National Pickleball League Standings Race: The Coachella Valley Scorpions held onto second place in the National Pickleball League standings after a 2-2 weekend showing in Kansas City from July 11 to 13. Despite a key injury and tough matches, the team now sits at 9-3, just one game behind the league leaders from Seattle.
Scorpions Open with Setback Against Princeton
The weekend began at the SW19 Pickleball facility near the Kansas City Royals stadium. The Coachella Valley Scorpions learned that player Brandi Zaslansky could not compete due to a worsening elbow injury. As in Denver, the women played without a substitute.
The Scorpions opened on Saturday morning against the Princeton Bruisers. They split the six gender matches but only won one of the six mixed matches. Princeton defeated them with a final score of 8-4.
Strong Rebound Against Boca Raton Surge
After a break, the Scorpions faced the defending champions, Boca Raton Surge. Marcin Rozpedski of Palm Desert and Cord Robbins led with a 2-0 win in the men’s gender match on Championship Court.
The Scorpions held a 5-1 lead after gender matches and won four of six mixed matches for a 9-3 team victory. However, Cord Robbins injured his foot during a mixed match and had to forfeit, creating concern for his availability the next day.
The injury served as a reminder of the importance of warmups, stretching, and good nutrition for athletes, especially seniors.
Close Loss to Columbus Hotshots
Sunday brought rain and humid weather but also good news: Cord Robbins was cleared to play. The Scorpions hoped for a strong start against the Columbus Hotshots.
They again split the gender matches, but fell short in the mixed matchups, losing four of six. The final score was 7-5 in favor of Columbus.
Scorpions End with Win Over Kansas City
In their final match of the weekend, the Scorpions took on the Kansas City Stingers. A court shortage caused some confusion in scheduling, with player Scott Burr nearly assigned to two courts at once.
Despite this, the Scorpions dominated, winning five of six gender matches. They split the mixed matches and secured an 8-4 win. Cord Robbins and Kara Williams clinched the team victory with one of the fastest wins of the day.
League Standings and Player Highlights
The Princeton Bruisers went 4-0 over the weekend in Kansas City. The Naples team also went undefeated in Houston. After three weekends of play, Coachella Valley holds a 9-3 record, just behind Seattle at 10-2.
Princeton, Columbus, and Austin Ignite are tied for third at 7-5. Standout performers for the Scorpions included Drew Slacum and David Katz, both finishing 5-1, and Natalie Hill, who went 6-2 for the weekend.
The Scorpions will next compete on August 9-10 in Austin, Texas.
News in Brief: National Pickleball League Standings Race
The Coachella Valley Scorpions remain in second place in the National Pickleball League with a 9-3 record after splitting four matches at a Kansas City event. Despite injuries, the team earned two key wins and will head to Austin, Texas, for their next challenge on August 9-10.
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