Pool: Quarterfinals Day 1

It's the first day of the biggest week of the season, with the start of the quarterfinals coming today. We begin with...

Ebay Center, Queens: Kayla v. Patches. The first series is one of three in the next four for Queens' Kayla, playing her Survival bid early. The Flames' Kayla took a very quick 1-0 lead, as Boston's Patches had almost no shooting accuracy, losing all of her lives in half a rack in game 1. The Swifts' Patches tied it in game 2, keeping Kayla away from gaining an extra life to hold her off in two racks for the 1-1 series. Patches dominated in game 3, forcing Kayla down to 0 lives within a single rack while ending with an extra life, going up 2-1 in the series as she hits her stride. Kayla bounced back with a game 4 win in a single rack, getting crafty with a strategic scratch at the end to induce Patches' last miss, tying the series at 2 when the move proved successful. Kayla made a crucial mistake in game 5, scratching while sinking the 8 on her last life, which resulted in a loss that made it a 3-2 series lead for Patches. In game 6, Patches got everything she needed on the break of rack 1, holding the three extra lives to the end. Patches shot better on a crowded table, while Kayla worked better in space, so naturally, it was the in-between part of the game that saw Kayla fall while Patches started to slip in the second rack. Patches ended with three lives, and won the series at 4-2. Kayla got one back in game 7, as Patches again lacked some accuracy and faded quickly. Patches claimed the series at 4-3, and takes her #58 ranked Survival bid into the semifinals.

Ebay Center, Queens: Kayla v. Puff II. At the same venue, Queens' Kayla gets her doubleheader portion done against another Boston player, Puff II. The Flames' Kayla stepped out to a 1-0 series lead in a strong game 1, scoring a three-ball run-out to win 8-6 through good positioning after the Swifts' Puff II wiped out her early lead. Puff II tied the series at 1 in game 2, but it wasn't without a scare, as her early six-ball run was answered by Kayla working a four-ball run late, but her miss on the 12 sealed the loss when Puff II buried it for the 8-4 win. Puff II got impressive in game 3, sneaking through traffic on a three of four shots on a particular run. Her resume includes the 7 after getting around the 9 and 14 along the left rail to the bottom left, the highlight reel shot of a kick on the right rail to take the 8 to the top left at an angle with perfect pace, and again navigating the 14 to take the 9. All of this put her on the brink of an 8-2 win, which she scored by a carom off the 15 that sent it to two rails and the top right pocket for the winner, giving her a 2-1 series lead. Puff II rallied in game 4 with a four-ball run-out, using a bold cut on the 9 that set up the 10 for a left rail to top right bank and a distance shot on the 12 to clinch the game and move to 3-1 in the series, all answering Kayla's three-ball run that gave her a short-lived lead. Game 5 started off very much in Puff II's favor, but it spent a lot of time oscillating. She appeared to have the edge when she tied it on a double-pot of the 6 in the top left and 8 in the bottom left, and then almost took the lead when the 7 went to the bottom side and the 14 to the top right, but the cue fell in the top left to keep it tied. The players exchanged short runs from there, and Puff II had the last won for an 8-7 win to make it a 4-1 series-clinching game. Kayla finally found her game in game 6, dominating on two turns, with the last being a three-ball run-out on easy shots for an 8-1 win, making it a 4-2 series. Kayla played another strong game 7, winning 8-5 on a two-rail bank of the 12, but this made it a 4-3 series win for Puff II. Ranked #17 in Rotation, Puff II will travel again for her semifinals series.

