After a summer that has seen a massive data loss and frustrations mounting for the league during a now-scrapped qualifying session, it's appropriate to form a new, sideshow type of tournament. Thus, to get us back to our roots as a league, the UPCL has allowed its players to release into a separate tournament, pairing to form dynamic duos. The doubles teams will play 8-ball in a single-elimination format for this edition, although future editions may feature different styles of pool. As there are 72 pairs, sixteen doubles teams will play in the preliminary round, which starts now.
The first series is played with the red cue, as Jennifer and Stephanie Livilotti go against Frosty and Sweetheart. Jennfier had a good break and secured solids for the Livilottis. Stephanie helped with a four-ball run on her turn, after Sweetheart didn't do much for Orting Forever. Frosty had a couple of shots, but Jennifer ended the game on a three-ball run-out for a 1-0 series lead. Frosty got one back for her side after a challenging second game. Frosty unleashed a five-ball run-out to tie the series at 1, after a scratch from Stephanie really turned the tides of the game. Frosty unraveled a strong game 3 effort for her team, scratching and then fouling on consecutive turns at the table after Sweetheart had no angle on a shot in between. This allowed Jennifer and Stephanie to work themselves into position, and Jennifer cashed in with a three-ball run-out to regain the series lead at 2-1. Stephanie and Frosty engaged in a late race, with Stephanie going on a four-ball run and Frosty answering with a three-ball run. Unfortunately for Sweetheart, she never had a chance on the 8, as Jennifer buried it for her third clinching shot and the series-winner, as the Livilottis secured the series at 3-1. Jennifer got a bit too bold near the end of game 5, missing on the 8 after she didn't make a strong effort to get position. Sweetheart iced the game with the last two shots, but Orting Forever exits the festivities on a 3-2 series loss. Jennifer and Stephanie face B. Chapman and Dani in the first round.
Next up, Neopolitan and Ice Cream act as hosts to Dewey and Violetta, with the blue cue doing the honors. It was a good first game for the players, as Neopolitan helped Twinnest quite a bit, including a good break and a six-ball run. Scratching was a problem for that duo, and that allowed Children Revolution to counter effectively. After a chess match organized by Violetta, Dewey broke free to make the last two shots for a win and 1-0 series lead. Ice Cream is struggling to carry enough of the load, leaving Neopolitan a bit shorthanded to battle with the aggressive Dewey and heady Violetta. Neopolitan handled herself well in game 2, winning with a three-ball run-out after Ice Cream had scratched earlier. Violetta tried to play set-up, but it was too late, and the series is tied at 1. Ice Cream looked better in game 3, but Neopolitan couldn't hold herself to the same standard. Meanwhile, Dewey did all the work with a five-ball run early on and a three-ball run-out to give his side a 2-1 series lead. Ice Cream saved her team with a good performance in game 4. Her two turns made up the bulk of their offense, countering Dewey quite well as he came very close to sinking the 8. Still, Ice Cream's game-winning three-ball run-out saw her double-punch (a very heavy second contact) the 15 to the top side, giving her a long but straight look at the 8 for the win to tie the series at 2. Violetta did well to set things up for the Children Revolution, but the 8 proved too tricky for either her or Dewey. Instead, Twinnest's Ice Cream provided the offense while Neopolitan shut things down defensively. Ice Cream won the game with a four-ball run-out, and this gave Twinnest a 3-2 series win, sending them to face Juno and Bandit in the first round.
