Orlando Squeeze Pickleball Quarterfinals Clash: The Orlando Squeeze moved into the quarterfinals of the Edward Jones MLP Mid-Season Tournament with a 3-1 win over the Utah Black Diamonds on Thursday at Belknap Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Orlando’s strong doubles play helped seal the Round of 16 victory and set up a quarterfinal showdown with the undefeated Dallas Flash.
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Strong Start in Doubles Gives Orlando Early Lead
Orlando got off to a fast start by winning both the women’s and men’s doubles matches. Lacy Schneemann and Samantha Parker dominated Allyce Jones and Genie Erokhina in the women’s doubles 11-1. Federico Staksrud and Dylan Frazier then followed with a convincing 11-2 win over Connor Garnett and Yates Johnson in the men’s doubles.
Utah bounced back in the first mixed doubles match. Connor Garnett and Allyce Jones edged out Federico Staksrud and Lacy Schneemann 12-10 to keep their hopes alive. But in the second mixed doubles, Samantha Parker and Dylan Frazier responded with an 11-5 win over Genie Erokhina and Yates Johnson to end the match and avoid a Dreambreaker.
| MATCHES | Orlando Squeeze | VS | Utah Black Diamonds | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s Doubles | Lacy Schneemann / Samantha Parker | vs | Allyce Jones / Genie Erokhina | 11-1 |
| Men’s Doubles | Federico Staksrud / Dylan Frazier | vs | Connor Garnett / Yates Johnson | 11-2 |
| Mixed Doubles 1 | Federico Staksrud / Lacy Schneemann | vs | Connor Garnett / Allyce Jones | 10-12 |
| Mixed Doubles 2 | Dylan Frazier / Samantha Parker | vs | Genie Erokhina / Yates Johnson | 11-5 |
| Dreambreaker | Federico Staksrud / Dylan Frazier / Lacy Schneemann /Samantha Parker | vs | Connor Garnett / Allyce Jones / Yates Johnson / Genie Erokhina | 0 – 0 |
Staksrud Praises Team After Victory
Despite their recent struggles, the Orlando Squeeze found rhythm when it mattered most. They had lost six of their last nine matches coming into the tournament but looked sharp in Thursday’s match.
“We’re a great team. We’ve been near the top of the standings every month, and yeah, we had a couple bad events in New York and Austin, but we know what we’re capable of and are just gonna try and do our best this week. We’ve got four amazing players, and today Sam and Dylan stepped up and played really well in that last mixed game. They played amazing the whole way through, and we advanced because of that.”(Federico Staksrud)
The Orlando Squeeze will now face the Dallas Flash in the quarterfinals. Dallas is the only unbeaten team left in Major League Pickleball. While Orlando won’t be the favorite, their recent performance shows they could be ready for the challenge.
News in Brief: Orlando Squeeze Pickleball Quarterfinals Clash
The Orlando Squeeze beat the Utah Black Diamonds 3-1 in Thursday’s Round of 16 at the MLP Mid-Season Tournament in Grand Rapids. Strong doubles play helped Orlando move past Utah. They now face the undefeated Dallas Flash in the quarterfinals, hoping to carry momentum into the next round.
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