New Jersey 5s Shine in DreamBreaker Showdown: The New Jersey 5s (Anna Leigh Waters, Zane Navratil, Mari Humberg, Will Howells) opened the Premier Level Championship series with an electrifying DreamBreaker victory over the Dallas Flash (JW Johnson, Jorja Johnson, Tyra Black, Augie Ge). Despite regular-season matchups between these teams ending in regulation, Sunday’s 2024 MLP Orlando playoff showdown offered a dramatic finish, captivating the packed crowd.
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Gender Doubles Set the Stage
As expected, both teams dominated in their respective gender doubles matches. Waters and Humberg claimed a decisive win for New Jersey in women’s doubles, while Dallas retaliated with Johnson and Ge winning in men’s doubles to level the match.
Mixed doubles took center stage next, where Humberg and Navratil of New Jersey faced Dallas’s Johnson siblings. Despite a valiant effort—saving four game points to turn a deficit into a brief lead—Humberg and Navratil fell 28-26 to their Dallas counterparts. However, the second mixed doubles game saw Waters and Howells crush Black and Ge, forcing a DreamBreaker showdown.
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DreamBreaker Decider
New Jersey’s Howells shone in the DreamBreaker, helping his team jump to an astonishing 11-0 lead alongside Waters. Despite Dallas’s spirited comeback attempts, the 5s maintained control.
Howells clinched the 21-13 victory with a backhand winner, showing his confidence while playing alongside Waters, who is widely regarded as the best female player in the game.
“[Anna Leigh] makes it super easy to play confidently. Going out there and being able to swing through my shots and trust my game is a big thing for sure.” – (Howells)
Staying Focused for the Next Challenge
Despite their commanding DreamBreaker performance, Navratil remains grounded.
“It’s a war of attrition out here. There are runs both ways, and we were fortunate to have a run at the end of that one. The job’s not finished, and we’re all ready to go refocus for the next match. It’s two out of three, and we know they’re gonna come back fired up.” – (Navratil)
News in Brief: New Jersey 5s Shine in DreamBreaker Showdown
The New Jersey 5s secured an exhilarating DreamBreaker victory over the Dallas Flash in the opening match of the 2024 MLP Orlando playoff Premier Level Championship series at the USTA National Campus.
After splitting gender doubles and mixed doubles games, New Jersey dominated in the DreamBreaker, led by standout performances from Will Howells and Anna Leigh Waters. With this victory, the 5s remain undefeated in DreamBreaker matches and are one win away from claiming the season-ending title.
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