We're back with pool for the next three weeks, earning some heavy doses of the game. We begin with...
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Twinkie I v. Alyssa. The first set is 15-ball with the silver cue. Game 1 mostly went in back-and-forth fashion as the players begin to get a feel for the table after a long layoff, with Oceanside's Alyssa cleaning up a miss on the 15 by Twinkie I of Lighton to take a 1-0 series lead. The Waves' Alyssa had the better of possession in game 2, but faded late. The Prestige's Twinkie I had a highlight, banking the 13 off the bottom rail to combo the 14 into the top right, but she missed on the 15, allowing Alyssa to mop it up and seal the series at 2-0. Twinkie I seemed like the better player in game 3, but another lack of finish allowed Alyssa to bank the 15 into the top left for the 3-0 series sweep. Alyssa, ranked #47 for 15-ball, goes to the second round.
Ford Forum, Pronger: Precious v. Leandra. The red cue steps up for Rotation in the next series. Pronger's Precious weathered a three-ball run from Tysini's Leandra, answering with short runs on her next three turns combined with killer defense to storm to an 8-3 win and a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Tridents' Precious had to work a bit harder after a scratch gave the Hummingbirds' Leandra some offense, but Precious won 8-4 with a three-ball run-out, ending on a bank of the 11 to the bottom side for the 2-0 series lead. Leandra salvaged game 3 well, not shooting at her best but doing enough at the bottom side to propel her to an 8-5 win. Precious still took the series 2-1, and advances her #33 ranked Rotation bid to the second round.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Kiwi v. Diddley. The red cue remains up for 12-ball. Terrace City's Kiwi got off to a slow start in game 1, but Maplewood's Diddley couldn't close the gap after Kiwi ran five balls, and she beat him to the top side, sealing off a cautious win for a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Knights' Kiwi ran three balls from the break, but the Lumberjacks' Diddley caught her in a defensive trap before taking the game with the last two balls, tying the series at 1. Diddley had a hot start, and he was able to use defense and patient shooting to topple Kiwi, who lacked accuracy in her shots. Diddley won the series 2-1, and the #74 ranked 12-ball player is in the second round.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Stripes v. Easter. The silver cue gets this 12-ball series in a location-based doubleheader situation. Todavía's Easter had a better go of it in game 1, working a four-ball run to establish herself and then giving Terrace City's Stripes no looks at her remaining balls, allowing Easter to patiently wait for a good chance, which she converted to go up 1-0 in the series. Easter of the Stills also outplayed the Knights' Stripes in game 2, navigating the table quicker and getting Stripes to de-position herself before Easter tapped in her last ball to clinch at a 2-0 series lead. Easter wasted little time in winning game 3, using a three-ball run-out to complete the series sweep. Easter advances with her #94 ranked 12-ball bid to the second round.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Sprinkles v. Shadow. The blue cue gets its first action with 9-ball. Web City's Shadow got a bit lucky in game 1 that Capital City's Sprinkles missed long-range contact on the 9, giving him ball-in-hand to make the 9 for a 1-0 series lead. The Sharpshooters' Sprinkles answered in an evenly-matched game 2, using good position off the 8 to get an easy shot on the 9, tying the series at 1 against the Spiders' Shadow. In game 3, Sprinkles looked in good shape until she narrowly missed the 9 at the bottom right to end a three-ball run, with Shadow tapping it in to take the series 2-1. Shadow, ranked #50 for 9-ball, goes to the second round.
Sprint Hall, Victoria: Yekaterina Vasilyeva v. Panda: It's a debut for the rookie Yekaterina, playing 7-ball with the blue cue. Southern's Panda took game 1 narrowly, using good set-up off the 5 to pot the 7 in the top left, spoiling the competitive debut for Victoria's Yekaterina as Panda goes up 1-0 in the series. The Monarchs' Panda turned on the jets a bit for game 2, shutting the Spurs' Yekaterina down with a four-ball run-out to clinch the series at 2-0. Yekaterina had a decent shot in game 3, but missed on the 7, allowing Panda to take the series in a 3-0 sweep. Panda, ranked #57 for 7-ball, is into the second round.