Chevrolet Center, Everton: Goldy v. Precious. Now, five straight series for the red cue begins with 9-ball in the northeast. Pronger's Precious missed the 4 early in game 1, but bumped the 9 toward the bottom left, and this casual positioning worked for her when Everton's Goldy missed the 7, allowing the Tridents' Precious an easy three-ball run-out for a 1-0 series lead. The Eagles' Goldy bounced back to tie the series at 1 with a game 2 win, a very back-and-forth game that ended with Goldy kicking the cue off the left rail a bit briskly, but it tapped the 8 into the top right and parked it in line for the 9 in the bottom right, a perfectly executed plan. Precious took a shaky game 3 with a long shot on the 7 that left her positioned for the 9 in the top side, a well-executed shot to make it 2-1 in the series. A poor shot from Precious on the 2 in game 4 left an easy decision for Goldy: make the 2-9 combination in the top left, which she turned into a double-pot by getting the 2 to follow, equalizing the series at 2. After Precious made weak contact on the 8, Goldy took control of game 5, burying the 8 in the top side with good enough position to get the 9 in the bottom right, good for a win and a 3-2 lead in the series. Precious had everything go wrong in game 6, lacking much of possession in what had been a close series in that regard. She did get a look on a 4-9 combination, and attempted to bank the 9 to the top side, but the cue ended up scratching, and it looked as if the 9 would stray wide of the pocket until the 4 redirected it in at the last second, causing the victory to be awarded to Goldy, who went up 4-2 in the series. In game 7, Precious had a highlight with the 2-9-6-7 combination to the top left, showing impressive accuracy. Precious later took the last two balls for the win, making the series 4-3. Goldy, ranked #43 in 9-ball, will advance into the semifinals. With the loss, Precious is the first to fall in the Quarterfinals, and the eightieth out of the tournament overall. With her work mostly done on the road, Tridents fans may question why the team wants to keep her, but that she got this far with low-ranked bids says all the team needs to know. Goldy picked up her fourth kill of the season in the win, grabbing a tie for the league lead.

Intel Center, Diamond: Citrus v. Kayla. No one expected the visitor for this 7-ball series to be on her last bid at this point, but here we are. In game 1, Kayla of Queens found highlights with a 2-6-5 combination to the top left and a kick 2-3 combination to the top left on her first turn. Another highlight was her two rail kick on the 6 to get it in the top side, and she finished doing all of the work with the 7 in the top side after Diamond's Citrus scratched, giving the Flames' Kayla a 1-0 lead. The Gems' Citrus figured it all out in game 2, taking ball-in-hand from Kayla's missed contact on the 2 and using it as the catalyst for her six-ball run-out to tie the series at 1. The end of Kayla's three-ball run in game 3 spelled a great chance for Citrus, and she tapped the 7 into the bottom right to pull ahead to a 2-1 series lead. Citrus had a 3-4-6 spin-cut combination to the top left early in the game, and also knocked out the 4 with another spin-cut, but Kayla's positioning from the 5 to the 7 was sheer brilliance. Kayla pulled the cue about a foot or more back after burying a straight in shot on the 5 to the top left, which gave her a straight line to the 7 in the top right, which she converted to tie the series at 2. Citrus returned the favor in game 5, capitalizing on Kayla missing the 5 with an accuracy-laden three-ball run-out to move into a 3-2 series lead. Citrus worked a late three-ball run in game 6, but it didn't do any good for her one miss on the 7, which allowed Kayla to delicately cut it into the top right, tying the series yet again at 3. Kayla had all the right bounces early in game 7, taking a five-ball run, but she couldn't score the 5 from distance. Citrus mopped it up, and from a bad leave, converted on a bank to the bottom side on the 7 for the 4-3, series-clinching win. Ranked #51 in 7-ball, Citrus will be on the road for the semifinals. Kayla is the eighty-first player eliminated after taking three losses in all three of her series this round. Still, with three bids this deep to begin with, the Queens Flames will not let her leave the team, and she will look to build on the effort next season. Her MVP hopes are likely dashed, but they grew slimmer by the round anyway. Citrus earned her third kill of the season, taking out a league leader in the category.

Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Gizmo v. Dreamy. We head along to the northeast for 8-ball now. Swordpoint's Dreamy began in game 1 with a strong start, but worked a three-ball finish at the end for a 1-0 series lead, while Central's Gizmo stayed competitive throughout but got stymied by his late scratch. The Blades' Dreamy used solid defense in game 2, preventing the Warriors' Gizmo from potting his 2 in the top left before taking away the defensive 13 and taking the 8 in the bottom left for a 2-0 lead. Dreamy couldn't hold on after a scratch ended her five-ball run in game 3, and Gizmo chipped away over the next three turns before sinking the 8 from the kitchen after Dreamy scratched again, winning the game and making it 2-1 in the series. Game 4 ended up being an all-out sprint, with both players cruising early and staying chippy late, getting in each others way as much as possible, but Dreamy navigated the defense easier, unlocking the 8 on one turn and sinking it on the next for a win and a 3-1 lead. Dreamy built up another big lead in game 5, but Gizmo almost erased it all. He got stuck when he had to break up his defensive setup, and Dreamy cashed in on the ensuing scratch to win the game and take the series at 4-1. Dreamy had to work for the game 6 win a little more than usual, as Gizmo played strong early, but Dreamy proved resilient, rallying to tie the game and then making two shots on her next turn, the last being a bad-angle cut on the 8 that dropped to make it a 5-1 series. Gizmo pulled back with a strong start in game 7, and he played smart enough to be patient for the right shot late, finally getting it to make it a 5-2 series. Ranked #125 (but at this point, it doesn't mean much), Dreamy advances to the semifinals, where she will again be on the road as a heavy underdog. With the loss, Gizmo is the eighty-second player to be eliminated, but this highly-successful Central Warriors team will return intact next season, making Gizmo perfectly safe. Dreamy earned her second kill of the season.

Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Acorn v. Princess. This 10-ball series marks the first of five straight Rivalry series, a feature that distinguishes the Club system from the Team system of the league. Tysini's Princess began in game 1 with a 1-7-8 combination to the bottom left, but her early flash of skill did no good late, nor did her four-ball run. Lighton's Acorn got two tries on the 10, and he buried it from range the second time for a 1-0 lead. The Hummingbirds' Princess tied the series at 1 in a similar situation during game 2, burying it on her second shot after both herself and the Prestige's Acorn missed on it previously. Game 2 did lack game 1's exciting highlights, though. Acorn shot back in game 3, using a difficult three-ball run-out to take the win and move to 2-1 in the series. Princess answered in game 4, ignoring Acorn's late four-ball run with precision accuracy on the 9 and 10 to the top right and bottom left from less than perfect positions. This win made it 2-2 in the series, leading to a thrilling final three games. Princess had a bad mistake in game 5, going for just contact on the 3, but it ended up too close to the 10, and Acorn converted the 3-10 combination to the bottom left to go up 3-2 in the series. Princess needed just one shot in game 6 to tie the series at 3, and that one shot came after the break, with a hard carom off the 1 to tap the 10 into the bottom left for the equalizer. Game 7 went at the perfect pace, with the players exchanging modest runs. Acorn's second run ended in a scratch though, and Princess went through positioning to take the 8 and 9 to the bottom right and get in line for the 10 at the bottom side, which gave her the win and a 4-3 series win. Ranked #83, Princess has one of her four bids into the semifinals.

Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Noelle v. Shadow. In the second series at this venue, we have more 7-ball to begin the night. Game 1 went a bit rocky, with both players lacking in accuracy. In the end, Web City's Shadow took the 1-0 lead after Central's Noelle left the 7 short at the top right. Game 2 went a little better, with the Warriors' Noelle ultimately benefiting the most after her three-ball run-out tied it at 1 for the series. The players returned to full form in game 3, as Noelle's four-ball run was answered by the Spiders' Shadow on a three-ball run-out with strong positioning, making it a 2-1 series in favor of the visitor. Noelle shot right back, keeping pace with her game 4 win after playing some defense to keep Shadow frustrated on the 6 until she could take it. Noelle took a 3-2 series lead with a four-ball run-out in game 5, sparked by a hard carom off the 3 to take the 4 into the top side, and great positioning throughout. Shadow shot right back, needing just one turn to do all the work in game 6, with his seven-ball run-out serving to tie the series again at 3. Noelle took game 7, using a four-ball run-out to answer a three-ball run and a scratch from Shadow. Much like game 7's distribution, Noelle won the series 4-3, and she will host Citrus of the Diamond Gems in the semifinals at this venue. With the loss, Shadow is the eighty-third player to be eliminated from the tournament. His future with the Web City Spiders is very safe, as they are proud of his leadership in both sports as a reliable, if not outstanding, veteran. Noelle eliminated her third player with the win.

