Pickleball veteran, 19, leads team to playoff win at San Diego’s Barnes Center

As Major League Pickleball came to San Diego for the first time, some of the loudest cheers were from New Jersey 5s fans all clad in white T-shirts counting ”One, two, three, four, five!”

The noise first reached a high for the last player to be introduced before the 5s’ match against the Texas Ranchers as the three-day Toray MLP playoffs concluded Sunday at the Barnes Center.

Anna Leigh Waters didn’t disappoint.

She spearheaded New Jersey to an 11-6, 11-7, 6-11, 5-11, 21-13 victory to sweep its best-of-three series and advance to the MLP Premier League semifinals in New York from Friday through Sunday.

“MLP is an event that is all energy, and whichever team is feeling pumped up usually ends up winning the match,” said Waters, noting the 5s often attract a fan base at various sites. “So having that support in the stands really helps.”

Waters contributed to a win in women’s doubles and later prevailed on seven of her eight points in the deciding dreambreaker, or final set, with men and women rotating in singles.

The 19-year-old Waters is already in her seventh pro season.

“I just tell people usually this is the start of people’s careers,” Waters said. “And I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’ve been playing for so long now,’ but I love playing pickleball, so it doesn’t really feel like a job.”

Some 1,000 fans overflowed the stadium court, which had a large video board in place of the usual tennis nets to set up two pickleball courts as needed for tourney play.

The menu definitely suited local celebrity chef Richard Blais, who was watching matches for the first time in person.

“It definitely has all right ingredients,” said Blais, who started playing the game this year, following his wife’s example. “It’s the fastest growing sport, I’m personally obsessed, and my wife’s obsessed. San Diego is a hotbed for pickleball. It’s just on fire here.”

Former Carlsbad resident DJ Young enjoyed playing in the Challenger League playoffs for the Bay City Breakers, who were eliminated on Saturday.

“For sure, it’s just overall great to have events like these in San Diego,” said Young, who first took up the sport at the Bobby Riggs Racket and Paddle Club in Encinitas before moving to San Clemente. “I’m happy to have something at home where we can thrive in pickleball.”

Also enjoying the scene was Barbara Callahan, 89, of Chula Vista, still actively playing pickleball after making the switch from tennis.

“Overall, it’s super positive,” Callahan said. “I wish San Diego had a team. And the reflexes these players have … such quick reflexes.”

New Jersey is looking to take the MLP title after falling to Dallas in last year’s final in Orlando, Fla.

The team’s chief cheerleader Sunday was part-owner and general manager Ryan Harwood. He dressed in the team’s uniform and played to the crowd from the court.