Fast Takes with FastBreak: New York vs Washington
By: Riley Hodder and Ryan Leary
Major League Quadball is back, and the season opener once again belongs to the New York Titans and the Washington Admirals.
The opening weekend of MLQ has featured New York vs. Washington since 2022. This year, it's the only official series taking place on the day, so all eyes will be on this iconic, historic matchup.
Through the years, the Admirals and the Titans have been rivals and their series always brings an electric start to the season. But this year, they’re in a smaller group, the Atlantic division, which makes Saturday’s three games more important than ever.
In the past, the Washington vs. New York series has been a close one. In 2022, the Admirals split the series, losing in the first two games but bringing home a win in the last one. But the series has become a little more one-sided in recent years.
In 2023, Washington was only able to keep Game One close, losing 160-155, then dropping the following two games 165-60 and 135-40. In 2024, it was more of the same, with New York scoring at least 175 points each game and the Admirals scoring at most 90, dropping all three games to the eventual 2024 MLQ Champions.
That brings us to last year. The Titans started the 2025 season as MLQ Champs, intending to defend their title. Their series against the Admirals was a showing of their dominance: they won 185-90, 155-90 and 205-60. While this was a rough start to the season for Washington, they went on to prove themselves as a capable team that could punch up if the conditions were right. While they lost their series against the Charlotte Aviators, they took a game off them, then came back to take the series against Boston in July. For New York, the champs hit some road bumps on their way back to the finals, dropping a game in their series win against Boston but eventually losing in the 2025 finals to the San Antonio Soldados.
The stage is set for the 2026 iteration of this classic rivalry. For the Admirals, the goal of this series will be to show that they can change the course of the last few years and channel enough power to take a game, or perhaps a win, against this powerhouse New York team. For the Titans, who are likely seeking to regain their title from San Antonio, this series will be about a showing of its force, proving to the league that despite some changes to its roster, it's still the dominant New York team we’ve become accustomed to watching.
So here is our prediction of what this series is going to look like:
The Washington Admirals: Seas the Opportunity
This Washington team is getting younger and younger. This team has dethroned the Detroit Innovators as the premier collegiate team in the league. Now, that title belongs to the Admirals, who are setting sail with a hefty combination of players from the club team DCQC and a strong, young core of players from UVA and other colleges in the surrounding area.
What will be interesting to see is how Head Coach John Gaffigan approaches the utilization of these two kinds of players. Both DCQC and UVA players will have strong lines with great chemistry that have been built up all USQ season (and, particularly in DCQC’s case, for many seasons). The question is, do you rely on those lines, putting out a DCQC favorite, then a classic UVA set, then back again, or do you try to integrate?
There are merits to both options. With the season opener, Washington doesn’t have a ton of time to prepare for the force that is the Titans. Relying on already formed lines from these two programs might be the way that the Admirals come out swinging to start the season. But there is a chance you are forsaking the possibility for even stronger lines by keeping them so separate. And if you do choose to integrate, at what level do you execute it? Do you have mostly collegiate lines with a few club players to ground it? Or vice versa, with mostly club lines with some college players to bring in a fresh perspective?
It will be interesting to see how Gaffigan and assistant coaches Juli Nuetzel, Colin Bourn and Riley Starrs approach this question.
If this is your first time watching the Admirals and you want to know who is who, then let's break down some of the players this writer thinks will make an impact on this series.
On the DCQC side, Shane McConaghie is one to watch. This former U.S. National Team Developmental Academy player has a great shot and you can often find him in the back on offense. The Titans will need to keep that middle hoop blocked if they want to shut McConaghie down.
Liz Stone is another DCQC chaser on the pitch for the Admirals this weekend. She’s great at cutting, but also shines on defense, where she helps add to Washington’s physicality.
It’s noticeable that another DCQC member, Adrian Koretsky, is absent from this roster. They are perhaps one of the most elite beaters in the game. Koretsky is known for their good arm and their smart decisions. If you noticed, last year, New York was in every single game. Koretsky’s absence doesn’t speak well for Washington’s chances to turn this trend around. But perhaps Washington's remaining beaters, especially some UVA recruits, be able to turn the tide? Or will the Admirals come up with a strategy that doesn’t rely on catching? Only time will tell.
On the UVA side, Nathan Jun is a powerhouse who always keeps the audience entertained. He is a shifty ball-handler who played a massive amount of minutes on UVA’s short roster. With his energetic playing style, it’ll be interesting to see what Jun can do when he has more time to rest and can bring it in every one of their shifts. The Admirals also started to depend on Jun later in the 2025 season. Will that momentum continue into 2026? Or will we see Washington’s attention go elsewhere?
When the franchise roster for Washington dropped, all eyes were on Chantal Siodlarz. While UVA had a lot of success during the USQ season, Siodlarz was noticeably absent due to an abroad semester. The league (and this writer) got really excited to see Siodlarz’s name show up on this roster, but was also absent from this roster. Fans will have to stay tuned to see if Sidolarz makes an appearance on the pitch this season, but at the very least, it won’t be this weekend.
There are also a ton of new UVA faces aboard the ship this season. If you see a new face, chances are they hail from the orange and blue. It’ll be interesting to see if the UVA culture and style of play make a bigger impact on the Admirals this season due to these recruits.