Chevrolet Center, Everton: Goldy v. Diddley. Doubling down on 7-ball, we get a regional rivalry as we switch back to the blue cue for the next five series (which will run to tomorrow, likely). Maplewood's Diddley struck first, taking a somewhat slow game 1 with the 7 in the bottom side after Everton's Goldy failed on a two-rail bank attempt for a 1-0 lead. The Eagles' Goldy wasted a three-ball run in game 2, missing the 7 twice before Diddley of the Lumberjacks buried it for a 2-0 series lead. Diddley couldn't get contact on the 7 at a bad angle in game 3, giving Goldy ball-in-hand to finish the game and move to 2-1 in the series. Goldy tied it at 2 in the series with a four-ball run-out in game 4, a shocking streak of shots given the pace of the series. The highlight play was her clean kick on the 5 to the top left that set her up for the 7. Goldy did all the work in game 5, using three balls on the break to key a five-ball run and taking ball-in-hand after Diddley scratched to get the last two with brilliant positioning skills for a 3-2 series lead. Goldy never gave Diddley a chance in game 6, running the table with all seven balls falling at her hand, clinching the series at 4-2 with the all-out dominant effort. Diddley controlled possession in game 7, but he rattled the 7 out of the top right, and Goldy mopped it up to make her series win 5-2. Ranked #55 in 7-ball, Goldy will be on the road for the semifinals. Diddley's loss means he is the eighty-fourth player to be eliminated. The Maplewood Lumberjacks are not 100% certain of his future, but they appear to be leaning to keeping him. Goldy scored her fifth kill of the season in the win, taking over the league lead.

Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Leonette v. Snowball. We head out to the coast for 10-ball next. In game 1, Pacific's Leonette had a five-ball run that came to an end when the 8-9 kick combination wouldn't fall. Swordpoint's Snowball proceeded to convert the 8-9 to the top left, take the 8 in the bottom left, and score the 10 to the bottom side for a three-ball run-out and 1-0 series lead. The Blades' Snowball went up 2-0 with a classic finish to game 2, going old school by banking the 10 from the left rail to the bottom right. As longtime readers know, 10-ball is famous for ending on bank shots. Snowball cashed in on Leonette of the Volcanoes leaving the 9 short in game 3, knocking it in while getting good position on the 10, which went down to give her a 3-0 series lead. Snowball secured the series at 4-0 with a tap-in on the 10 after Leonette missed it again, blowing the series in the process. Leonette had a five-ball run in game 5, but it didn't mean a thing in the end, as Snowball ended another game with a left-rail bank to the bottom right on the 10, winning the game with another classic finish to go to 5-0. Leonette continued to lack a solid finishing move, leaving the 10 short once again to allow Snowball a tap-in that put her at 6-0 in the series. Leonette appeared to be on the right track in game 7, but she lost it when Snowball took over possession after she didn't call an odd sinking of the 3. Snowball turned in a five-ball run, and Leonette made the 9, but failed to convert the classic finish, which Snowball tapped in to complete the sweep at 7-0. Snowball, ranked #76 for 10-ball, will be on the road again for the semifinals. With the loss, Leonette is the eighty-fifth player to be eliminated. The Pacific Volcanoes were uncertain after the cricket season, but a remarkable bounce-back season after being a journeycat for years almost guarantees Leonette's career continuing along the coast. Snowball picked up her second kill of the season in the win.

