Standout Performances: Week Three

We are officially a third of the way through the season. We opened the week in Ottawa, our first series held in Canada this season, where the Ottawa Black Bears took on the Washington Admirals. In three convincing wins, the Admirals were able to win the clash of the nations’ capitals. We then headed to Ohio, where the Cleveland Riff hosted their second series of the season against the Chicago Prowl. The Prowl looked the part of a serious Benepe Cup threat in their three dominant wins over the previously undefeated Riff. Here are four players from the weekend that rose to prominence.

Ugochukwu Nwadike (#61)

While the leading goal scorer for the Black Bears, Alex Naftel, had an impressive performance this weekend with 30 points, five assists, and four stops, he was not the player that put up the most points this weekend for the team. It was Ugochukwu Nwadike, who put up two goals, two stops, and 70 points from his two catches. Alongside his chaser contributions, Nwadike is quickly emerging as a centerpiece of the Ottawa offense from his seeker ability. This weekend he solidified himself as one of the top seekers in the league, now tied for second across all teams. Nwadike is a seeker that can shift momentum in favor of the Black Bears after 20 minutes, and teams will need to make sure he doesn’t get any time with the flag runner.

Riley Starrs (#23)

The Admirals produced a handful of candidates who showed out this weekend. Bryan Mulcahy put up 170 points, tying this summer’s single-series record. Liz Stone finished with 90 points and six assists. Colin Bourn finished with a +28, passing Adrian Koretsky for the highest plus/minus in a single series. While all make great cases to be the highlight player from Washington, this week, Riley Starrs holds the headliner. Starrs has been a cornerstone for this Admirals franchise, and it showed on Saturday. He became the first player this year to put up a triple-double in a series, with 10 goals, twelve assists, and 10 stops. For reference this has only been recorded one other time in MLQ’s modern stats era, with Leo Fried’s 2024 performance against the Toronto Raiders. Even more impressive, Starrs did it without turning over the ball once. Welcome to the triple-double club, Riley Starrs.

Credit: Ashley McClain

Rae Barnes (#12)

As mentioned in our players to watch, Rae Barnes has become a centerpiece in this Riff defense. They proved why on Saturday. Barnes held a team leading 1.27 average dodgeballs. For reference, no Cleveland beater held over 1.00 average dodgeball against the Prowl last summer. Barnes also finished with three stops, more than any other Riff beater on the weekend. While Cleveland got swept, Riff fans can feel confident that the beating struggles that have plagued a franchise for years are steadily improving. Athletes like Barnes are highlighting how the team is getting to the next level. 

Matthew Brown (#10)

With a revamped Prowl roster, there were a lot of exciting 2025 debuts, but one that particularly stood out was the return of Matthew Brown to MLQ. After taking last summer off, the 2023 North Division MVP made a triumphant comeback by putting up nine stops, quickly setting this season’s single-series stop record. For reference, he only hit that number of stops one time in 2023, against the Toronto Raiders. He also led the team in plus/minus with +16. Brown’s debut performance shows that he could go on a tear this season and provide a huge uplift for this Prowl squad.