Championship Sunday Shines at 2025 USHA Wallball Nationals in Coney Island.
CONEY ISLAND, N.Y. — A surprise weather system greeted players and fans with rain on Championship Sunday at the 17th USHA Wallball National Championships. Fortunately, the courts dried by late morning, and final matches were underway by noon. Once play began, it was business as usual for the defending champions in the Men’s and Women’s Pro Singles divisions.
Tavo Ruiz and Jenny Qu each successfully defended their titles—and looked dominant doing so.
In the Men’s Pro final, Ruiz had kept all his opponents in single digits leading up to the championship. Tywan Cook, seeking to reclaim a spot atop the podium, gave Ruiz his toughest challenge, staying within reach at 18-14. But an untimely error handed Ruiz the serve, and he responded with four quick points. Though Cook briefly regained a chance in the service box, he couldn’t capitalize, and Ruiz closed out the match 25-14 to retain his crown.
In the Women’s Pro final, Qu faced off against Melanie Garate. Qu jumped out to a commanding 23-7 lead before Garate found her rhythm, hitting several flat kills to close the gap to 23-12. Qu wisely took a timeout to regroup, then returned to finish off the match with poise, securing her third straight national title.
Garate would earn redemption in the Women’s Pro Doubles final, teaming up with her sister Jessenia to defeat Qu and partner Biridiana Garcia, 25-20.
“Jenny Qu just continues to dominate in singles,” said tournament director Jared Vale. “And the Garate sisters remain the standard in doubles.”
In Men’s Pro Doubles, Carlin Rosa captured his second straight title—this time with a new partner, Allan Sanchez. The duo looked sharp throughout and dismantled Timbo Gonzalez and Los Pena in the final, 25-6. “Allan and Carlin were just too much for them to handle,” Vale added.
Masters Division Recap: Jose Olivencia of Queens once again proved his dominance in the 40+ division, edging out Brooklyn newcomer Deshawn Kearse in a thrilling 25-24 final. Kearse had earlier knocked off the No. 2 and 3 seeds, signaling he’ll be a name to watch next year—especially if the 50+ eligible Olivencia chooses to compete down again.
Olivencia didn’t stop there. He added a third 50+ Singles title to his résumé with an impressive 25-21 win over big-ball legend Ray Lopez.
Lopez bounced back by unleashing his powerful serve in the 50+ Doubles, teaming with George Figueroa to defeat Jared Vale and Tim Moeller, 25-6. “Simply amazing—Ray’s serves were on,” said Vale, who had a front-row seat on the receiving end.
In the 40+ Doubles, Allan Sanchez earned his second medal of the day, pairing with Paul Yagual to outlast Sam “Clutch” and Andre Diaz, 25-17.
Shena Brown and Elaine Gillard claimed top honors in Women’s 35+ Doubles, defeating Erica Mendez and Terry Delosrios, 25-10.
B Division Highlights: Top seed Gerardo Ruiz dominated the B Singles division and was awarded the title after Juan Mendoza was forced to forfeit the final. Ruiz completed the “B Slam” by teaming with Brian “Toro” Duran to win the B Doubles final over Jonathan Rodriguez and Lur Ziarrusta, 25-15.
In Women’s B Singles, Shantel Mena broke through after several near misses in previous years, defeating junior standout Tiffany Lau, 25-9. Lau returned in the Women’s B Doubles final, teaming with Kennedi Walker to defeat Leslie Spencer and Michelle Cardenas, 25-11.
After a soggy start, Championship Sunday finished with a flourish—highlighting excellence across every division and age group. Congratulations to all champions and the players who pushed them every step of the way!
