The momentum keeps rolling for Waiakea’s Jade and Paul Brilhante, the first cousins who remained unbeaten in the BIIF tennis as well as the boys and girls teams.
The Warriors blanked the Vikings 5-0 for the girls and 5-0 for the boys on Tuesday in a BIIF match at Waiakea’s courts on an overcast day.
In No. 1 singles, Jade Brilhante, a senior, defeated Hilo junior Kaylee Yamada, 6-2, 6-2, and junior Paul Brilhante beat Kai Chun 6-0, 6-3 for the Warriors (8-0 for the boys and girls).
Yamada gave Brilhante a stiff challenge throughout the match despite both missing significant time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last season was canceled and in 2020 half the season went missing.
“It was a good challenge for me to get ready for the BIIF tournament,” said Yamada (3-2), the only girl Viking with experience. “I was just working on my strokes. This is the first time I’ve played Jade that I remember. It’s been a while. She was just making her shots.
“We have a lot of beginners, but they’ve improved a lot over the course of the season. Hopefully, they can do some big things at BIIFs. My sophomore year was canceled, and my freshman year was half the season, so it’s good that we have this season.”
It’s a family affair for the Viking junior, whose dad, Wayne, is the coach and her mom, Leanne, is an assistant.
“We have a lot of people with no experience, so the only practice they do get is from practice,” Wayne Yamada said. “They don’t play in tournaments. It’s the first experience for them playing in this sport. We have to teach them how to keep score and then the skills. They’re learning. It’s a learning process for them. I’m very happy how far they’ve come. We tell them with the few months you’ve been playing look how much you have learned. We just want to keep moving forward, and this is just a step we’re looking toward down the road.”
Yamada is also on the Viking soccer team, and she benefits from both, her dad pointed out.
In No. 2 singles, Waiakea’s Jade Igawa def. Mahea Gomes, 6-0, 6-0. Waiakea’s Iori Furuhata def. Aidan Carvalho Fukunaga, 6-0, 6-0.
In No. 1 doubles, Waiakea’s Kiora Kunimoto/Chloe Takahashi def. Urumi Furuhata/Lilia Icari, 6-0, 6-0. Waiakea’s Bruin Yomono/Maika Nucci def. Jonathan Okamura/Jake Tokuuke, 6-0, 6-0.
In No. 2 doubles, Waiakea’s Kate Newell/Jessie Higa def. Annika Lee/Jenna Rivera, 6-0, 6-0. Waiakea’s Reyn Funai/Dayne Kunimoto def. Drew Nakamura/Brendan Inaba, 6-1, 6-0.
In No. 3 doubles, Waiakea’s Lisa Miyazaki/Haley Teramoto def. Paige Masulit/Karissa Lee, 6-0, 6-0. Waiakea’s Michael Nakao/Rhys Wilson def. Richard Gonsalves/Kensuke Pen, 6-0, 6-0
“They were looking forward to this match. Historically, it’s been a rivalry, and you’re going to bring out your ‘A’ game,” Waiakea coach Bill Brilhante said. “We’re always going to get tough matches against Hilo. Wayne does such a good job with his girls, and Chris Paulachak with the boys. No matter what, Hilo is going to be strong. We’ll see them again in the playoffs.
“This is the most games somebody got on Jade. Kaylee got 2 and 2 on her. If you think about it these kids haven’t played significant, competitive tennis in 2 1/2 years. It’s relearning, and one thing we say is there’s no such thing as microwave tennis. It’s like anything else. You have to put the work in. Our goal is to always be better than the day before. Paul has been steady and solid. He has such a great attitude and work ethic. Paul is going to be successful no matter what he does, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my nephew.”
All joking aside, the Warrior junior enjoys the family atmosphere with his cousin and uncle.
Paul Brilhante started at 4 years old and began competitive play six year later. Jade started at 5 years old and got competitive at 12 years old.
“I love playing with Jade. She’s my best friend,” he said. “She’s my biggest competitor on the court. Playing with my uncle Bill is so much fun. He always listens to the players, good feedback all the time.
The two cousins are 4-0. Jade Brilhante doesn’t have a college in mind yet. But at least she’s been a star student in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA. She joked she just has to maintain that.
“I told myself to just be consistent, but she played really well,” Jade Brilhante said. “It’s really fun playing with Paul. We’re super close. We’re still deciding, but I definitely want to play tennis in college.”