One of the mostly highly anticipated series in the preliminary round is next, as Misty and Leonette host Citrus and Sprinkles. This series pits mothers against daughters. The silver cue is active in this series. The Top of the List side started well from Misty's decent break and Leonette's pacing the play in the middle of the game. However, the Cousins broke through with Sprinkles making a late run and Citrus icing off the 8 after Misty's last shot was short. The Cousins lead 1-0. Citrus' break didn't do anything to help the cause, but a good set of turns from them and frustrating misses by Misty and Leonette allowed the Cousins to break through with a four-ball run by Citrus and three-ball run-out by Sprinkles for a 2-0 lead in the series. Scratching became a problem for the Cousins in game 3, and it neutered every chance they had of a comeback late in the game. Patient play from Misty and Leonette gave them a good shot on the 8 to get the win, which Misty buried after Leonette did a lot of the leg work to get there. The series is now 2-1. Citrus had troubles very early in game 4, and they damaged the Cousins' ability to get back in the game. A smothering offense from Misty and savvy set-up work from Leonette allowed the hosts to get the easy win and tie the series at 2, leaving it all for a deciding game. Misty led the way in attack in game 5, propelling her team with a five-ball run-out at the end as they staved off a fierce series of shots from Sprinkles and Citrus in the late stages to take the 3-2 series win. Top of the List faces Goatee and Strut in the first round.
Series four, the first played outside of the normal venue, features Sierra and Spirit against Kayla and Ted, playing with the red cue. Game 1 saw the captains do much of the damage, with Sierra and Kayla exchanging three-ball runs during the game. In the end, it was a four-ball run-out by Spirit that lifted the sisters to their victory and a 1-0 series lead over Team Rhodesberg. Ted made a big play early in game 2, with a 5-3-6 combination to the bottom left corner. Despite the hot start, Rhodesberg couldn't hold on and moved to the precipice of elimination as Sierra and Spirit each had four-ball runs to snag another win and a 2-0 series lead with the dominant stretch of play. Rhodesberg looked to be on another big run in game 3, but Kayla's five-ball run was overshadowed by some defense from Sierra after a four-ball run, and then Spirit took care of things later to clinch the series at 3-0. Kayla saved her team some shame, running the table in game 4 despite Sierra's first successful breaking effort. This cut the series to 3-1 after the impressive display that included a combination shot and a bank shot as well as excellent positioning on the part of Kayla. Rhodesberg also took game 5, surviving a late scare from the sisters as Spirit rallied with a seven-ball run that ended with her just missing on the 8, and Ted mopped up the last two balls for the series final of 3-2. Sierra and Spirit will face Spotter (Spot and Potter) in the first round.
Next up, Delila and Diddley face off with the Second Generation, Puff II and Twinkie II, in a fairly marquee match. The silver cue gets this series. Diddley did just enough in game 1 to lift the leading couple of Delila Enterprises to a very sloppy win. The break from Delila was poor, and the early shooting looked like the general rust was still present. The Second Generation didn't get much out of Twinkie II, holding them back at the end before Diddley made the final two balls for a win and 1-0 lead in the series. The Second Generation answered in game 2, weathering an early run from Delila and a supplementary effort by Diddley. Twinkie II staked out a five-ball run, and Puff II ended the game on her next turn thanks to Twinkie II leaving the 8 in a convenient spot. The series is tied at 1. Game 3 proved to be a battle, as Puff II did well to distribute on the break, and this left Delila and Diddley scrambling. They managed to keep up pretty well, but Delila's miss on the 8 left Twinkie II open for a cut shot that she made to the bottom left to give the Second Generation a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 seemed to start a bit slow and tense, with Delila making a mistake on her first turn. Puff II was unable to capitalize later on, but Twinkie II make progress, and Puff II finished it off with a four-ball run-out after a poor turn from Diddley left the table set. The Second Generation claimed the series at 3-1. Twinkie II had some fortune in game 5, working a five-ball run and then completing the game two turns later after the 3 banked off the right rail and the bottom left corner before finding safety in the top left. Delila was ineffective in countering the attack, and this led to her team losing the game and the series 4-1. The Second Generation advances to face Bryant and Jasmine in the first round.