BMW RockDome, Westside: Misty v. Cleo. We come inland a bit for some 12-ball. Everton's Cleo struck first, using a four-ball run early in game 1 and smart shot selection and set-up work to grind out the victory, while Westside's Misty got caught out of position when the series went to 1-0. The Rockers' Misty got a lucky bounce to take care of the bottom side, but her work to defend against the Eagles' Cleo and then sink the 10 in the bottom right overruled the luck as she tied the series at 1. Misty took a 2-1 series lead in game 3, as Cleo couldn't get focused on any ball in particular with none of them in helpful places, although Misty gave her a lot of time as she struggled to set the 6 up at the bottom left. Misty took advantage of both failed defense and laziness by Cleo, as Misty's original attempt at her last ball got snookered by Cleo's defense, but Cleo couldn't cash in on her last two as she chipped the second shot, giving Misty a clean line for the winning shot. Misty moved to a 3-1 series lead. Misty clinched the series at 4-1 with a game 5 win that saw her go around the table very efficiently. Cleo tried a solid tactic of going sides, then left, then right, but she got stuck in some defense on her last turn, and illegal contact created all Misty would need to seal the win. Cleo got one back in game 6, wasting a lot of time with missed shots at the bottom left, but eventually striking after Misty couldn't take the hardest of three possible shots from ball-in-hand. This made the series 4-2. Cleo was first to get to her final two balls after extensive set-up work in game 7, making both shots to put the series at a 4-3 final. Misty, ranked #21 in 12-ball, advances to the semifinals, where she will play the host again. Cleo finds herself as the eighty-sixth player to be 86ed from the tournament. The Everton Eagles are not sure what they will do regarding Cleo's future. She did have a strong rookie season, so they may chalk this year up to sophomore slump, or they may make changes. The team has been more than the sum of its parts, so that is something to consider. Misty took her second kill of the season.

Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Spirit v. Bryant. The final series of the night will see some southwestern 15-ball action. Maplewood's Bryant scratched in game 1, and this spelled trouble for him, as Spirit of Lighton used the 6 to get position for a 7-15 combination, which she converted to the bottom left for a 1-0 series lead. Neither player carried much momentum for game 2, but Bryant of the Lumberjacks came out on top with the last two shots to tie the series at 1. Bryant saw his seven-ball run not be quite enough at first, as Spirit of the Prestige ran four balls, but missed on the 15. Bryant converted to the top side, winning the game for a 2-1 series lead. Bryant couldn't quite work the finish like he worked the 7 in game 4. With the 7, Bryant converted a carom off of it to knock the 3 in, and then took the 7 out with a 4-7 combination. In the end, Spirit mopped up the 15 at the bottom right when Bryant left it short, tying the series at 2 games apiece. Game 5 also went a bit back-and-forth, but the shooting was mostly cleaner except in the middle. Spirit made the last two balls to a take a 3-2 series lead. Spirit clinched the series with a game 6 win, using a three-ball run-out with a carom off the 12 to get the 14 in the top side, a spin-cut to take the 12 in the top left, and a long-range straight shot to bury the 15 for her winning shots. Spirit finished the series up 5-2 with a game 7 win, coming on a narrow miss by Bryant. Ranked #38 in 15-ball, Spirit advances to a road series in the semifinals. Bryant is the eighty-seventh player eliminated this season. With a winning record by games and by series, the Maplewood Lumberjacks are expected to retain Bryant's services for next season. Spirit picked up her first kill of the season.

After 77 games tonight, I desire to leave you with a story I've been saving all season. This story is the only piece of lore in UPCL history, but it is something I hold dear to me. In the 2011 tournament (but July, 2012), around the fourth or fifth round of the A-levels, a former player named Hannah broke the shaft of the red cue stick after a variety of missed shots enraged her. This, on its own, is not spectacular, but that it came on the same day the first piece of chalk used broke from becoming too small makes it a legendary moment. Thus, the Curse of the Broken Chalk best indicates that no pool shall be played after the chalk is broken. This has now happened three more times, once a year, and every day the chalk breaks, play stops. Tonight was the outlier, as I forced the chalk to break and played the last game of the last series, in an effort to avoid the curse. In just minutes from posting time, the curse will break again, and play will resume as normal tomorrow. Speaking of that, tomorrow is a day where I aim to do what I can. Sunday will be much like today, volume-wise, and Monday will bring the quarterfinals to the end with a short slate of whatever is left. With that, I'll be back tomorrow.