New Jersey 5s’ DreamBreaker Victory: The New Jersey 5s stayed undefeated with a narrow DreamBreaker win over the Los Angeles Mad Drops on Sunday at the 2025 MLP Orlando. The match, held at the USTA National Campus, ended 21-19 in one of the weekend’s most exciting contests.
Strong Start from the Mad Drops
Los Angeles came out hot despite missing regular starter Hunter Johnson. AJ Koller stepped in and helped the Mad Drops take the lead. Catherine Parenteau and Jade Kawamoto surprised Anna Leigh Waters and Meghan Dizon in women’s doubles to open the match.
View this post on Instagram
New Jersey Responds in Men’s Doubles
The 5s bounced back right away. Will Howells and Zane Navratil pulled off a close win over Koller and Quang Duong in the men’s doubles match, leveling the score and keeping the team’s hopes alive.
Mixed Doubles Brings More Drama
Each team then won one mixed doubles match. Dizon and Navratil faced Parenteau and Duong, while Waters and Howells battled Kawamoto and Koller. With the match tied again, a DreamBreaker was needed to settle the outcome on Toray Championship Court.
DreamBreaker Decides the Match
As the home team, Los Angeles had the advantage of setting their lineup after seeing New Jersey’s. They matched Parenteau against Navratil and Koller against Waters. However, the decision didn’t go as planned. Navratil dominated his matchup, outscoring Parenteau 9-3 over three rotations to lead New Jersey to a 21-19 win.
Waters and Parenteau Reunite as Rivals
This was the first meeting between Waters and Parenteau since their split earlier this month. The former partners had reached the final at the Veolia North Carolina Open before parting ways.
“That women’s match was tough. Catherine came out here with something to prove. I felt like I was a little too nice and just paid the price for it. [Catherine] was being super aggressive and playing very well, and then Will and Zane were able to bounce back and give us some energy.” – (waters)
Looking Ahead to Next Matches
The Mad Drops will have little time to rest as they prepare to face the Orlando Squeeze later Sunday. Meanwhile, the New Jersey 5s will finish their weekend with a big showdown against the St. Louis Shock, looking to protect their perfect record.
News in Brief: New Jersey 5s’ DreamBreaker Victory
The New Jersey 5s stayed unbeaten at MLP Orlando with a 21-19 DreamBreaker win over the Los Angeles Mad Drops. Zane Navratil’s key performance helped overcome a strong start from Los Angeles. Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau faced off for the first time since ending their partnership earlier this month.
ALSO READ: New Jersey 5s Aim to Extend Winning Streak Against Desperate Phoenix Flames at MLP Orlando!