First it was New York. Then Orlando. And now Houston, as the Pro Padel League (PPL) recently announced it would be adding a 10th team to the mix ahead of its upcoming sophomore season in 2024.
The Houston Volts made their debut at the PPL’s recently completed inaugural All-Star Game in San Diego (winning 8-5), and will eventually play their home matches at the soon-to-break-ground PELOTA Padel Club, a 40,000 square feet facility that will boast nine indoor and three outdoor padel courts, including a stadium court.
The Volts are owned by a partnership group including Sergio Ortiz, who is the former president of the United States Padel Association (USPA), and the current president and CEO of Sports Facilities Investment Group, headquartered in Woodlands, Texas.
“We are honored to have former USPA President, Sergio Ortiz, be the owner of the new Houston franchise,” said Marcos del Pilar, PPL Commissioner. “Along with his great partners, Ortiz is contributing to growing padel in Houston by opening a world-class facility next year that will be home to the Houston Volts. We are excited for his team to compete in our 2024 season.”
Juani Mieres — a former No. 1 ranked player on the World Padel Tour (WPT), four-time World Champion, and winner of 22 WPT titles — will serve as Sports Advisor to the team. Meanwhile, Diego Pezzoni, who has been the USA Junior Padel Team Head Coach since 2019, will fill the role of head coach.
Players already signed to the Houston Volts include:
- Claudia Jensen: An 18-year-old player with a No. 11 WPT ranking. She reached her first WPT Final in 2023, along with three semifinals. Prior to the WPT, Jensen was a Junior World Champion on the Spanish team and was the first female player at the age of 15 to reach a ranking of No. 63.
- Lorena Rufo: A 20-year-old player who reached the quarterfinals in the Paris Major Premier Padel and WPT Human French Padel Open. Prior to this, Rufo won three junior championships playing for Spain and two Junior World Championships
- Pablo García: A 20-year-old player who placed 3rd in the 2019 Junior World Championships in U16. Following this, Garcia was the 2021 Champion in three divisions, National Champion in U18 in Spain, National Team Champion U18, and by team “autonómicas.” In 2022, Garcia was the absolute Champion in Madrid and most recently a finalist in the 2023 European Olympic Games.
- Ivan Rodriguez: A 22-year-old player who is a two-time Junior World Champion in U16 and in 2020 was nominated as a revelation player for his outstanding padel career to date.
- Alex Chozas: A 20-year-old player who was the 2023 Champion at the V Panamerican Absolute Championship in Venezuela with team Argentina. Along with this, Chozas was the Champion at the A1 Padel CMB Mónaco Master in 2023.
“Joining the PPL as Houston’s franchise owner made a lot of sense to my partners and I since we are developing PELOTA Padel Club, a new, prestigious padel venue in Houston,” commented Sergio Ortiz, owner of the Houston Volts.
“Selecting young, talented players for our team was the easy part. I firmly believe the future of the sport belongs to the youth in the world, and it is from the youth that padel will enlighten our everyday lives!”