Apple Center, Todavía: Sierra v. Sugar. The silver cue is back for a set of Rotation. Todavía's Sierra had complete control over game 1, winning by the rare score of 9-1 with double-pots of the 5 to the bottom side and 9 to the bottom right, followed by the winner of the 8 and 11 both in the bottom right, giving her a 1-0 lead on Web City's Sugar. The Spiders' Sugar answered with an 8-3 win in game 2, sealing it with an 11-14-15 combination banked off of the bottom rail to the top left, tying the series at 1-1 as the Stills' Sierra didn't have a good game. Sierra had a double-pot pace her attack, winning with a good cut of the 7 to the bottom right to seal an 8-1 game win and 2-1 series win. Ranked #38 in Rotation, Sierra slides into the second round.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Roxy v. Valencia. The red cue is back in action for 9-ball. Golden's Valencia weathered a five-ball run from Freedom's Roxy at the start of the game, and battled hard to make the final four over multiple turns, taking a 1-0 series lead with a sharp cut on the 9 to the bottom right. The Cascades' Roxy rattled off another good start, but continued to dominate save for the Pilots' Valencia kicking the 6-8 combination to the bottom side at a tough angle for a highlight. Roxy won with a carom off the 7 by the cue, potting the 9 gently at the bottom right to tie the series at 1. Valencia geared up successfully in game 3, winning on a six-ball run-out laced with precision positioning to take the series 2-1. Ranked #95 for 9-ball, Valencia will travel to Pronger's Ford Forum to meet Precious of the Tridents for a second round series.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Midnight v. Niki. The final series of the abbreviated afternoon is Accuracy with the red cue, due to time constraints and pace of play. Westside's Midnight pushed play in game 1 pretty effectively, inducing a number of misses for Eastside's Niki, leading to Midnight winning 2-5 to go up 1-0 in the series. The Sharks' Niki proved much sharper in game 2, while the Rockers' Midnight stumbled a bit late in the game, with Niki winning 2-4 to tie the series at 1-1. Niki found another level in game 3, completely dominating Midnight to seal a 1-3 win for a 2-1 series win. Niki is ranked #58 for Accuracy and headed to the second round.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Chimpy v. Precious. The night session begins with 7-ball and the silver cue. Modernistic's Chimpy had a good game 1, but his four-ball run ended with a miss on the 7, setting up a win for Pronger's Precious, who converted for a 1-0 series lead. The Tridents' Precious clinched the series at 2-0 with a dominant game 2, allowing the Union's Chimpy just one shot as she started on a four-ball run and ended with a three-ball run-out for a win. Game 3 ended up pretty competitive, but Chimpy simply didn't have much accuracy, allowing Precious to grind out a win and take the series in a 3-0 sweep. Ranked #59 for 7-ball, Precious is through to the second round.
Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Neopolitan v. Cassandra. The final player making their season debut is Neopolitan, in her series of 15-ball with the red cue. Diamond's Cassandra spoiled the debut, storming back after a treacherous start to pot the 15 on her second try, halting the progress of Pearl's Neopolitan, with Cassandra up 1-0 after game 1. The Gems' Cassandra used a similar strategy in game 2, potting the final eight balls on a three-ball run and five-ball run-out to seal the series at 2-0, as the Surfers' Neopolitan never really got a solid chance to respond. Neopolitan was flat-out bad in game 3, failing to shoot accurately or even acceptably, and Cassandra took the series in a 3-0 sweep. Cassandra advances to the second round as the #57 ranked 15-ball player.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Twilight v. Smokey. This is the final 9-ball series with the red cue in the first round. Diamond's Smokey came out over Central's Twilight in an unremarkable game 1, mopping up her long miss on the 9 to take the 1-0 series lead. The Gems' Smokey wasted no time in winning game 2, never letting the Warriors' Twilight see the table. Smokey sank three balls on the break, and three shots later, his 5-9 combination landed in the top right to give him a 2-0 series lead. Twilight saved a bit of face despite getting outplayed in game 3, banking the 9 to the bottom right to salvage a win and make it a 2-1 series win for Smokey. Ranked #97 in 9-ball, Smokey will travel to Harrison's Mercedes-Benz Forum to face off with Brute Force club-mate Slinks of the Specters in the second round.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Nikolai v. Brownie. The red cue remains busy, playing 15-ball again. Freedom's Nikolai had the better of play in game 1, but Harrison's Brownie put up a decent fight until illegal contact when aiming for the 11, allowing Nikolai to run out the last three balls from ball-in-hand for the 1-0 series lead. The Cascades' Nikolai controlled pace pretty well, but the end of the game could have gone either way. The Specters' Brownie missed on her shot, and Nikolai converted his, leaving the cue on the very edge of the bottom right. The referee ruled that the cue stayed up long enough for Nikolai to take a 2-0 series lead. Brownie had a couple of good spells in game 3, but Nikolai ran out the last three balls for the win and a 3-0 series sweep. Nikolai, ranked #54 for 15-ball, goes to the second round.
Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Neopolitan v. Kiwi. The silver cue is back for 7-ball between twins from different pairs. Terrace City's Kiwi rallied back after Pearl's Neopolitan started well, with Kiwi sealing up at the end on good positioning for the 6 and 7 to the top corners, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. The Surfers' Neopolitan bounced back in game 2, working a three-ball run-out from ball-in-hand after the Knights' Kiwi illegally contacted the 6 while aiming at the 5, tying the series at 1. Kiwi's early three-ball run in game 3 featured a double-pot of the 2 to the top left and 1 to the top side, both deflecting off the 7 at different times to get to their locations. This paid off later, as Kiwi controlled possession and won the game for a 2-1 series win. Kiwi, ranked #63 for 7-ball, goes to the second round.
That's all for today's sampler. Enjoy the next three weeks.
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