At Nos. 2 and 3 in the nation respectively, OT 15 Melito and Madfrog 15 Green were the highest-ranked clubs competing in 15 Open over the weekend at the JVA West Coast Cup in Long Beach.

There was enough competition in the field – No. 13 Surfside 15 MB Legends, No. 15 Mizuno Long Beach 15 Rockstar, No. 28 Wave 15 Brennan and No. 32 Coast 15-1 – that a third meeting between the sides wasn’t a forgone conclusion. To boot, OT was hardly clicking along, adding to the notion that perhaps another clash wasn’t forthcoming. Losing on Day 2 to Mintonette Sports m.51 and going to three games in its final four matches, OT seemed vulnerable.