UH-Hilo men’s tennis program isn’t the only thing on the rise in coach Tina McDermott’s world these days.
Check out her inbox.
“When I first came here, I had to send all the emails because we only had five players, and we didn’t even have a lineup,” McDermott said. “Now the emails come to me. It’s a little different.”
Which is not to say the third-year Vulcans coach doesn’t read each one in search of unknown jewels from any corner of the globe.
“She was one of the first (coaches) to respond to me,” Vulcans freshman Alessandro Giuliato said, recalling a recruitment that brought him approximately 8,103 miles (13,000 kilometers) from his native Italy to the middle of the Pacific and eventually to the forefront of the Vulcans’ revival.
Making a smooth transition from clay to faster-paced hard courts and combining fiery preparation with a calm court demeanor, the numbers are gaudy. Giuliato is 14-1 this season at No. 2 singles and ranked 37th for the Vulcans, who are 13-0 against Division II teams and ranked No. 1 in the West Region.
“I try to be focused from the beginning to the end of the match, that’s the key,” Giuliato said. “Most of the players are really good, but they go down and they go up. I try to stay focused.”
Said McDermott: “He’s easy to coach. Not too high, high not too low, low.
Perhaps the only thing more impressive than his record is the fact Giuliato passed his SAT shortly after learning English.
“That was tough,” said Giuliato, who was honored Wednesday for his work in the classroom, two days after being honored by the PacWest for his work on the court.
He was in Atlanta trying to master a second language and exploring college opportunities when he pressed send, lighting up McDermott’s email inbox.
“I did my research on him and knew he was going to be something special,” she said.
Giuliato has held serve on those expectations no matter the conditions for the road warrior Vulcans, whether it be in the heat at Holua, the lukewarm air of Las Vegas or the California cool.
“It was cold in Oakland,” Giuliato said. “We played a match until 10 p.m. and it was 5 degrees …. Celsius. I don’t know about Fahrenheit (about 41).”
UH-Hilo started a 180-degree turn last season by achieving a winning record with Vaclav Slezak at No. 1 singles, and the junior has teamed with Giuliato to forge a dangerous doubles team that ranks No. 16 in the country.
Slezak brings the speed, Giuliato delivers the touch and together they are 15-2 this season.
“He has a really good serve, he has a really good return, and that makes me better,” Giuliato said. “I’m good at the net and he gives me good balls, so I love to play with him.”
During a near three-week mainland road trip, the highlight of the Vulcans’ season – so far – came March 27 with a first-of-its-kind victory (7-2) against an Azusa Pacific team they may well see again.
Giuliato and Slezak dispatched of Oliver Frank and Christian Schmid, the nation’s No. 1-ranked doubles duo, then Giuliato thoroughly frustrated Schmid in a 6-0, 6-3 win, handing Schmid his first singles setback loss of the season.
“He doesn’t know how I play, and I tried to take advantage,” Giuliato said. “After that first set, I was really confident.”
Azusa is ranked second in the West and figures to be the Vulcans’ primary competition at the PacWest championships, April 19-21 in Surprise, Ariz.
UH-Hilo is practicing at their courts until it leaves April 16, and Giuliato finds sleepy Hilo town to be the perfect place to prepare.
He misses his friends and family in Italy, he misses metropolitan life and he misses the food, but he doesn’t miss the distractions.
“The good thing is there is not much to do here at night, so that helps a lot,” Giuliato said. “We have to prepare. There is a time to work and a time to have fun.”
The West Regional will have four teams, and if the Vulcans rank Nos. 1 or 2 after the conference championship, they’ll host a match at Holua Tennis Center in Kailua-Kona.
With any luck, they’ll be back in Surprise, Ariz., for the NCAA championships from May 8-12.
It’s a whole new landscape, not just for Giuliato but for the Vulcans as well.
“We just have to win as much as we can,” he said. “We beat Azusa, it seems we can beat everyone.”
