefan Auvergne, Shelby Bates, John Cincola
New York Hustlers – Jaume Martinez Vich, Jill Braverman, Kyle Yates, Sarah Ansboury
MLP Atlanta kicks off at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, September 21st, with Group A of the Challenger Level! We’ll see the Frisco Pandas take on the New Jersey 5’s on Championship Court, and the New York Hustlers face off against the Milwaukee Mashers on the Grandstand Court.
This is a difficult group to get a read on, as each team feels well-curated and will have a shot at making a big impression in this first event of Season Two. Many of these players are returning from Season One, but there are also several others who are out to prove themselves for the first time in the MLP.
If the first two matches are any indication of the rest of the tournament, the Mashers and Hustlers will win these first two matches and will be big playoff contenders. DJ Young will likely be one of the top male players at the Challenger Level, and if he can step into a leadership role, will be able to lead the Mashers to big wins in Atlanta. There’s no doubt in our minds that he and Pesa Teoni will be the number one men’s doubles team in MLP Atlanta – be sure to watch out for them!
Similarly, the Hustlers were able to secure star power in Jaume Martinez Vich, who has been proving himself to be one of the best players in the PPA this year. We expect him to play alongside Jill Braverman, and Kyle Yates to partner up with Sarah Ansboury, marking two expectedly strong mixed teams.
Group B
Austin Pickle Ballers – Tamaryn Emmrich, Daniel De La Rosa, Milan Rane, Ben Newell
California BLQK Bears – Marshall Brown, Alix Truong, Tina Pisnik, Anderson Scarpa
Florida Smash – Dominique Schaefer, Collin Shick, Brendon Long, Michelle Esquivel
Las Vegas Night Owls – Susannah Barr, Emily Ackerman, Spencer Smith, Yates Johnson
Up next is Group B, who we’ll see start at 10 a.m. on Thursday. In round one, we’ve got the Florida Smash going up against the Las Vegas Night Owls, and the California BLQK Bears matched up with the Austin Pickleballers.
Austin feels like a very well-balanced team. Daniel De La Rosa and Ben Newell having been cooking it up in the PPA together, with a recent backdraw win at the Takeya Showcase in men’s doubles. Both Milan Rane and Tamaryn Emmrich seem to have really tapped into their doubles potential as well, with Milan recently earning a silver medal alongside Bobbi Oshiro in the APP. We think Austin has the potential in all doubles categories, and are curious to see how they fare in possible Dreambreakers.
Our other favorite in Group B is probably the Las Vegas Night Owls. Susannah Barr and Emily Ackerman won the Challenger Level Super Finals of Season One together, so why can’t they do it again in Season Two? Yates Johnson and Spencer Smith are both great male players who have a wealth of experience on the APP and PPA Tours, respectively.
Group C
Los Angeles Mad Drops – Jordan Kinney, Gabe Tardio, Brooke Buckner, Olivia McMillan
Seattle Pioneers – Patrick Smith, Lina Padegimaite, Megan Fudge, Wes Burrows
So Cal Hard Eights – Ewa Radzikowska, CJ Klinger, Yana Grechkina, Todd Fought
St. Louis Shock – Martin Emmrich, Rob Nunnery, Judit Castillo, Genie Erokhina
Group C is hard to get a read on as well, as there’s a wide range of top-tier players mixed in with wild cards. In round one, we’ll see the St. Louis Shock go up against the LA Mad Drops, and the So Cal Hard Eights take on the Seattle Pioneers.
Up top, we’ve got the Mad Drops, who are a great example of that star player and wild card spread. They have one of the top Challenger Level male players, Gabe Tardio, who continues to get better and better in the PPA and proved himself an asset for the ATX Pickleballers in Season One. The Mad Drops’ other male player is Jordan Kinney, who is fairly unknown on the pro scene but sports a 6.61 doubles DUPR rating.
They also have Brooke Buckner, who’s an incredible PPA doubles player, but is also very pregnant. While that didn’t stop her from playing alongside her new Mad Drops teammate Olivia McMillan at the Cincinnati Open, it will be something to watch out for during this season.
The Seattle Pioneers are led by Megan Fudge, one of the APP Tour’s top women’s singles players, and Wes Burrows, an MLP veteran. Patrick Smith and Lina Padegimaite have a long pickleball resume as well, and we believe that the Pioneers’ collective experience will allow them to very quickly adapt and build chemistry in the first event, making them a threat right out of the gates.
