There was drama in every point during Vaclav Slezak’s doubles match.
A UH-Hilo ball hit the baseline, Slezak and playing partner Stefan Coney thought, but was ruled out Tuesday by their Carleton College opponents.
The Vulcans’ No. 1 doubles duo glanced at coach Tina McDermott, who turned toward a Carleton coach, who upheld the out call.
Self-officiating is just a way of life in Division II college tennis, and Slezak and Stefan Coney were fine as it was, holding serve twice to extend the match, then eking out a tiebreaker 7-5.
“Just two points decided it,” Slezak said. “It was probably just luck.”
The teammates parted ways for singles, and luck nor drama had anything to do with Slezak’s quick dissection of his helpless opponent on the campus court designated for the top players.
When Kevin Mei tried to approach the net, Slezak lobbed a ball just inside the baseline. When Mei tried to match forehand ground strokes, Slezak deftly hit a drop shot, leaving his opponent scrambling for air.
McDermott checked in on Slezak early in the match, but with five other Vulcans in play there were more pressing needs for a coach to attend to, and she was long gone when Slezak, featuring a strong serve and forehand, closed out a 6-0, 6-1 evisceration.
“I was surprised by the rain,” said Slezak, a native of the Czech Republic. “Like what the hell, why is it raining all the time. Otherwise, I like it here.
“I definitely plan to stay.”
It’s not as if UH-Hilo tennis ever went anywhere, but it still feels fair to say the program is back. And as long as Slezak, a sophomore, is in town, the Vulcans likely won’t be floundering around in anonymity.
A rare two-match homestand – no, not in Kailua-Kona, in Hilo – gave the Vulcans a chance to unveil their ace, who came to UH-Hilo after a pit stop at Division I Troy University in Alabama.
Slezak is still somewhat dismayed he lost in singles Monday against Cal Lutheran, a match that came on the heels of Slezak’s epic match – a 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 14-12 loss – against Filip Dolezel, the No. 1 player for top-ranked Hawaii Pacific.
Still, Slezak is 10-3 on the season (8-6 in doubles), and if the sight of regular season matches this week at UH-Hilo seemed weird, so to do the words Vulcans and regional ranking in the same sentence.
UH-Hilo (6-8) is sixth in the West Region, 40th nationally, and Slezak is ranked No. 5 regionally and 29th in the country. For comparison’s sake, Dolezel is No. 2 in the region.
“This is great progress for us,” McDermott said in a release. “We have made good strides since the fall, and I believe we will continue to get better.”
That’s not just coach-speak, because the Vulcans are far from a one-man team. No. 2 singles player Alex Fillat Perez is 19th regionally, carrying a 7-5 record in singles and 9-3 in doubles, and Slezak is listed at No. 6 on the regional doubles ladder with teammate Gregory Zukeran. Ryuta Ogawa (8-5) and Bruno Figlia (7-5) also have winning records this season.
Slezak said he drew loads of college offers to come to the U.S., but Troy offered the best scholarship opportunity.
“It was kind of a shock to be in the USA for the first tome, because everything is different in Europe,” he said. “It took me a while to get used to it.
“The tennis was good (at Troy) but the team was bad. I had a bad experience with the coach, that is the reason I had to transfer, kind of.”
Slezak’s English is solid, but in any language, he lost his scholarship.
So he signed on with McDermott, who showed signs of righting the ship in her first year in 2016 as the Vulcans went 6-11, a marked improvement from a 3-17 mark in 2015.
“She’s really good,” Slezak said.
“Everyone (back home) is jealous that I’m here because it’s a vacation place,” he said.
And the tennis is starting to get better as well.
“This team is really good and I’m glad I came here,” Slezak said. “So many close matches. If we can improve on those, we can be one of the tops teams in the conference.”
Tuesday
UH-Hilo 9, Carelton 0
Singles
Vaclav Slezak (UHH) def. Kevin Mei (CC), 6-0, 6-1.
Alex Fillat Perez (UHH) def. Jordan O’Kelly (CC), 6-1, 6-2.
Gregory Zukeran (UHH) def. Patton McClelland (CC), 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 10-3.
Bruno Figlia (UHH) def. Aaron Goodman (CC), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
Ryuta Ogawa (UHH) def. Sahil Chhugani (CC), 6-1, 7-6 (7-5).
Dillon Lam (UHH) def. Mark Conrad (CC), 6-1, 6-3.
Doubles
Slezak/Stefan Coney (UHH) def. Goodman/Ezra Frankel (CC), 9-8 (7-5).
Figlia/Fillat Perez (UHH) def. Mei/O’Kelly (CC), 8-2.
Daniel Tada/Zukeran (UHH) def. Chhugani/Kevin Hurley (CC), 8-3.
Monday
UH-Hilo 7, Cal Lutheran 2
Singles
Ransom Braaten (CLU) def. Vaclav Slezak (UHH), 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).
Alex Fillat Perez (UHH) def. Dara Kashani (CLU), 6-1, 3-6, 10-6.
Gregory Zukeran (UHH) def. Lucas Tilly (CLU), 6-3, 6-1.
Stefan Coney (UHH) def. Jake Haffner (CLU), 6-1, 6-4.
Bruno Figlia (UHH) def. Andrew Tufenkian (CLU), 6-0, 6-2.
Austin Wong (CLU) def. Ryuta Ogawa (UHH), 6-4, 6-3.
Doubles
Slezak/Coney (UHH) def. Braaten/Kashani (CLU), 8-4.
Figlia/Fillat Perez (UHH) def. Tilly/Haffner (CLU), 8-4.
Daniel Tada/Zukeran (UHH) def. Tufenkian/Wong (CLU), 8
