Pro League This Week Ep. 7: Miami Blaze Survive First-Ever Dreambreaker Final to Win AFPL Stop 3
Stop 3 of the All Florida Pro League rolled into Epic Athletic Club in Miami, and the hometown team made sure nobody left disappointed. The Miami Blaze went a perfect 4-0 on the day, capping it off with the season's first stop final decided by a Dreambreaker, to claim their first pool and stop win of the year. It was a day defined by home court energy, a wave of substitute players who refused to be the story's footnote, and a St. Pete Iceburgs squad that continues to be the league's most consistent team without a stop trophy to show for it. Here is everything you need to know from Episode 7 of Pro League This Week.
Miami Goes Undefeated, Then Wins It in Singles
Nobody outside the Blaze locker room saw this coming. Miami subbed in two new players for the stop, and instead of the chemistry issues you would expect from a pairing that had barely practiced together, the team looked like it had been playing together all season. They swept the morning pool 3-0, then beat the St. Pete Iceburgs in the stop final in a Dreambreaker, the first time all season a stop championship has come down to singles.
The engine behind it was Jake Bower and Gianna Jarman, who did not lose a single Dreambreaker all day. Their strategy was as bold as it was effective: Bower took on the opposing women, and Jarman took on the opposing men. Jarman in particular delivered points against the run of play against experienced male opponents, including Ahmad El-Zarif of the Jacksonville Ballers, and Bower's singles pedigree (he has won a World Cup title in singles for Team USA) made the matchup math work every time it mattered.
The Iceburgs Keep Showing Up, But the Trophy Is Still Missing
St. Pete Iceburgs took the afternoon pool at 3-0, losing just five games all day, and that performance was enough to vault them into first place in the season standings, two and a half points clear of the Jacksonville Ballers. It is their second stop final appearance of the season, and once again they left without the win.
What makes the story compelling is how they got there. After an ugly opening loss in men's doubles, the Iceburgs' substitute, Anton Betita, settled in and turned in one of the best individual performances of the stop, eventually helping carry the team all the way to the stop finals. Hanna Duncan, playing right side, was once again the steadying presence the Iceburgs’ have needed, especially after St. Pete's early exit at Stop 2. Her chemistry with Kamden Bradstreet on the right side has become one of the more underrated partnerships in the league, with each player learning to cover exactly what the other leaves open.
Subs Were the Real Storyline of Stop 3
Seven substitute players took the court across the league at Stop 3, and the quality of play from all of them was the biggest takeaway of the day. Beyond Miami's pairing and St. Pete's right side, the Lakeland Palms turned to a hometown sub, Eli Curls, who lined up next to Michael Shaw and delivered big drives and confident hands in his first shot on the national stage. The GNV Chomp, playing three new players with only Noah Waddell returning from their usual roster, got a spark from Kristine Marseco, even in a difficult day for the team overall.
With waiver wire moves looming after the Midseason tournament, more than one of these performances is likely to change how rosters look for the second half of the season.
Looking Ahead to Midseason
Stop 3 reshuffled the season standings in a real way. The Iceburgs sit at number one without a stop win, the Ballers dropped to second after missing a stop final for the first time all year, and the Blaze rocketed into third on the strength of their 4-0 day. The O-Town Bangers snuck into a playoff spot, while the Punta Gorda Tide and GNV Chomp continue to search for the consistency that comes with more reps together as a unit.
All of it sets up a fascinating Midseason tournament in Fort Myers, where the format shifts from pool play to a true double-elimination bracket. On the Fantasy Pickleball side, Hugh Green and David Tabb are tied for sixth and seventh, still chasing the season lead, and already trading theories on how to exploit the new bracket format for bonus points.
Catch the full breakdown on Pro League This Week, including the Stop 3 highlights and the Hanna Duncan interview, in the full episode here: https://youtu.be/8YyW8YpZjCA
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