Recap

Northern Rollers Stay Hot with Big Victory over Defending Champion Toronto United

Rollers Blow Out United in First Mixed Doubles Game

And the “Battle of the Kawamotos” goes to Jessica, this time. The Rollers, sporting a 4-2 record and coming off a big victory over the Smash earlier in the day, got a great effort from Jessica Kawamoto and Ryan Torresin, winning by a landslide, 21-9. Their opponents, Jessica’s brother Matt and rookie Sneha Iyer, put up a good fight, but were up against a very formidable opponent.

There was no Player of the Match in this one, so our vote goes for a “Player of the Game” and he would be Torresin. With the capable dinking and defense of Jessica to rely on, he accounted for four of the Rollers first eight points with great shots, including a circus-like overhand winner as the Rollers went up 8-1.

Iyer and Matt Kawamoto did attempt to make a game of it, managing some tricky winners themselves. These were countered, though, by significant Rollers rallies and tight defense, which made every point United scored a tough one. In the end, the Rollers buzzed the floor on a rally and United went side out.

United Evens Up Match with Inspired Effort

Down one and with a record of 2-4 coming in, United were looking for a spark from veteran Chris Alain and rookie Joanna Phang against vets Matt Stodola and Casey Rodgers. They got it, with the United mixed duo dominating the Kitchen with great offense to defense transition and smart shot-making in a 21-17 win.

Stodola and Rodgers were great early on, as were Phang and Alain, who went ahead 4-3. Yet, a slew of unforced errors were the Rollers undoing, while United deployed outstanding dinking and massive shots to go up 11-6 a while later. Undaunted, Rodgers and Stodola chipped away, both recording excellent set up shots for net returns, to get within one at 11-10.

United kept up the pressure and were able to forge ahead using great defense and shot making, forcing a Rollers timeout with the score 19-14. The battle would rage on after the break, but the Rollers couldn’t solve Alain and Phang, who started in sync and finished that way to tie the match.

Rollers Women Dominate Rollers to Take Match Stranglehold

The United rookie combo of Joanna Phang and Sneha Iyer acquitted themselves well in this key contest, however, Rollers veterans Jessica Kawamoto and Casey Rodgers were that much savvier in a 21-16 win. The Rollers got things going quickly and before anyone knew it, they were ahead 8-1, on some good shooting, defense and a few United unforced errors.

For a while thereafter, every time United would scratch out a point, the Rollers would answer right back. With the score 13-6 Rollers, an extended rally by both teams resulted in a swift Kawamoto forehand winner and a subsequent timeout by United. The break over, the back and forth rallying continued, to the delight of fans.

With the score 17-11, United took another timeout. This one was effective, as Iyer and Phang took the game to the Rollers. Iyer provided the patient shot making and defense and Phang went to work in the kitchen, scoring four straight points, including an ATP and a seeing eye lob to get the score to 18-16. Kawamoto and Rodgers would then record the next point and the rallied to finish off United with two straight.

Rollers Men Decide Match with Gutsy Winning Effort Against United

If one were to have looked at this match-up beforehand, purely from a player perspective, it surely had the feel of a barnburner. And it was with the Rollers Matt Stodola and Ryan Torresin emptying the tank to beat United’s Matt Kawamoto and Chris Alain, 21-16. It had to be a satisfying match win for the Rollers, not only beating the defending champs, but pushing their Eastern Split record to a Stirling 5-2.

As in most games in this match, the Rollers jumped ahead quickly, with Torresin and Stodola both smoking two winners apiece in taking a 6-3 lead. The next six volleys were rather uneventful as the squads traded six points on dinking rallies. Alain rose to the occasion then, bashing two of the next three winners to make the score 10-8 Rollers and that would be as close as they got. The Rollers would score three straight and force a timeout and immediately after Stodola crushed a crossing winner.

Kawamoto and Alain, who hit Stodola with an Erne for a point, fought valiantly in the latter stages, keeping the Rollers honest but not quite able to get any closer than three points in this match-clinching thriller.