Standout Performances: Week Nine
The MLQ regular season is over, but we’re still talking about the standout performances from these athletes.
Riley Usami — Kansas City Stampede (C)
Last season’s top scorer for the Kansas City Stampede did not disappoint in his return against the League City Legends this weekend. Usami immediately made the Stampede offense more multi-dimensional, as he scored on a series of surgical drives from behind the hoops right off brooms up. He provided the offensive balance that Kansas City had been missing against tough opponents this season with its crunch time attack heavily dependent on rookie keeper Ryan Mehio. Rather than turning over the keys and restructuring the entire offense around Usami, the Stampede coaching staff integrated the explosive chaser into what they have been building in a supporting role.
Kiara Webber — League City Legends (C)
On a disappointing weekend for the League City Legends, chaser Kiara Webber made the most of her opportunity and stood out with four goals. Playing her first three matches of the season, Webber applied consistent pressure around the hoops and converted her chances. She tied for second on the team in goals and fifth in the series overall. The League City offense was working through Webber. Along with a flag runner catch from seeker Juan Acevedo and the heroic efforts of keeper Hayden Boyes, Webber was able to help keep the Legends close. While it did not result in a qualification spot to the 2024 MLQ Championship, the effort was strong throughout.
Max Meier — Minneapolis Monarchs (K)
Keeper Max Meier turned back the clock to his 2019 North Division MVP season with a vintage performance against the Toronto Raiders to seal the third seed and a bye in the play-in bracket at the 2024 MLQ Championship. Operating at the point of a diamond offense, Meier sliced and diced through opposing defenses, skating around point defenders and snaking through traffic to find goals out of nowhere. He drew dodgeballs, broke tackles, and showed how he can be one of the most unique offensive weapons in the league. Especially in game three, his contributions felt decisive. He finished with 15 goals, five assists, and six stops.
Emma Sherwood — Toronto Raiders (B)
Beater Emma Sherwood’s numbers jump off the screen when reviewing the statistics from the North Division third-place playoff between the Toronto Raiders and the Minneapolis Monarchs. While the Monarchs took the series and controlled the beating game, Sherwood was the only Raiders beater with a plus/minus outside the negatives. They finished with the most average dodgeballs on the team with 1.50 and tied for the series lead in stops among all beaters with six. The combination shows that Sherwood is excelling at all facets of the game as a beater. They can stop possessions and force turnovers, hold dodgeball control for extended periods, and make the dodgeball control useful to the Raiders offense.
Lulu Xu — Boston Forge (C)
Against the Ottawa Black Bears, star beater Lulu Xu shone, as she has done for nine seasons in MLQ. The longevity is mind-boggling, and exceedingly few players from the inaugural year of the league remain active, let alone competing at the highest level. Yet, when the dust cleared, it was Xu who stood at or near the top of multiple statistical categories against the Black Bears and throughout the regular season league-wide. In Ottawa, Xu had the best plus/minus, the most stops, and the second-most average dodgeballs behind her beating partner Max Havlin. She finished the season tied with Havlin for second-place league-wide in plus/minus behind Tad Walters (CHI).
Zach Reiken — Ottawa Black Bears (B)
Beater Zach Reiken, playing huge minutes for the Ottawa Black Bears against some of their toughest of opponents, showed why he is one of the most promising talents in Canadian quadball. At only 20 years old, the Carleton University player was on the field for five of the nine goals scored by the Black Bears. Along with his beating partner, coach, and Team Canada veteran Emily Naftel, he got creative and made things happen for Ottawa, including a couple well-executed possessions of 1.5 beating. Reiken and the rest of the young Carleton University core are the bright future of the Black Bears program.
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