NATS 2026 BOSTON SECTIONAL PREVIEW

Written by Drew Ryder. NATS is sponsored by Spikeball.

This weekend, the North American Tour Series reaches the sixth of twelve stops in Boston. In the blink of an eye, we're already halfway through the 2026 campaign, and the timing couldn't be better for one of the biggest storylines of the year.

The Men’s and Women’s National Roundnet Teams were announced earlier this week. Follow USA Roundnet‍ for future National Team updates and other happenings for all things going on in the US to advanced roundnet.

The major news across the roundnet world this week was the announcement of Team USA's Open and Women's rosters for the 2026 World Championship in Paris. Congratulations to all of the athletes selected to represent the United States on the sport's biggest stage! 

Boston offers us the first opportunity to watch many of these athletes compete with fresh eyes. Several of the players above will be in action this weekend, and we'll be highlighting some of the duos featuring newly selected national team players.

Open Bronze+ Division

Drawing Dead (Kieran Rose / Tyler Fernandez): The 2025 National Champion Runners-up are linking up in Boston, and it should come as no surprise that they'll enter the weekend as one of the favorites. Kieran's primary partnership, Fever, has steadily gained momentum throughout the season and is beginning to look more unbeatable with each passing event. While nobody doubts the individual ability of either Kieran or Tyler, Drawing Dead doesn't quite carry the same "first-place-or-bust" expectations that Fever increasingly does. Still, with two elite talents sharing the same side of the net, Boston presents another opportunity for a deep bracket run.

Omnomnomnomnom (Connor Nelson / Noah Saddik): One of the more intriguing pairings in the field comes from California. Connor Nelson enters the weekend as the top-ranked player in North America, while Noah Saddik sits outside the top 150. At first glance, the ranking disparity jumps off the page, but Noah has proven himself repeatedly at the local level with multiple CASR podium finishes. His game may not be common knowledge to everyone in attendance, but pairing with the most dominant player of the 2026 season immediately raises this team's ceiling. Connor simply hasn't done much losing on tour this year, so they can be thrown right in the mix of contenders to win regardless of their combined ELO.

Paradox (Kyle Fowler / Paq Clifford): Paradox enters Boston as the highest-ranked team by series points, and both players have certainly earned their place on Team USA. The story of this partnership is as much about commitment as it is performance. Kyle has competed at every North American Tour Series event this season, while Paq has missed just one. That level of tournament volume is increasingly rare. With that said, several top players point to consistent high-level reps as a major driver of improvement, and Paradox continues to invest heavily in them. Their extensive travel schedule has already paid dividends result-wise, and they'll look to add another strong finish to their growing résumé this weekend.

Who's Sammy (Sunny Gu / Ryan Marino): The only other Open Division team featuring two Team USA selections is unsurprisingly one of the most exciting spectator pairings in the tournament. Not only are Sunny Gu and Ryan Marino two of the world's best players, but their styles complement each other exceptionally well. Sunny's explosive athleticism and physically demanding game provide a sharp contrast to Marino's clean execution and highly technical approach. All the tools are there, execution is the only thing left for this team on Saturday

Women's Division

Barklow/Wanderer (Samantha Barklow / Malia Wanderer): Another full Team USA pairing takes the court in Boston. With the World Championship now fully on the horizon, it's fair to wonder if national team pairings are on the minds of the players. Regardless of any long-term plans, this partnership is loaded with talent. Malia possesses the ability to ace anyone in the division, while Sammy has accumulated an impressive amount of high-level experience throughout the season. Together, they have all the ingredients necessary to compete for a tournament title.

dabu (Joanna Gould / Tess Dolan): Not only are Joanna Gould and Tess Dolan members of Team USA, they're also two athletes who seem to improve every time they step on the court. Both are dangerous break players, albeit for different reasons. Joanna's ambidextrous serving creates constant pressure, while Tess has built her reputation on defensive excellence and relentless effort. It's difficult to identify a clear weakness within this partnership. If they can maintain strong hold percentages throughout the weekend, opponents may need an A+ performance to keep pace.

Lamontagne/Phan (Abigale Lamontagne / Katheleen Phan): Both athletes are College Roundnet National Champions and will represent Team USA. Both have spent years competing at the highest levels of the sport. While Katheleen’s tournament volume has been slightly lower than in previous seasons, there's little reason to believe that will matter once bracket play begins. Expect this team to settle in quickly and look increasingly dangerous as the tournament progresses.

the riffraff (Hannah Radell / Christina Nikas): The riffraff enters Boston in an interesting position. A podium finish would coincide with at least one signature win along the way. Hannah's rise through the women's division has been one of the developing stories in recent seasons, and her Team USA selection serves as validation for the work she's put in to get there. Her success also highlights the remarkable pipeline being built at Northeastern. Time and time again, the program continues to produce high-level talent capable of competing on the national stage. Through Hannah and many others, it almost feels inevitable that competitors who spend enough time in that environment will eventually find themselves among the sport's elite. Power ranked sixth by combined ELO, the riffraff will benefit greatly from a strong pool play performance and favorable route for bracket play.

Final Thoughts

While NATS is the biggest stage on offer in roundnet right now, the community’s focus has gotten a taste of excitement for Worlds with the Team USA announcements, so these upcoming events might look more preparatory than end-game. These athletes will not lose an ounce of competitive spirit on the net, but I expect the mashing up to continue at the sectional level. With selections completed, talking points will progress from making the roster to building it. 10 of the 12 players will make up A through E pairings on each squad, and making the lineup strong from top to bottom is more strategic than you may think (for more on Worlds, check out the 2026 Event Page!). As for our host organization in Boston, a special thanks to Evan Liao and Adam Weiss, our TDs for the tournament. Special shoutout to the Boston Roundnet community who have gone above and beyond to make roundnet accessible in their area as they establish a formalized club structure. We can’t wait to visit your great community and have an awesome weekend!