After a season defined by the unknown, serve up two more for UH-Hilo’s men’s and women’s tennis teams at the Pacific West Conference championships, where the chance at new beginnings await.
The second-seeded men begin play in Surprise, Ariz., in Thursday’s quarterfinals against Biola, and coach Kallen Mizuguchi said injuries are an issue, without going into specifics.
The recent sunny weather in Hilo allowed the Vulcans (5-2) ample opportunities to practice, but “unfortunately with injuries, most of the guys weren’t able to play,” Mizuguchi said. “That’s the reality of things.”
UHH beat the Eagles 4-0 in March, but “that’s when we were fresh,” Mizuguchi said. “All my guys were firing away 100%.”
“I’m not sure where people are going to play, exactly,” he said. “It’s all up in the air right now, but we’ll work with what we have. Unfortunately, there will be a lot of game-time decisions.”
When the Vulcans are at their best, they are formidable. Ranked 12th in Division II, they took two of three from third-seeded Hawaii Pacific this season, and their only other loss came in a 4-3 setback against tournament favorite Azusa Pacific.
The Cougars are ranked No. 1 in the West and seventh overall.
If UHH can get by the Eagles (9-8), they’ll play either HPU or Metro State in Friday’s semifinals.
“Given the circumstances of COVID, there have been a lot of positives this season,” Mizuguchi said. “We had a shortened season, and the guys have been through a lot, like every student-athlete around the nation. We’re just fortunate to get to play.”
The Vuls don’t necessarily need to win the PacWest title to continue playing. The winner of Saturday’s title match gains automatic entry into the NCAA West Regional tournament, but a quarterfinal victory could boost UHH’s chances chance of reaching a four-team regional as an at-large, even if they should fall short in Arizona.
The Vuls were runners-up in the two most recent PacWest championships, losing finals in 2018 (Azusa Pacific) and 2019 (HPU).
“I want to see if this is the year we go get it,” Mizuguchi said.
The UHH women (7-5) are seeded eighth and will face ninth-seeded Metro State (Denver) in a first-round match Wednesday. The winner faces top-seeded Azusa in the quarterfinals. The Cougars drew a bye in the 12-team tournament, which includes the Roadrunners (10-9) and Mesa State for the first time.
Mizuguchi might have a better handle on who is going to play for him on the women’s side, but has no feel for who the Vuls are going to play. Metro and Mesa play in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, which no longer sponsors tennis as a championship sport.
“It’s kind of nice not knowing about them going into the match,” he said. “Just let the match play out.”