Written by Noam Gumerman
WUL Lead Writer
It’s here! Championship Weekend is this Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8 in Oakland, California. Bay Area Falcons play host to themselves, Colorado Alpenglow, San Diego Super Bloom, Seattle Tempest – and the eyes of ultimate fans around the world. It’s been a season where the best four teams in the league have proven themselves worthy many times over, and this weekend we get to see them go head-to-head when it matters most.
Each of the four qualifiers has their own compelling story behind a possible championship. Colorado wants to repeat as WUL Champions on the heels of an undefeated season. San Diego is looking to get over the hump, finally, as the league’s most consistently solid regular season team in history, but without any 1st place trophies d to show for it. After a down year in 2024, Seattle is readyto return to their perch on top, winning a third title in four years. And the hosts, Bay Area, has eyes on the prize, ready to redeem themselves after a disappointing 2024 Championship Weekend.
It’s the best time of the WUL season. Here’s how it’s going down:
Game Schedule:
Saturday 6/7
Semifinal 1 - 4:00 pm PDT: (2) San Diego Super Bloom vs (3) Seattle Tempest
Semifinal 2 - 7:00 pm PDT: (1) Colorado Alpenglow vs (4) Bay Area Falcons
Sunday 6/8
3rd Place - 12:00pm PDT: Loser of Semifinal 1 vs Loser of Semifinal 2
Championship Game-3:00pm PDT: Winner of Semifinal 1 vs Winner of Semifinal 2
Game Previews:
San Diego Super Bloom vs. Seattle Tempest
San Diego and Seattle face off in the first game of the weekend, renewing the league’s biggest rivalry, and a rematch of this season’s thrilling 16-15 Week 6 overtime game. San Diego won after tying it up on a hail-mary huck after time expired in the fourth, and finally, an overtime buzzer-beater to avoid a second overtime. But Super Bloom only needed the late heroics after blowing a five-point second-half lead to Tempest. If we are treated to half the game these two teams gave us in April, we’ll be set up for an all-time Championship Weekend classic. That game was Seattle’s only loss of the season. Otherwise, they looked nearly perfect, with a resume highlighted by two wins over fellow Championship contenders, Bay Area.
This rivalry cuts deeper than just one good game earlier this year. In both Tempest’s 2022 and 2023 Championship wins, Super Bloom is the team they went through to do it in the final. For San Diego, this is an opportunity to exorcise some organizational demons, prove once and for all that this year’s team is different (despite a familiar core), and foster a sense of belief that they are destined to win it all. For Seattle, this is an opportunity to remind San Diego of who owned the first two years of the league, and why SD hasn’t won yet. It would foster a near-mythical sense of the way this program has consistently elevated its play come the postseason, and only cement to Tempest players and fans that this rivalry should be charitably described as “one-sided.”
It’ll be a special collection of talent on the field, too. Super Bloom is led by their two 2025 MVP finalists in Kaela Helton and Dena Elimelech (the WUL’s 2022 and 2023 MVP, and 2024 DPOTY winners, respectively), DPOTY finalist Kaitlyn Weaver, and 2024 MVP finalist and 2025 OPOTY finalist Kelli Iwamoto, forming a star-studded core. As has been mentioned before, the big difference from this year’s Super Bloom to previous iterations has been the way everyone has stepped up and contributed around the big stars. For Seattle, the ascension of Sadie Jezierski (2025 league leader in blocks, 2025 DPOTY finalist, and all-around menace on the field) behind the steady strength of Seattle’s deep roster has lifted Tempest back into prime contention for a title. All signs point to this game being an incredible one. Don’t miss it.
Colorado Alpenglow vs. Bay Area Falcons
In a reversal of fortunes from last year, Colorado comes into Championship Weekend undefeated since Week 9 of the 2024 regular season, and the favorite to win the 2025 WUL Championship. This year, Bay Area is the host, coming off a positive but inconsistent regular season, and looking to make some magic happen in the postseason, just as their opponents were a year ago. And Colorado will play the part of the best regular season team coming into Championship Weekend with momentum, looking to finish off an impressive record, just as Bay Area was a year ago.
What’s even more interesting is that these two teams have only played once before, back in 2023, a game that Bay Area won 15-14. Unlike our first 2025 Championship Weekend semifinal, these two teams are not very familiar with each other, having played in opposite divisions last year and not meeting this year. Falcons have not yet faced the elite downfield cutter depth that Alpenglow can roll out point after point with players like 2025 MVP finalist and 2024 MVP winner Abby Thorpe, 2025 MVP finalist Rory Veldman, 2025 BPOTY finalist Rena Kawabata, or a thrower like 2024 OPOTY winner and 2025 OPOTY finalist Ari Nelson. But the Falcons should feel confident in their defence with players like 2025 BPOTY and DPOTY finalist Georgia Cardosa to attack big matchups. Additionally, Colorado hasn’t faced a backfield with power throwers like 2025 MVP Finalist Robyn Fennig and 2024 MVP Finalist Han Chen either, who can move the disc from one side of the field to the other in an instant.
While these teams may not have the same history and knowledge of each other as the first semifinal has, there is no doubt they will be well prepared for what needs to happen in order to secure a berth in the WUL Championship Game. For Colorado, this is a chance to take one step closer towards the second undefeated season in WUL history, and the second back-to-back dynasty. For Bay Area, this is a chance to pull off an incredible upset, and set right the disappointment of last year’s team falling short so close to the finish line. The lights will be bright, it’ll be a primetime matchup with star-studded rosters, where both teams hope to continue their march towards WUL history.
Don’t miss the action over championship weekend! Grab your tickets early to claim your space in the stands, find a watch party near you or catch the action live on the WUL YouTube Channel! On Semifinals Saturday, first catch 5-1 San Diego Super Bloom taking on 5-1 Seattle Tempest; then, undefeated 6-0 Colorado Alpenglow face off against 4-2 hosts Bay Area Falcons. Then on Sunday, watch the winners play for the 2025 WUL Championship!