Recap

Rollers Avenge 2023 Results with Huge Match Win over United

Rollers Dominate Women’s Game with 21-6 Thumping of United

Toronto United newcomers Joanna Phang and Sneha Iyer got a master class in technical pickleball in this first game of the team’s second match, bowing 21-6 to seasoned Rollers players Jessica Kawamoto and Casey Rodgers. The Rollers stomped on the accelerator and never let up early, forcing a quick Rollers timeout with the score 6-0.

Phang and Iyer displayed some fight and good offense to defense transition, but any inroads they made mid-game were countered by their more veteran counterparts. They got a firsthand glimpse into Kawamoto’s considerable game, as she ripped an ATP to put the Rollers up 10-4 and a point later sent an overhand that United couldn’t return, pushing the score to 12-4.

After another great Kawamoto shot, a beleaguered United team expended their final timeout down 15-5. After the break, Iyer – who was signed last minute before the Split — asserted herself with a nice set-up for a point, but it was all Rollers thereafter. Kawamoto and Rodgers rallied offensively and defensively, and United had no answer as they fell quickly.

Rollers Men Put United on Ropes with Big Come-From-Behind Win

On paper at least, things looked good for United veterans Matt Kawamoto and Chris Alain going into this pivotal game against the Rollers Matt Stodola and newcomer Ryan Torresin. Too bad for United that the Rollers rallied mid-game and came out on top 21-17 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Alain and Kawamoto forced the issue from the start, testing Stodola and Torresin with tough shots and good offensive-defensive play to take a 7-4 lead. The Rollers, for their part, stood as firm as possible and reversed that score to tie it up 11-11 on a great offensive rally. Stodola and Torresin then went on a run, forcing United to take a much-needed timeout down 16-12.

Torresin came out energized, accounting for three of the next four points to get the Rollers to freeze ahead 20-12. But savvy vets Kawamoto and Alain reeled off five consecutive points of their own, making the Rollers take a breather. The freeze held for one more play, before Kawamoto made an uncharacteristic mistake to hand the Rollers the key victory.

Rollers Take Match with Win in “Battle of the Kamamotos”

With their mom in attendance, Jessica Kawamoto of the Rollers and Matt Kawamoto of United had much more to play for. Unfortunately for Matt and his defending-champion United side, Jessica and teammate Ryan Torresin won an extended affair 21-18 to cement the match for the Rollers.

The Rollers got out to a hot start, forcing Matt Kawamoto and teammate Sneha Iyer into a plethora of unforced errors, and jetting out to a commanding 8-3 lead. The Kamamotos would play off each other, however, Torresin was the better of the newbies in this game, rattling Iyer and Matt Kawamoto with an array of shots as the Rollers jumped ahead 14-6. But Iyer and Kawamoto fought back, scoring three straight, only to see the Rollers rally to maintain a five-point bulge to make it 16-11.

The Rollers would then outscore United 4-3 on some great transitional play to push the count to 20-14 and the freeze. United then put up a wall, scoring four points against the Rollers and forcing a timeout with the score a nail-biting 20-18. The break worked, with the Rollers able to scratch out the game and match winning point and reversing United’s dominance from 2023 in the process.

United Beats Rollers in Surprisingly Entertaining Final Game

In a “nothing” game, both sides brought the intensity. With the match already decided in the Rollers favor, United mixed doubles partners Chris Alain and Joanna Phang wanted to build momentum and they did, winning a squeaker 21-18. For their part, the Rollers Matty Stodola and Casey Rodgers made a game of it after some indifferent play to start.

To that point, the Rollers took their first timeout out trailing 6-1, as both Stodola and Rodgers looked a tad disinterested. Their fortunes didn’t change much after, with Alain using equal parts talent and energy to help United beef up the lead to 12-5. Rodgers and Stodola suddenly found their game, with both making brilliant shots to trim the margin to 12-11.

It was a battle of wills from there, as all parties got in on the scoring action, with an illegal serve by Phang making things interesting and jeopardizing a United win and allowing the Rollers to get within one at 16-15. Against some increasingly inspired play by the Rollers, Alain and Phang were able to win it when Phang set-up Rodgers for a net return and the win.