Phoenix Flames’ DreamBreaker Victory: The Phoenix Flames grabbed their first victory of the 2025 Major League Pickleball season by defeating the Carolina Hogs 23-21 in a DreamBreaker tiebreaker at MLP Columbus presented by The James at Ohio State. The win moves Phoenix to 1-2 with 3 points, while Carolina remains winless at 0-3.
Back-and-Forth Match Leads to DreamBreaker
Both teams split the regular games. Phoenix won in women’s doubles and one mixed doubles match. Carolina claimed the men’s doubles and the other mixed doubles match. Jessie Irvine and Genie Bouchard won women’s doubles for Phoenix.
Irvine also teamed with Tyson McGuffin to take a mixed match. Carolina got their wins through Ben Johns and Collin Johns in men’s doubles, and Liz Truluck with Collin Johns in mixed. Truluck stepped in for injured Kaitlyn Christian.
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A Thrilling Final Set
Carolina took an early 15-9 lead in the DreamBreaker. Strong 4-0 rotations by Ben Johns and Truluck gave the Hogs momentum. Phoenix fought back with key plays by Bouchard and Irvine. Their back-to-back 3-1 rotations cut the score to 15-17.
McGuffin added another 3-1 rotation against Collin Johns. Then, with the score tied at 20-20, Bouchard faced Truluck. After dropping the first point, Bouchard saved match point and finished with a three-point run to win 23-21.
Bouchard Handles the Pressure
Bouchard reflected on the final moments of the match.
“Right before running out there, I told my teammates that I was so nervous. I was just trying to set the expectations really low. I’m glad that I was able to focus and play some aggressive pickleball down the stretch.” – (Bouchard)
DreamBreaker Scores Recap
- Jack Sock 5-7 Ben Johns
- Tyson McGuffin 8-4 Collin Johns
- Genie Bouchard 6-6 Liz Truluck
- Jessie Irvine 4-4 Tamaryn Emmrich
Looking Ahead
Phoenix will now face the Columbus Sliders in Thursday’s final match. The Flames hope to use this win as a turning point in their season. Carolina, still searching for its first win, will play next against the Atlanta Bouncers on Friday at 11 a.m. ET.
News in Brief: Phoenix Flames’ DreamBreaker Victory
The Phoenix Flames beat the Carolina Hogs 23-21 in a DreamBreaker to earn their first win of the 2025 MLP Columbus season. Genie Bouchard led the final charge. Phoenix improves to 1-2, while Carolina falls to 0-3. The Flames face the Columbus Sliders next, and the Hogs meet Atlanta on Friday.
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