Monday marked the kickoff of MLP Las Vegas, coinciding with the first day of competition following the trade deadline, during which several teams made significant moves.
One of the key trades involved the AZ Drive and the Carolina Pickleball Club. AZ sent Kaitlyn Christian to Carolina in exchange for Jessie Irvine.
In our article analyzing the trades,We highlighted how both teams could benefit: Carolina would strengthen its singles lineup with Christian, while the Drive would gain a solid right-side presence in Irvine.
The early results for AZ in Las Vegas appear to validate that second prediction. Irvine posted a 3-1 record, contributing to the Drive’s regulation victories against both the LA Mad Drops and the Dallas Flash.
While the win against a depleted Mad Drops team wasn’t unexpected, a convincing 3-1 triumph over Dallas—currently ranked third in the Premier level standings—stands out as a significant achievement.
Irvine and Schneemann launched their campaign with an impressive 25-16 victory over Jorja Johnson and Hurricane Tyra Black, marking their second win together after also defeating the Mad Drops’ Catherine Parenteau and Jade Kawamoto.
This strong start is particularly notable given that these are Irvine’s first matches with her new team.
“We didn’t really even have that much time to practice because we all just played the Vegas PPA, so this is literally our first time playing matches together,” she shared. “We did so well today, and I’m happy for everybody.”
With two wins on Monday, Arizona currently sits in 8th place in the standings based on points per match as they push for the playoffs.
Irvine is determined to make an impact on the court, regardless of her team. “It doesn’t matter what team I’m on—I just want to play good pickleball,” she stated.
Her next opportunity to showcase her skills will come Tuesday morning against her former team, as the Drive face off against the Carolina Pickleball Club in the first match on Championship Court.
