SPC Playing Formats

King and Queen of the Court

Our King and Queen of the Court matches accommodate either 12 or 16 players. In cases where more players are available than spots on the court, the format will continue with slight modifications. The designated Erne for the event will randomly assign players to the court for the initial game using the PB Play app. Partners will rotate after each match. Winners ascend to a higher court and split, while losers descend and split. Victors on the top court remain there, and those on the bottom court also stay put. Wins are recorded on each court. To avoid matches of 2 men vs. 2 women, players may need to form mixed doubles teams in such instances. The players with the most wins from their matches will be crowned King and Queen of the event. In the event of a tie, multiple Kings and/or Queens may be declared. The Erne will record a short video of the winners for posting on our Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Our King and Queen events for intermediate players are held on Monday and Wednesday nights, while advanced players compete on Tuesday and Thursday nights. We classify intermediate players as those with a rating of 3.75 or lower, and advanced players as those with a rating above 3.75. 'Bubble' players, who feel they are at the cusp between levels, are welcome to participate in both events.

If the number of players exactly matches the court spots, and a player must leave mid-event, we will use the PB Play app to evenly rotate players to complete the event. Winners will be determined for each court as described above.

Wednesday night's King and Queen event is particularly special, as it's sponsored by Curis Functional Health, one of our esteemed Platinum sponsors.

Mixed and Coed Doubles Challenges

Each of our weekly Doubles Challenge events are sponsored by our Platinum Sponsors. Here they are:

Monday at 6pm - The Assaad Group Real Estate 3.5+ Mixed Coed Challenge

Tuesday at 6pm- The Texas Regional Bank 4.0+ Mixed Coed Challenge

Wednesday at 6pm - The GT Law 3.5+ Coed Challenge

Thursday at 6pm- The TiOS Orthopedics 4.0+ Coed Challenge

For our doubles events, please register as a team on SignUp Genius. Remember to include your partner's name in the comment section and set the quantity to 2. Note that both players must be SPC members. If you're still looking for a partner, feel free to post in the 'looking for partners' channel on Discord. However, wait to sign up until you've found a partner. All single sign ups will be removed without notice. Each event has a cap of 12 players, forming 6 teams. The team with the most wins will be declared champions. In case of a tie, the winner is decided based on overall record, then head-to-head results, then total point differential.

In our Mixed or Coed Challenge, teams at the 3.5+ level who achieve an undefeated record will be promoted to the 4.0+ level, after which they can no longer compete at the 3.5+ level as a team. On the other hand, teams at the 4.0+ level that fail to win any matches will be demoted to the 3.5+ level after participating in two winless events. They will remain ineligible to compete at the 4.0+ level until they again achieve an undefeated record at the 3.5+ level. However, this relegation rule does not apply if a player forms a new team with a different partner for subsequent events. This approach ensures that teams are competing at their appropriate skill levels.

Our club's Doubles Challenge events are highly favored by many of our members. To ensure fair opportunities for all, we request that you sign up for only one category of the Doubles Challenge per week. This allows more members the chance to participate in these popular events.

For instance, registering for both a 3.5+ Mixed Doubles Challenge and a 4.0+ Mixed Doubles Challenge in the same week is not permitted. However, you may sign up for a 3.5+ Mixed Doubles and a 3.5+ Coed Doubles in the same week, as they are different formats. This policy helps maintain an inclusive and balanced experience for all club members.

After each event, the Erne will capture a short video of the winners, which will be shared on our Instagram and Facebook accounts.

MLP Team Play

Our club's MLP Team events are quickly becoming a weekend favorite, and we encourage everyone to participate to see for yourself what SPC members are saying.

We currently offer two levels of MLP play: Intermediate and Advanced. Intermediate players are those with a rating of 3.75 or lower, and advanced players have a rating above 3.75. Players who are on the borderline between these levels, known as 'Bubble' players, are welcome to join both levels of MLP play.

We host 2 Intermediate and 2 Advanced MLP events every weekend.

Each event features 8 Coed players, divided into two teams of four, regardless of the gender ratio.

In our MLP events, team captains play a key role as they are drafting their team right before play begins. Our Erne Directors take on the task of choosing two captains, with the goal of picking players of similar skill levels to foster a well-balanced draft. It's a bit of an art, as they might not be familiar with every club member. So, if the selections aren't perfect, no stress - we're all here to have fun and enjoy the spirit of the game! The captains then have a mini-draft to form their teams. It starts with a coin toss for the first pick, followed by a 1-2-1-1-1 selection order.

The captains then assign all of their players a number based on the perceived skill level of each player (1-4, with 1 being the strongest, which should be the captain, unless the captain chooses otherwise). Each player will then receive a number and a letter  (ex. A1 or B4), which then determines their match ups for the entire event.

The initial coin toss decides not only the first draft pick, but also whether the winning captain chooses to serve or receive first, and which side to start on. These choices remain constant throughout the match.

Captains will keep track of wins, losses, and point differential for each game using the MLP Team Challenge worksheet located on the Erne Forms channel on Discord. If a captain is not an Erne they will need to reach out to Venu Kovela or Larysa Santiago for the form.

The format involves each player competing in 6 rally scoring games to 21, winning by 2, with a cap at 25 and the winning team must win on their serve. Each team plays 12 games in total, with matches being played concurrently on both courts.

We adhere strictly to our club’s MLP tournament rules, ensuring players stay on their designated side of the court for each game. A team can switch sides of the court (Left/Right) during a side change at 11 and at the beginning of a new game.

There is no downtime – all 8 players are actively engaged on both courts throughout the event, enhancing the pace and excitement.

Players rotate partners within their team after each game, playing with each teammate twice over the course of 6 games.

In the event of a 6-6 tie, a Dreambreaker singles game is played to determine the champion. The captains will flip a coin. The winner of this coin toss will decide if they want to create their 4-person line up or react to the 2nd team’s line up. If time is constrained or both teams opt out, the winner is decided by the total point differential.

The Dreambreaker consists of a single game to 21, with each player contributing 4 points.

Results are tracked by the captains. The victorious team (all 4 players) will be celebrated on our Club’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, ensuring their achievement is recognized by the entire club community.

Monthly Club Championship

On the first Thursday of every month, our club proudly hosts the monthly club championship, an exclusive event sponsored by one of our five esteemed Platinum sponsors. This championship is distinct as it requires qualification for participation. Doubles teams can qualify by emerging victorious in one of our weekly 4.0+ TiOS Coed Challenges. You can find a comprehensive list of the qualified teams on the 'Club Champions' tab on our website.

Currently, our championship format is Coed, welcoming any combination of male and female players. Looking ahead, we aim to introduce a Mixed Club Championship, which will mirror the format of the Coed event, further expanding our competitive offerings.

Singles Play

We do have a small contingent of members who love playing singles. We have 1 organized singles event a week and it’s called Sunday Singles. If you want to really get the heart pumping, come out and enjoy the fun, even if you’ve never played singles. This event consists of an 8 player sign up and there is no Erne for this event.