With 180 players, the Virginia Beach Super Regional was the 3rd largest tournament in DUPR Collegiate Pickleball history, only behind the Georgia Super Regional (190) and 2023 Nationals (360). 17 schools contributed to the 180 players, with 13 of the schools in search of a bid to the 2024 Collegiate National Championship. This was the first collaboration event between MLP and DUPR Collegiate Pickleball, in order to showcase collegiate pickleball as a path to pro. The DUPR Collegiate National Championship on November 1st-3rd will also be a collaboration event with MLP.

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In front of a lively audience, UVA secured their first Super Regional championship by beating UNC 3-1 in the finals. The last time these two teams met in the finals of a tournament was last year’s National Championship, when UVA beat UNC 3-2 in a dreambreaker. In 2024, both of these teams are looking to new players to keep themselves as championship-caliber teams. With David Bieger and Lauralei Singsank graduating from UVA, and Hunter Boyd, Collin Shick, and Caitlin Lewis no longer on the UNC pickleball team, both teams have to replace crucial pieces. Along with JMU and UConn, both UVA and UNC already had secured bids to Nationals before this tournament. 

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NC State, UNCC, Duke, and Liberty all gained a bid through their play at the Virginia Beach Super Regional. NC State advanced to the semifinals, UNCC made it to the quarterfinals, and both Duke and Liberty won their Battle of the Bid showdowns against Randolph-Macon and High Point, respectively. Along with High Point, this was the first tournament appearance for Rutgers. In the challenger bracket, Samuel Pan and Seth Penniston from NC State won Men’s Doubles Group A, Aryan Mozar and Chase Harmer from JMU won Men’s Doubles Group B, Joshua Bridges and Caroline Messier from JMU won the Mixed/Women’s Doubles bracket. 

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A special thanks goes to our DUPR Collegiate Pickleball partners: JOOLA, HEAD, GAMMA, Rally Republic, Osaka, No Apologies Hydration, Erne, Pickleball Superstore, and Total Pickleball. Another thanks goes to Pickleball Virginia Beach in Virginia Beach, VA for hosting this tournament!

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