The St. Louis Shock secured the first Super Sunday Belt in franchise history after defeating the Los Angeles Mad Drops 3-0 at MLP St. Louis on Sunday. Playing in front of their home crowd, the Shock produced one of their most complete performances of the season to move past a team that had denied them victory at the season-opening event in Dallas.
Anna Bright and Kate Fahey set the tone immediately, cruising to an 11-1 win over Catherine Parenteau and Jade Kawamoto in women’s doubles. The result continued a remarkable week for the pair, who conceded only 10 points across five matches together.
Speaking after the victory, Bright credited an unusual pre-match ritual for the partnership’s success. “Kate and I have definitely had a bit of a chip on our shoulder. We’ve been playing some of our best pickleball. I have to shout out Elsie. She came up with a new pre-match ritual for us. I can’t share too much, but I think that has really, really gotten us going and helped Kate and I come out here really, really fired up,” Bright said.
“It felt really good to kind of get that momentum going for the team.”
The momentum carried into men’s doubles where Hayden Patriquin and Gabe Tardio defeated Ben Johns and Max Freeman 11-3 to put the Shock firmly in control.
Despite taking both gender doubles matches, St. Louis knew the job was not finished. The Mad Drops had recovered from the same position in Dallas earlier this season, winning both mixed doubles contests before sealing victory in a DreamBreaker.
That memory remained fresh heading into mixed doubles. The Shock, however, ensured there would be no repeat.
Bright and Patriquin delivered the decisive blow with an 11-5 victory over Jade Kawamoto and Ben Johns, completing the sweep and gaining revenge for the loss suffered against the same pairing in Dallas.
Reflecting on the turnaround, Bright explained how preparation made the difference. “We had never seen Ben play like he did in Dallas. He played out of his mind, so we went back together, rewatched the match, and had a better game plan today. I think we executed it perfectly, but we couldn’t have done it without the fans.”
According to Pickleball.com, the victory was the culmination of a demanding opening stretch to the season for St. Lewis. The Shock were the only team in the league to compete in each of the first three regular-season events. Their campaign began with a third-place finish in Dallas before they improved to second place in Columbus.
That steady progress finally translated into a title-winning performance on home soil. Bright also praised the support inside the venue, telling Pickleball.com that the atmosphere played a major role in helping the team finish the job.
“I think we executed it perfectly, but we couldn’t have done it without the fans.” The result not only secured the Super Sunday Belt but also served as a statement from a team that has consistently been among the league’s strongest performers throughout the opening weeks of the season.
After third place in Dallas and second place in Columbus, the Shock completed their climb to the top in St. Louis, delivering a dominant performance when it mattered most and giving their home supporters a championship moment to celebrate.
