Cleveland Riff 2026 Preview: Time to Harmonize

By: Emma Meo

Last Season:

What started as a single cord, had grown into a full on melody. After a heartbreaking 2024 season, everyone had expected a similar performance from the Cleveland Riff. However, expectations shifted when the Riff won their first series of the season against the Toronto Raiders on their home turf, making it their first series win in over a year.

Their next series against the Chicago Prowl ended in a defeat with a score of 0-3, and they met the same fate against the Detroit Innovators. Nonetheless, the series win against Toronto qualified the Riff for the  MLQ Championship, allowing them to attend for the first time since 2021.

In the 2025 season, the Riff had finished 3-9, which was an improvement from their 2024 season record of 0-12. Now begs the question, will the Riff keep harmonizing? Or will the guitar fall out of tune?

Returning Players:

Adam Thompson (Ohio Apollos)

David Profusek (Ohio Apollos)

Evalien Duyvesteyn (Ohio Apollos)

Fiona Gaffney (Ohio Apollos)

Jack Moseley (Ohio Apollos)

Jennifer Conard (Ohio Apollos)

Joseph Lombardi (Ohio Apollos)

Rachel Yates (Ohio Apollos)

Rae Barnes (Ohio Apollos)

Robert Beaton (Ohio Apollos)

Rose Mournighan (Unaffiliated)

Will Kozak (Unaffiliated)

Delaney Lindberg (Ohio Apollos)

Emma Meo (University of Pittsburgh)

Jackson Neofes (University of Pittsburgh)

Kevin Oh (Ohio Apollos)

Vivian Cox (Case Western Reserve University)

New Players:

Adrian Cheng (Case Western Reserve University)

Ashley Chow (Case Western Reserve University)

Christian Marinescu (University of Pittsburgh)

Emily Pekich (University of Pittsburgh)

Jessica Link (University of Pittsburgh)

Julio Perez (Case Western Reserve University)

Jim Karas (University of Pittsburgh)

Katie Volz (Unaffiliated)

Marin Neill (University of Pittsburgh)

Mykal Jones (Ohio Apollos)

Titus Chan (Case Western Reserve University)

Tymir Bevel (Ohio Apollos)

Varun Krishna (University of Pittsburgh)

Player Breakdown:

College = 13

Case Western Reserve University = 5

University of Pittsburgh = 8

Club = 14

Ohio Apollos = 14

Unaffiliated = 3

Notable Losses:

Peter Brechting

Abby Engle

Taylor Freeman

Ari Glockner

Austin Howe

Lacey Hutchman

Rachel Krieger

Martin Meinert

Devon Smith

Andrew Tudor 

Dominik Twarowski

The Season Ahead:

Cleveland is ushering in a new era. This year, the Riff has 13 new players in addition to their returning lineup. Almost all of these new players are college-aged.

With the redividing of the MLQ divisions, Cleveland will only have two series for the 2026 season. On the first stop of their regional tour, the Riff will be traveling south to play the Charlotte Aviators. While at the Benepe Cup in Buffalo last year the Riff faced off against the Charlotte Aviators in the play-in bracket, which did not go well for the Riff with a score of 60-195. Safe to say with the new Riff roster, this can truly go in any direction, but based off of the previous stats, it might end in defeat for Cleveland, with a score of 2-1 for the Aviators.

Their second and final series before the Eastern Conference will be against the Detroit Innovators, playing on their home field, which has not happened since 2018. While the number on the scoreboard may say that the Innovators take the reins, the skill level between these two teams say otherwise. If the Riff wanted to see their name in the headlines, they would need to pick and choose their battles. With the Innovators having a smaller roster, this match up might be more even than in recent years. If the Riff want to secure a bid to the Championship, they need to play the right strings in this match in order to get there. The prediction for this game, The Riff should expect a series win with a score of 2-1. 

After this series, there will only be two weeks until the Eastern Conference. We don’t know the format of this conference, but the Riff will have to be on their game to potentially face off against teams like The Boston Forge and the New York Titans.

Why They Will:

There have been a significant number of college players added to the team, with a majority of the new recruits being from college programs. These players will help support the Riff in securing crucial series wins and help add to their depth in regards to scoring and securing dodgeballs. The Riff also recruited several players from the University of Pittsburgh and CWRUcio, who both made significant runs at USQ Nationals this past season and have promising futures. On the chaser side we have Christian Marinescu, Emily Pekich, and Varun Krishna who have contributed their time as play drivers. We also have Jim Karas, who is a solid hoop defender. And with the addition of players like CWRUcio Keeper Titus Chan, who is entering his second year at the USNT Developmental Academy, all of these players have the potential to make some noise for the Riff. Other important returners include Joe Lombardi, who led the league in goals scored last season with 31. Lombardi is a crucial aspect of the Riff’s style, and with a strong vet like him returning to guide the college-age rookies, Cleveland’s future is bright.  

We cannot simply ignore the beater depth that has been acquired by the Riff. In previous years, this had been one of their weak spots. Some might say it still is without the help of Austin Howe and Peter Brechting. However, with Rae Barnes and Adam Thompson leading the charge in beater stops last season, with Barnes having 12 and Thompson having 10 it seems like that won’t be a problem any longer. These veteran players can help mentor the young rookies who are already making great progress, keeping an eye out for Ashley Chow, Jessica Link, and Marin Neill. 

Why They Won’t:

On the flip side of having new players added to the Riff’s roster, It will take some time for the team to get synced together in order to pull off the plays they might need in order to win. Additionally, with almost half of this team being made up of college-aged players, some might question how Cleveland will perform against opponents with much more experience. If the Riff can develop these players to their fullest potential, another historic season may be in the books. But if things don’t click, Cleveland could be heading towards a tough path to the Benepe Cup.