Following that, the blue cue gets its turn managing Blizzard and Shaggy (Heirs Apparent) against Nicole and Yekaterina (The Leftovers). The Leftovers seemingly stole game 1, as a four-ball run from Blizzard left them dead to rights, but three straight misses on the 8 from the Heirs Apparent allowing Yekaterina to play catch up before Nicole iced the game in a come-from-behind win for a 1-0 series lead. The lack of finish popped up again in game 2, but it was most critical for the Leftovers, who lost when Yekaterina missed on a short-range shot on the 8. This allowed Shaggy to redeem herself for an early miss as well as save teammate Blizzard's chances with a clever tap-in for the win, tying the series at 1. Game 3 was more of the save, as Blizzard faltered in form late in the game, opening the door for a big run by Nicole. Shaggy had a chance to finish the game, but her bank on the 8 toward the top left didn't work out, and Yekaterina made the last two shots to steal another win for the Leftovers for a 2-1 series lead. Nicole kept her team in the game in game 4, as Blizzard and Shaggy shared spurts of success. It looked dire when Yekaterina missed contact, but Shaggy left the 8 at the top side, and Nicole tapped it in as part of a three-ball run-out to clinch the series at 3-1. Game 5 came down to the wire, as each team saw good runs, a four-ball effort from Blizzard and a three-ball run by Nicole. In the end, Shaggy had the last shot, making a great cut on the 15 to the top side, but also illegally potting the 8 as the cue came back and sent it to the bottom left. The Leftovers took the series 4-1, and advance to the first round against Debby and Sydney, the Musicians.
The penultimate series of the preliminary round brings the red cue back for the Lookalikes Charli XCX and Lorde against Muscle and Medicine, Rainmane and Slinks. Muscle and Medicine took game 1, but it was far from an elegant process, as the Lookalikes played a lot of defense once their offense failed them. Still, Slinks got behind the defense and converted on the 8 to give the visitors a 1-0 series lead. Rainmane left no doubt as to which team was in control with her break on game 2, pushing the 8 along to the top left for the instant win and a 2-0 series lead over the now-stunned Lookalikes. Rainmane again played the hero in game 3, lifting most of the Muscle and Medicine offense against a disjointed attack from the Lookalikes that featured heavily with Charli and very little with Lorde, who acted more defensive. Rainmane's excellence secured the series at 3-0 for Muscle and Medicine. Slinks made the largest contribution to game 4 for Muscle and Medicine, coming up big with a six-ball run-out in the end to overwhelm the four-ball run from Charli early in the game. Muscle and Medicine now leads 4-0 in the series. Lorde salvaged a bit of pride for the Lookalikes, capping off their race-style victory in game 5 to avoid the sweep. Muscle and Medicine went 4-1 for the series, advancing to oppose the Princesses Peach and Daisy in the first round.
Finally, an all-former-Puyallup battle between Dustin and Sally, the Seattle Bears, and Dominic and Leandra, the Puppies. The silver cue is in action. Dominic and Leandra both dominated on their first turns in game 1, but the luck was soon to fade, as Dustin and Sally rallied back with a five-ball run and three-ball run-out respectively to take the game and a 1-0 series lead. Dominic didn't let the Puppies fall any farther behind, as he dug out a three-ball run-out, finishing on a trickling bank of the 8 to the top left to prevent a comeback from the Seattle Bears. Dustin and Sally both left chances on the table as the series fell into a 1-1 tie. In game 3, Leandra was the difference between the teams, as she rattled in a three-ball run-out at the end under heavy pressure from Dustin and Sally late in the game. The Puppies have a somewhat unexpected 2-1 series lead after that effort. After some early flashy play from both teams, things turned defensive late in game 4, with Sally and Dustin just holding off a hard charge from Leandra in the end as the Seattle Bears took the game to retie the series at 2. Despite a very tense and defensive effort form the Puppies in game 5, the Seattle Bears completed their series comeback with the win, at the hands of Sally with the final shot amid serious defense. They took the series 3-2, and they'll face the Grand team of Tigerette and Cheddar in the first round.
Expect the first round to take place around November or December. As the longest round of the tournament, it may stretch into 2017.
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