Special Thanks A huge thank-you goes to tournament director Jared Vale, who once again led a top-tier team to deliver a memorable event. Gratitude also goes out to these standout volunteers and contributors:
China Pizarro – The Queen of Court Management
Laurence DuBois – Chief of Referees and Discipline
Glenn Usher & Reggie – Best Supporting Refs
Joanne Ly – Best Supporting Staff
Jason Lieng – Newest Team Member and USHA Northeast Commissioner
Richard Mascia – Most Reliable Supporter
Albert Apuzzi – Best Equipment Supplier
Joe “Carmen” Kaplan – Best Equipment Packer
Phil “Pwnzz” (Ten’s Finest) – Best Co-Streamer
Themyscira Di Prince – Best Co-Streamer and Newest National Champ
The 17th USHA Wallball National Championships return to the Seaside Handball Courts at Asser Levy Park in Coney Island, June 20–22. Players from across the country will battle it out in one of the sport’s most electric atmospheres—just steps from the beach, boardwalk, and iconic New York summer vibes.
This is your last weekend to register for one of the most exciting events on the USHA calendar. The deadline to enter is June 15. Entries will be accepted on Monday, June 16, by 3 p.m. (EDT) for a $15 fee.
The 17th USHA Wallball National Championships offers:
Custom souvenir
Tournament hospitality
Certified referees
High-level competition on historic courts
Competition kicks off early Friday morning, June 20. Plan an early Friday start for divisions with 16 or more entries. Players should be prepared to compete throughout the weekend, with champions crowned Sunday afternoon.
Whether you’re coming to play or to watch, this year’s Wallball Nationals promises high-octane rallies, passionate crowds, and unforgettable moments.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Gustavo Ruiz and Jenny Qu looked sharp as they successfully defended their titles at the 16th USHA Wallball Nationals.
In the Men’s Pro final, Ruiz faced off against five-time champion Tywan Cook. Throughout the tournament, Ruiz demonstrated his dominance by consistently delivering powerful serves that barely cleared the short line. These serves often forced weak returns from his opponents, which Ruiz capitalized on with powerful drives down the sidelines. Despite Cook’s impressive lateral movement and ability to chase down shots, Ruiz’s increasing strength and shot velocity as the match progressed allowed him to secure a decisive victory, winning his second title with a score of 25-13.
In the Women’s Pro final, Jenny Qu competed against Melanie Garate in a rematch of their 2023 encounter, where Qu had claimed a 25-11 victory. This year, Qu once again demonstrated her dominance in the Women’s division, securing another convincing win with a score of 25-12. Qu’s consistent performance reaffirms her status as one of the best wallball competitors, winning her fourth singles title in the past five Nationals.
Check out all of the results from the tournament HERE.
Congrats to all of our National Champions:
Men’s Pro: Gustavo Ruiz Women’s Pro: Jenny Qu Men’s Pro Doubles: Joshua Garcia/Carlin Rosa Women’s Pro Doubles: Jessenia Garate/Melanie Garate Men’s B: Julio Carlos Women’s B: Lily Ye Men’s B Doubles: Joshua Rosa/Abir Rahman Women’s B Doubles: Lily Ye/Kathryn Li Men’s 40: Alex Rivera Men’s 40 Doubles: William Polanco/Ray Lopez Men’s 50: George Figueroa Men’s 50 Doubles: George Figueroa/Ray Lopez Men’s 60: Romulo Pozo Boys 19-under: David Khatri
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The 16th USHA Wallball National Championships are set for June 21-23 (Friday – Sunday) at Seaside Handball Courts (Asser Levy Park) in Coney Island (on West 5th St & Surf Ave). Tentative draws and start times are now available at the tournament’s site HERE.
Please Note:Draws and times may change up to the day of the event. Please double-check times.
Play begins early Friday, June 21 and goes through June 23, Sunday afternoon.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Gustavo “Tavo” Ruiz became the new Men’s Pro Singles Wallball ball champion on Sunday with a dominant performance in the final, defeating Nazir “Naz” Marston, 25-11.
Both players were making their first appearance in a Men’s Singles National final. Ruiz’s years of experience proved to be the difference, as he calmly raced out to a 20-1 lead against the 21-year-old Marston. Despite the deficit, Marston didn’t get upset or argue calls. A timeout helped him regroup and he scored his first points since the early moments of the final. While supporters, hoping for a miracle, cheered Marston on, Ruiz calmly maintained his play to win his first National title.
The Women’s Pro Singles final, featuring a matchup between Jenny Qu and Melanie Garate was dedicated In Memory to Dr. Raquel Sophia Murphy Barnes. USHA Vice President Jared Vale made the announcement and cited her dedication to growing the sport on a national and international level. Once play began, defending champion Qu held off Gerate, 25-11.
In the Women’s Pro Doubles final, sisters Melanie and Jessenia Garate upended defending champions Jenny Qu and Danielle Daskalakis, 25-17.
A completely new lineup of teams competed in the Men’s Pro Doubles final. Cory Vadala and Mikey Mendoza concluded their tremendous weekend run, defeating Chris Miranda and David Velez, 25-7. Vadala and Mendoza started and finished strong, while Velez and Miranda struggled to generate offense. Miranda, nursing a nagging arm injury, was visibly hindered. Yet even a healthy opponent would have had trouble challenging the team Vadala/Mendez onslaught.
In the Men’s B Singles, Manuel Caraballo was the class of the draw, first earning the top seed, then backing it up with excellent play through four rounds. Caraballo held off Maspeth’s Juan Carlos in a tightly contested final, 25-20.
Nicholas Pappas and Mohamad Mansi were held to single digits in last year’s B Doubles final. This year, the team from Flushing earned the top seed and defeated the Bronx team of Jahsheed Petersen and Joey Gonzalez, 25-20. The entire match was contentious and close with some playful banter between rallies–the difference being Pappas and Mansi executing the shots needed to get to match point.
In the Women’s B Singles, Michelle Clara defeated Shantel Mena, 25-22 in one of the day’s most entertaining finals. Mena looked smooth against all challengers, and pushed Clara to the limit; however, playing in her second consecutive B final, Clara was not to be denied the championship.
The day earlier, in the Women’s B Doubles, Clara and partner Vanessa Louie couldn’t break through against Kayla Paredes and Myohwa Hwee. Playing at the indoor Zerega location, Hwee and Paredes won the title 21-17.
In the Men’s 40-plus final, Alex Rivera held 23-17 edge against Yuber “Pee Wee” Castro, but the two-time Small Ball Men’s Singles Champion gained a side out and began a serving clinic. Rivera could only watch as Castro’s overhand power serve quickly tightened to match to a 23-23 tie. Instead of folding under pressure, Rivera regained the serve and scored the final two points for the championship.
In the Men’s 40-plus Doubles, Robert “Iceman” Sostre returned to Nationals competition and teamed with William Polanco to defeat George Figueroa and Ray Lopez, 25-16.
Figueroa and Lopez paired to win the 50-plus Doubles over Phil Amato and Darwin Lee, 25-16.
On late afternoon Saturday, Jose Olivencia avenged last year’s final loss and defeated the defending 50-plus singles champion Ronald Beard, 21-18.
In the Men’s 60-plus final, Richard Mascia stopped Abe Mantell, 21-5.
In the first-ever Women’s Seniors (35-plus) Doubles division, Erica Mendez and Karen McConney defeated Elaine Gillard and Shena Brown, 21-12 for the championship.
With the USHA Summer Board Meeting being held prior to the tournament, many of the board members stayed and watched the action. USHA President Denis Hogan was on hand for the entire tournament, taking in the Wallball Nationals for the first time, while chatting it up with players and supporters throughout the weekend.
For the first two days, rain dampened the streets and courts of New York, but not the spirit of the players! A huge “thank you” goes to Mel Sky and Isaias Rivera of the Bronx’s Zerega Indoor Courts. Matches hummed along on the facility’s five regulation one-wall courts.
Always ready with a plan, USHA Vice President Jared Vale moved all Masters division matches to an outdoor (but dry) location at Francis Lewis Park under the Whitestone Bridge. The move was crucial to get matches done at a reasonable time with the option to play outdoors at Coney Island on the final day.
Thank you to Jared, Castle Hill’s Richie Vera, China Pizarro for amazing court management, Joanne Ly for outstanding help at Whitestone and beyond, all the referees, plus One-Wall Committee members, Alethia Mendez, William Polanco, and Anthony Jones. Special thank you to Albert Apuzzi and photographer Jose Davila. Finally, a big shout out to all the players who cooperated and made sure to hustle to each venue as we adjusted on the fly.
Players resiliently changed their routes to Coney Island and made it to the new site to compete for a chance to play in Championship Sunday’s finals. Matches were played to 21-point games (usually a wallball match is played to one 25-point game) to accommodate the smaller court capacity and disrupted schedule. Masters divisions moved to a nearby location at Francis Lewis Park, playing on the dry courts underneath the Whitestone Bridge.
A new Men’s Wallball Champion will be crowned this year when Gustavo Ruiz faces Nazir Marston in Sunday’s final. Through each round, both players increased their intensity and delivered amazing shots and unmatched athleticism that brought loud cheers to the Zerega facility.
“Tavo” Ruiz’s first hurdle was to get through David Velez in the quarterfinals. Each player was locked in, but Velez was flying all over the court making amazing returns that frustrated Tavo. Building a 19-10 lead, Ruiz was poised to advanced to the semifinals, but a focused Tavo started chipping away at his opponent’s lead. The Zerega crowd grew louder with each Tavo point as the pair reached a 20-20 tie. Knowing the next shot could send one player packing and one to the semifinals, the intensity for each ensuing rally grew. After an exchange of side outs, Tavo delivered a winning shot to the left that a diving Velez nearly reached. A gracious Velez applauded his opponent before they share a post-match handshake.
Tavo, clearly motivated by his near defeat in the quarters, wasn’t fazed in facing defending champion Tywan Cook in the semifinals. Cook did all he could to muster points, but Tavo rolled, 21-9, to punch his ticket to the National final.
On the other side of the draw, through three rounds, nobody could touch “Naz” Marston. His toughest test was facing 2022 finalist Josh Garcia, and he delivered a 21-15 win. In the semifinal, Marston found himself in a battle against Hector “Pito” Velez. With the day’s humidity increasing, players went through soaked shirts and gloves, while referee Larry DuBois watched for slides and wet spots on the floor. Pito thrived in the conditions, racing to a 19-12 lead, making the match’s remaining points a mere formality for the inevitable. Naz wasn’t ready to concede and found a new gear as a raucous crowd cheered his renewed efforts. Naz went on a 8-0 run to reach match point before Pito would score another point to reach a 20-20 deadlock. Serving for the match, Pito delivered an out serve that stunned the crowd. On the ensuing Naz serve, Pito returned the ball wide.
The Men’s final is scheduled for 12:30 EDT at Coney Island on Sunday.
Pro Singles finalists Timbo Gonzalez and Tywan Cook.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Play resumed early Sunday morning on the final day of the 13th USHA Wallball Nationals, after a full first day of matches with a few exciting finals. Nine of the twelve Wallball Nationals divisions would crown champions on our Championship Sunday.
The highly anticipated Pro Singles final of Timbo Gonzalez and Tywan Cook delivered another electrifying exhibition of skill and athleticism from the two top-seeded players. As the match neared the 45-minute mark, Cook pulled away and executed crucial kills and passes that skimmed the court lines to win his third singles crown over Gonzalez, 25-19.
Things looked bleak early on, as Gonzalez looked unbeatable for the first few points, cruising to an 8-0 lead. Cook withstood Gonzalez’s barrage of shots and would score his first point with a sharp angled “ace” serve to the left. As Cook began to crawl back into the match, frustration grew for Gonzalez, as he burned two failed appeals (USHA One-Wall / Wallball Rules give a player three failed appeals) over Cook’s first three points. Cook tied the score at 13-13 with a pass down the right line forcing Gonzalez to use a time out.
