For the first time this season, all 12 National Pickle League teams met in Austin for weekend No. 4 of competition. Thus far the teams have played in two separate locations this season, with rotating opponents, in an effort to cut down on travel.
For the first time this season, the NPL instituted paddle testing using a standard approved by USA Pickleball to accommodate the “quiet” OWL paddle. Most players were pleased to see their paddles get a green sticker, some received a yellow “warning” sticker, and only a few were not approved for competition.
Saturday was all business as the Scorpions opened their morning team battle at Pickleland against the Oklahoma City (OKC) Punishers, a first weekend opponent in Los Angeles that ended in a 6-6 draw that was awarded to the Scorpions on point differential. This time the Scorpions endured a punishing opening round, losing to OKC 8-4. Although the Scorpions held an early 3-1 lead, it quickly disappeared as they moved into the mixed matches.
The powerful Princeton Bruisers, led by the No. 1 ranked woman in the NPL Sherri Courter and her OWL paddle, were the afternoon opponents for the Scorpions who were still reeling from their 8-4 loss to them in Kansas City. The Scorpions held their own in both the gender and mixed matches, controlling the competitions 4-2 in both for an overall 8-4 victory.
Sunday at Pickleball Kingdom, the Scorpions played alongside their newly appointed “Select Series” teammates in a 60-year-old pod as the NPL experimented with adding more players among their ranks.
The Scorpions faced Naples JBB United for the first time this season with a chance to see the No. 1 ranked men’s player Jaime Oncins. The match against Scorpions’ Marcin Rozpedski and Cord Robbins was three-game thriller. Not only was the power of Pod 1 players on display but the finesse and strategic dinking was at its best along with outstanding sportsmanship.
Rozpedski and female partner Sabrina Guillebeaux evened things up in an exciting display of momentum shifts against Oncins and his partner, Mary Helen Atkins. The Scorpions duo jumped out to a 9-1 lead and held on to win 11-8. Things were different in game 2 as Naples took the 9-1 lead only to see the Scorpions roar back to win 11-9.
It was also a chance to look at different lineups as Natalie Hill was moved up to Pod 2 to team with Kara Williams in search of that magical seventh win of the battle. The change paid dividends as the Scorpions collected their second team battle win of the weekend.
The final team battle on Sunday afternoon was against the host team, Austin Ignite, another first-time matchup. Austin controlled the gender matches taking a 4-2 lead, while the mixed teams tried to play catch up. Needing to win their last match to tie the battle, the Scorpions came up short in three games, handing Austin a 7-5 victory.
The 2-2 finish landed the Scorpions in seventh place for the weekend, well behind leaders Seattle and Columbus who went 4-0. In the overall standings, the Scorpions remain in a second-place tie with Columbus while Seattle remains in first place.
The final regular season competition will be Sept. 20-21 in Indianapolis as the Scorpions continue to fight for a first-round bye in the championships. The championships are Oct. 17-19 in Seattle, with a $150,000 prize money on the line.
Opportunity: Join Scorpion players Scott Burr and Kim Jagd for in-depth training in a camp setting at Sunrise CC on Oct. 10-11 or Nov. 7-8. Visit scorpionpickleballcamps.com for more information and registration.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Valley Scorpions go 2-2 at weekend event, tied for second in NPL standings
Reporting by Andy Banachowski / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
