United States - Tonight the electronic cards were flying. 12 of 12 Nertz players showed for their 2nd round matches and a total of 34 hands were recorded in the 3 tournament games played.
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The first match of the night was the shortest match played. It also had two NNA champions slugging it out. Not only was the last tournament champion, Meg, facing another champion in the early rounds, but she was also facing her talented Nertz-playing sister, Mallory. However, Meg maintained her poise and led the the entire match, winning it by acquiring 114 points. Mallory hoped to advance with her sister and was one her way to when Jill, the other Online Champion, fell to last place just after the 5th hand. Jill then went on a tear, nerting 3 consecutive times to pull herself into 2nd place as Meg was crossing the finish line. Jill finished with 87 points beating out Mallory and winning a trip to the semifinals.
The winners of the second match that was played tonight had to dig deep in the midst of their unusually long 16-hand match. Rookies Katie McClain and Josh Consalvo advanced despite early setbacks caused by veteran Aaron Bartholomew. At one point, Katie was at -37 while Aaron was in first place, and yet she still managed to advance by finishing with 94 points when the match came to an end. Josh also made an impressive comeback to knock the seasoned veteran (Aaron B.) out of the tournament with his 105-point victory.
Katie and Josh now have the daunting task of facing, not just one, but two online champions (Jill and Meg) in their semifinal match.
The last match of the night had a photo finish between two skilled veterans. Natasha Rene Stafford and Aaron Whitcomb went ten rounds. Natasha claimed the victory with 110 points, just 2 points more than Aaron's final game score. Rookie Kathy Nelon Michael put up a fight but didn't finish with enough points to advance.
Aaron and Natasha will face one another again in the semis along with the winners of the AC bracket which will be played tomorrow night.
Things to Note:
Natasha and Katie both had 6 Nertz calls a piece tonight. Jill had 5 Nertz calls in her 8 hand match. Katie's 37 point Nertz in the first round still stands as the tournament hand high. Jill reclaimed her record for the career total number of Nertz calls which now stands at 33.
Of the 32 players that entered the tournament it seems we are seeing more familiar faces endure as this tournament progresses. However, we are also witnessing some talented rookies emerge as well.
2 males have advanced to the semis so far out of a field predominately comprised of females. Another two males still have a chance to advance, so it is possible that this could be the first tournament won by a male. However, both statistics and history indicate otherwise. In addition, with three female champions still in the race, it would be hard to bet against them.
Finally, due to the impressive skill displayed so far, no matter who wins the MEGA-Nertz Open, they will most definitely be worthy of the title.
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