After ending as runners-up in back-to-back seasons, the New Jersey Fives received their first-ever season-long championship title in 2026. Anna Leigh Waters, the perfect girl to ever play the sport, additionally earned her first Main League Pickleball (MLP) title.
The Fives start every year with the hopes of profitable a championship – they’re co-owned by Gary Vaynerchuk and Ryan Harwood, who additionally acts as Normal Supervisor. They’ve the perfect girl on this planet on their roster in Anna Leigh Waters. This 12 months, the expectations have been the identical – win all of it or bust, particularly after paying $800,000 within the draft for Jorja Johnson, top-of-the-line girls on this planet.
The common season began off a bit of shaky, with the Fives ending in fourth within the MLP Dallas occasion. Since then? They completed first, first, first, second, and first. They earned the #1 total seed headed into the playoffs, and that’s tremendous necessary in Main League Pickleball (MLP). The Fives secured “house court docket” benefit all through the playoffs and extra importantly, bought to decide on their opponent within the quarterfinals and semifinals.
The Fives have been right here earlier than (in truth they’ve been right here in every of the previous two years): In 2024, they confronted off in opposition to the Dallas Flash and received the primary match in a Dreambreaker, after which misplaced the opposite two matches. In 2025, extra of the identical – they beat the Columbus Sliders in a Dreambreaker within the first match of the finals, solely to lose two in a row, once more.
2026 is the 12 months that the Fives bought the monkey off their backs they usually received all of it. Let’s have a look and see how they did it.
The Finals versus the St. Louis Shock
The Fives and the Shock have been the preseason favorites headed into the season – and why not? The Shock spent $1.23 million on Anna Shiny within the draft and the Fives spent $800k on Jorja Johnson.
The 2026 MLP Draft: A File-Setting Begin to the New Season
The Main League Pickleball (MLP) draft occurred on Friday, February 27, 2026 at 10am ET – this can be a full breakdown of all of the motion
It felt inevitable these two juggernauts would face off in opposition to one another within the finals.
Match #1 – Saturday 1pm
The St. Louis Shock got here out on hearth, demolishing the Fives girls within the first recreation. Kate Fahey and Anna Shiny have been aggressive and by no means took their foot off the pedal. They beat the #1 total girls’s workforce in all of MLP, Jorja Johnson and Anna Leigh Waters, 11-2. The Fives males jumped out to an 8-2 lead, however Hayden Patriquin and Gabe Tardio fully flipped the sport, profitable 9 consecutive factors for an 11-8 victory.
The Fives got here alive in blended doubles, profitable 11-4, 11-8 with all 4 of their blended doubles gamers taking part in lights out. Headed to the Dreambreaker, the Fives had the momentum.
Within the Dreambreaker, the Shock went up 14-10 after Gabe Tardio went 4-0 over Will Howells of their second rotation. From there, the Fives went 12-6, with Anna Leigh Waters profitable the final two factors over Kate Fahey at 20-20, to earn the 22-20 victory.
Match #2 – Sunday 11:30am
My, how the tables have turned. On Saturday, the Shock received each gender doubles video games. Sunday? The Fives pulled out the UNO reverse card – they received 11-9, 12-10.
In blended, Anna and Hayden bought off to a 6-0 begin on the aspect swap, and have been up 7-1 at one level. Anna Leigh and Noe then began clawing again, reducing the deficit to 8-5 earlier than Anna and Hayden closed it out, 11-6. Kate and Gabe used that momentum, and received 11-9.
The Fives managed the Dreambreaker from begin to end, cruising to a 21-9 win.
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2026 – A season to recollect for New Jersey
The Fives earned a title with two newcomers this 12 months, in Jorja Johnson and Federico Staksrud. Alongside Anna Leigh Waters, Jorja Johnson helped type the perfect girls’s doubles pairing in MLP this season.
Anna Leigh was lastly capable of win the most important title in MLP and now she has received each potential trophy on this planet, together with common season MVP this 12 months.
For the fellows, Howells and Khlif stepped up large time within the playoffs and particularly the finals. They each performed nice and truthfully their inventory is rising from their respective performances. Nonetheless, I might be remiss if I did not point out the late season acquisition of Federico Staksrud. The Argentinian introduced a ton of poise in traumatic moments whereas additionally bringing a ton of optimistic power for the Fives. His affect went effectively past his particular person outcomes, and he was as instrumental in New Jersey’s championship run as anybody on the roster.
In actual fact, he was named the Finals MVP for his nice play all weekend lengthy, serving to the franchise raise the trophy for the primary time.
With salary-cap and salary-floor guidelines swirling forward of the 2027 season, the long run might look totally different for New Jersey. However after back-to-back runner-up finishes, the Fives lastly have what they spent three seasons chasing: an MLP championship.
Credit score to the St. Louis Shock
Whereas the Shock got here up simply quick this 12 months, they fought arduous the complete manner. They paid $1.23 million for Anna Shiny to carry her again and hold the core collectively for a 3rd straight 12 months. They made a mid-season commerce to select up Hunter Johnson, one of many high singles gamers on tour.
The Shock actually dominated plenty of their opponents all year long, and plenty of pundits (myself included) had them as probably the most well-rounded workforce this 12 months, with no apparent weak spot.
Whereas they got here up wanting their final purpose, the St. Louis Shock ought to maintain their heads excessive for having a outstanding 2026 MLP season.
How They Bought Right here: A Semifinal Recap
Dallas Flash vs. St. Louis Shock
The Dallas Flash needed to win the primary spherical of the playoffs in Dallas, after which needed to comply with that up within the quarterfinals by beating Ben Johns and the LA Mad Drops. The Flash did precisely that, beating the Las Vegas Night time Owls 3-1, 3-0 in Dallas. In Newport Seaside in opposition to the LA Mad Drops, the Flash battled to a victory, profitable in a Dreambreaker and profitable 3-1 after shedding the primary match to the Mad Drops 1-3.
The Shock beat the Texas Ranchers within the quarters, 3-0, 3-0 and have been in management from begin to end.
This sequence of the semifinals was performed at midday on Friday after which once more at 3pm on Friday.
Match #1 Outcome:
Match #2 Outcome:
The Shock overpowered the Flash, with the Dallas males offering the one brilliant spot for the Flash. St. Louis was undefeated in each girls’s doubles and blended doubles to make the finals.
Brooklyn Pickleball Crew vs. New Jersey Fives
Brooklyn had the same process to Dallas, in that in addition they needed to play within the first spherical of the playoffs. They beat the SoCal Laborious 8s within the first spherical, 3-2, 3-1. Within the quarters because the #5 seed, they performed in opposition to #4 seed, Columbus Sliders, final 12 months’s defending champions. They beat the Sliders 3-2, 3-2, 3-1 to make it to New York.
The New Jersey Fives beat the Palm Seaside Royals 3-2, 3-1 within the quarters to make the semis.
Match #1 Outcome:
Match #2 Outcome:
The Fives have been in management from begin to end this weekend. On Friday, they received 3-0, with a degree whole of 33-16. On Saturday morning, they introduced extra of the identical power, profitable 3-0, and 33-13.
