Utah Black Diamonds Upsets New Jersey 5s: The Utah Black Diamonds stunned the New Jersey 5s 3-2 in a DreamBreaker at the 2025 MLP Daytona Beach Tournament on Thursday. It marked the biggest upset of the 2025 Major League Pickleball season so far, as Utah rallied from a 0-2 deficit to secure the win at Pictona.
New Jersey Takes Early Lead Despite Missing Starter
New Jersey entered the match without regular starter Meghan Dizon, who was sidelined by illness. Still, Anna Leigh Waters and Christa Gecheva gave the 5s a strong start, narrowly defeating Utah’s Allyce Jones and Genie Erokhina 13-11 in women’s doubles.
New Jersey built on that lead in men’s doubles. Will Howells and Zane Navratil dominated Connor Garnett and Tyler Loong 11-0, their fifth straight win as a pair. That result put the 5s up 2-0 heading into mixed doubles.
Utah Fights Back in Mixed Doubles
Facing elimination, Utah responded in the first mixed doubles match. Allyce Jones and Connor Garnett started strong, leading 7-2 before sealing an 11-8 win over Anna Leigh Waters and Will Howells.
“Whenever I’m next to Connor, I have all the confidence in the world with my shots. We have such good team chemistry that we can just vibe. It doesn’t matter what the score is—we feel good together, and we just love competing together.” – (Allyce)
With momentum shifting, Utah’s Tyler Loong and Genie Erokhina stepped up next. They beat Christa Gecheva and Zane Navratil 11-5, forcing a DreamBreaker.
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Utah’s Men Dominate DreamBreaker
Much like in the earlier match between the Los Angeles Mad Drops and St. Louis Shock, the men proved key in the DreamBreaker.
Connor Garnett and Tyler Loong combined to outscore Will Howells and Zane Navratil 15-3. That strong performance helped Utah clinch the DreamBreaker 21-13 and complete the comeback.
Utah’s Turnaround from 2024 Struggles
The result is a major reversal from 2024, when Utah finished last in the Premier level standings. New Jersey, meanwhile, nearly won the league championship last season.
“I think it’s just about not listening to the outside noise, being a team, and being confident. We have a ton of fun together, and so we just go into every match ready to fight.” – (Garnett)
Match Results
| Match Type | Utah Black Diamonds | Score | New Jersey 5s | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s Doubles | Allyce Jones / Genie Erokhina | 11 | Anna Leigh Waters / Christa Gecheva | 13 |
| Men’s Doubles | Connor Garnett / Tyler Loong | 0 | Will Howells / Zane Navratil | 11 |
| Mixed Doubles 1 | Connor Garnett / Allyce Jones | 11 | Anna Leigh Waters / Will Howells | 8 |
| Mixed Doubles 2 | Tyler Loong / Genie Erokhina | 11 | Christa Gecheva / Zane Navratil | 5 |
| DreamBreaker | Connor Garnett / Tyler Loong / Genie Erokhina / Allyce Jones | 21 | Will Howells / Zane Navratil / Anna Leigh Waters / Christa Gecheva | 13 |
What’s Next
Utah will try to keep its momentum going with matches against the St. Louis Shock and Texas Ranchers on Friday at the 2025 MLP Daytona Beach Tournament. New Jersey will regroup and face the SoCal Hard Eights on Saturday.
News in Brief: Utah Black Diamonds Upsets New Jersey 5s
The Utah Black Diamonds stunned the New Jersey 5s 3-2 in a DreamBreaker comeback at the 2025 MLP Daytona Beach Tournament. Down 0-2, Utah rallied with two mixed doubles wins and strong DreamBreaker singles play. Utah continues Friday against the St. Louis Shock and Texas Ranchers.
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