Once play resumed, Cook would take the lead; however, Gonzalez stayed within striking range as the two traded side outs before Cook pulled away leading 19-14. Gonzalez produced one more push, getting within two points from Cook, down 19-21. While Gonzalez began to wear down, Cook found an extra gear. After one amazing shot, even Gonzalez showed appreciation for his opponent with a fist bump. Gonzalez would prolong the match by fight off one match point, but a wide shot to the right gave Cook the serve where he would kill match point. With the win, Cook joins Gonzalez as the only two players to simultaneously hold wallball and one-wall small ball national titles in the same year.
Cook hardly had a moment to enjoy his win before jumping on the courts for the Pro Doubles with partner Eddy Troncoso. Cook /Troncoso endured a semifinal nail-biter against Joshua Garcia and Paul Yagual, 25-24. Their final opponents, Carlin Rosa and Mickey Osorio did the same, defeating the super team of Allan Sanchez and Carlos “Los” Pena by the same score, 25-24.
The championship match didn’t hold the same drama, Cook/Troncoso dropped Roas/Osorio 25-9; however, both teams treated the crowds to some more amazing handball to close the tournament while Cook earned the “slam.”
In Women’s Pro Doubles, sisters Jessenia and Melanie Garate held on to defeat previous champions, Ruby Lloyd and Birdiana Garcia, 25-12. The win marked the first National Doubles title for the Garate sister and completed the “slam” for Melanie.
In other action, William Polanco and Steve Robalino captured the Masters (40+) Doubles, defeating Ray Lopez and George Figueroa, 25-13. Gary Luk closed his B career with a “B Slam,” winning both the singles and doubles. In the Women’s B Doubles final, Lily Fung and Hope Valenica turned back Erica Mendez and Sabrina Roberts, 25-17. Michelle Wu captured the Women’s B Singles title the day before, edging Shantel Mena, 25-23. In the Men’s Golden (50+) Singles, Jose Olivencia stopped Ronald Beard, 25-12 to win his first National Singles title.
Finally, in the Men’s Golden (50+) Doubles, Darwin Lee and last-minute sub Peter Ostander held off a valiant effort from Tim Samuel and Javier Pellot to win the title, 25-23.
Thank you to all the players for entering while showing cooperation and patience to complete each day’s matches. Thank you to USHA Board Members, Jared Vale, Alethia Mendez and every one from the USHA One-Wall Committee for their outstanding work. Thanks to Shenta Pizarro for keeping the tournament desk humming and matches on time. And thank you to all tournament volunteers and refs. Be sure to read the full coverage and see some of the wonderful action photos in the Summer Issue of Handball Magazine.
It is amazing to finally hold tournaments once again. We missed all of you, and we’re already looking forward to next year!
See the 13th USHA Wallball Nationals results HERE.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The 13th USHA Wallball National Championships kicked off Saturday morning on Sea Breeze Courts in Coney Island, marking the first Nationals in 2021. Matches began at 8:00 A.M. sharp, since a full draw of 153 players meant a full day of play. Ideal conditions, player cooperation, volunteers and tournament staff kept matches rolling.
In the Women’s Pro Singles, the top two seeds, Jenny Qu and Melanie Garate blazed their way to a highly anticipated final. Garate made the most of her first final appearance (her sister Jessenia had made the final in 2018) winning her first national title over Qu, 25-14.
The first championship final played was the Men’s Masters (40+) Singles division between George Figueroa and Ray Lopez. The two legends put on a tremendous show with Figueroa holding on for a 25-24 win. Lopez, left everything on the court, making some tremendous gets and dives, but Figueroa executed all the crucial shots down to the wire to successfully defend his title from 2019.