And if you’re looking for some players who don’t belong to either of those USQ teams, Bryan Mulcahy is always a threat on the field. He’s a great wrapper on defense, a powerhouse driver on offense and usually finds the cut to the hoops. Claire Shuey is another interesting name on the roster, coming off an inaugural season with the Dragon Wolves. She made a big splash in club competitive play, while the Dragon Wolves were constantly seen as the underdog. And since the Dragon Wolves are a blended team, Shuey will likely have experience joining a new squad and building chemistry quickly. It’ll be interesting to see how she brings that perspective and skillset to the Admirals this season.
This Admirals team has many powerful players who are sure to make an impact. The question is, will it be enough? Over the past few years, this team has been pummeled into the ground by the Titans. But towards the end of 2025, they built up a ton of momentum and proved that they can bring it against quality teams in the right moments. Will we see that momentum come to fruition in this match? Only time will tell. But no matter what, we know we’re in for an amazing season opener.
The New York Titans: New Year, New Titans?
Expectations for the Titans this year are as high as they always are. When a team has made back-to-back finals appearances, a championship is the only goal in sight at the end of August. Their climb back to the top of the MLQ mountain kicks off against familiar foes in the Admirals. While New York has dominated this matchup the past couple of seasons, a different-looking 2026 Titans team could mean a different ending between these Atlantic Division rivals.
If you’ve ever watched New York play, you know the big names. Leo Fried, Molly Potter, Lindsay Marella and Mike Li round out a world-class starting chaser line that scores any which way and defends against any attack. USNT star Tate Kay, along with Shreena Shah, Christian Barnes, Isaac Serna-Diaz and Jason Rosenberg bring years of veteran experience and a winning pedigree to the beating game. There’s no question that head coach Jack Levy will rely on the talent and athleticism of the stars that helped New York win the MLQ championship in 2024 to beat Washington this weekend.
But, a few new faces could help bolster the depth on this team. Beaters Shah and MLQ rookie Rebecca Itty from RPI could see valuable minutes, especially considering the depth the Titans lost at beater. With the absence of Kay’s beater partner Tessa Mullins, Shah, Itty and rookie Max Semegran, who was a major driving force behind Harvard’s 2024 USQ championship, are poised to step up in the dodgeball game.
The biggest question heading into week one is, how will the Titans’ new additions fare in their first series? Nivash Jayram, Justin Cole and Zach Donofrio are New York’s biggest pickups this season; three chasers that could seamlessly fit into the first line without missing a beat or lead an explosive second or third line.
Jayram is a crafty utility player who can add much-needed depth to both sides of the game. It will be interesting to see which headband he dons for New York’s first games of 2026.
Cole is coming off a USQ season with the New Jersey Dice, which features many long-time Titans. While he is new to the Titans, he ultimately has had a season under his belt to build chemistry with these players and it’ll be interesting to see how he uses it.
Donofrio, one of the biggest, most talked-about transfers in MLQ this summer, looks to make a mark for the Titans against the Admirals. Donofrio will add a deadly shot, quick driving ability and creative ball-handling to whatever line he gets added to.
Enough about the stars in New York. How will the younger players, the rookies and the new faces in MLQ, make an impact against the Admirals? As much as the Titans need to use their veterans to win, their depth must also be a factor to secure a series win this weekend.
Manvi Kona from Rutgers and Aslıhan Helvacı from New Jersey Dice are two new additions to the New York depth looking to prove their talent and provide valuable minutes for the Titans. Head coach Levy, who is also at the helm of the USNTDA, is committed to developing younger players, so New York’s younger chasing core certainly will be given the space to grow on the field.
Also helping coach this squad is Potter, arguably one of the best chasers in the sport. Her years of experience on the Titans and her time playing for the USNT in last year’s IQA World Cup will definitely help New York’s chasers understand the game at a higher level. Jayram and Jacob Ehrlich will also help the Titans as assistant coaches, adding even more experience playing at the higher levels of quadball, and will help encourage the younger talent on the roster and help the veterans continue to improve and work alongside them.
Heading into this weekend’s series in Washington, my biggest concern for the Titans is timing. How will this roster, with the tight turnaround between the end of the USQ season and the beginning of MLQ, as well as the turnover from last year to this year, perform? Has this new roster had enough time to prepare for an Admirals team that is almost identical to last year?
Although I think the Titans will win this series, I expect there to be some small hiccups. The chemistry between the players who have been on this team for years and the players making their New York debuts might slow down the Titans' fire.
This Atlantic Division rivalry has also been close and contested. While the Titans have swept the series the past few seasons, the Admirals do not give up, and even when losing, they have always been a thorn in the Titans' side. I expect this Washington team to click, at least in the first game, more than New York and their newer roster. I can envision a world where the Admirals take a game off the Titans. It depends on which version of New York shows up. Will the Titans of 2024 show, even though most of that team is now gone, firing on all cylinders and dominating every aspect of the game? Or, this weekend, will we see a new side of the Titans, a team not as connected as the ones of the past?
No matter which version of the Titans or the Admirals show up, the MLQ season will kick off with a bang and will provide viewers with a star-studded showcase of the year ahead.
Our Prediction
Riley’s prediction: 3-0 New York Titans
Ryan’s prediction: 2-1 New York Titans
