Overland Park, KS, WPH Press, 10/19/25
The Overland Park Jewish Community Center and the Sylvester Powell Community played host to the 2025 Handballesta, featuring men’s and women’s small ball 4-Wall singles and doubles.
Men’s Open Singles
Bryan Trejo returned to the Handballesta as the defending champion and one week removed from qualifying on the Race 4 Eight tour for the first time. Trejo faced a strong field that included fellow Race 4 Eight pros Sam Esser, Mark Doyle, Ross Colyer, and Ray Ure.
Trejo’s title reign came to an abrupt end in the semifinals against his Minnesota State Mankato teammate Mark Doyle. Doyle arrived at the Handballesta on a mission after dropping out of the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 at last weekend’s Portland Classic following back-to-back losses to Jeff Streibig and Diarmuid Mulkerrins. Doyle was ruthless in his two-game sweep against Trejo, never allowing Trejo into the match.
Soon-to-be St. Louis resident and R48 #6 Sam Esser defeated Race 4 Eight rival and R48 #7 Ray Ure in a tiebreaker in the bottom bracket semifinal to meet Doyle in the final.
Esser started well in the first game of the final but could not match Doyle’s court coverage and offense in the second and third games, as Doyle kick started his season with an impressive title run in Overland Park.
“It was a good game,” Doyle would later say. “We talked after the match and we both thought that it was a pretty good standard game. I felt like I ended the rallies better than I had been lately, so I’m happy to have sharpened up a little bit in that regard.”
“I thought it was well played on both sides,” stated Esser. “Mark was retrieving everything and hit some clutch shots in the tiebreaker.”
Semifinals
Doyle def Trejo 21-7, 21-7
Esser def Ure 15-7, 6-15, 11-7
Final: Doyle def Esser 10-21, 21-5, 11-5
Women’s Open Singles
WR48 #3 Clodagh Munroe aimed to defend her 2024 Handballesta title against a strong women’s field that included Hannah Grace, Taylor Bell, Izzy Klicker, and a number of collegiate handball’s top stars.
Munroe allowed her three opponents to score just twenty-eight points in her Handballesta title defense, winning more than 80% of the points played. Munroe faced her sternest test in the final against Hannah Grace, with Grace battling admirably in both games against the one-time WR48 champion. Munroe will be one of the favorites heading into the first WR48 stop of the 2025/26 season at the Tucson Memorial November 7-9.
Semifinals
Munroe def Klicker 21-4, 21-3
Grace def Bell 15-9, 15-9
Final: Munroe def 21-9, 21-7
Thank you to tournament director Adam Azeltine for a great event in Overland Park.
Follow all of the brackets from the 2025 Handballesta HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer