Learning, growing and adapting is the on-going process of life many must go through — along with all the trials and tribulations that come along with it.
For UH-Hilo’s Luca Matheiowetz, it’s been all that and then some — moving to a different country more than 7,000 miles across the world, learning the collegiate game of tennis and perhaps most importantly, trying to have fun on the court.
Outside of tennis and in the classroom, Matheiowetz has taken care of business. The Olching, Germany native was named the 2022-23 Joe and Harriet Estrella Male Scholar-Athlete at last month’s All-Sports Banquet after achieving the highest cumulative grade point average with at least five semesters completed as a Vulcan.
Matheiowetz’s time in Hilo got off to a strong start in 2021 — breezing through classes while helping the men’s tennis team to a Pacific West Conference Championship and a finish as NCAA Division II National Championship semifinalists. The following season saw the Vulcans place third at the conference tournament with an appearance in the NCAA West Regional.
After playing in just five singles matches as a freshman, Matheiowetz posted a 12-7 record in 2022 on the way to earning All-PacWest Third Team and CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 At-Large Team honors.
UH-Hilo is the only university in the country where its student-athletes have to get on a plane to travel for every away contest. While a common obstacle for all Vulcans student-athletes, the jam-packed tennis schedules often do not provide any favors — an example being the eight matches in nine days through both southern and northern California earlier this year in March.
Not only is it tough to find time to take care of class work, but it’s also physically tough on the body — especially on hard courts, as opposed to the clay surfaces Matheiowetz grew up playing on in Europe. A roster changeover for 2023 meant longer match play instead of cruising to quick victories by overpowering opponents, like Matheiowetz had become accustomed to through his first two seasons.
After previously playing on courts 4-6, the junior also had to step into the No. 1 singles spot, often going up against the top players from each team — which afforded a much smaller margin of error.
“It was a good experience, but also frustrating,” Matheiowetz said. “But this semester we learned now we have to really fight for every match. That made us grow more from what we learned from just winning straight away.”
The Vulcans went 5-12 this past season with a seventh-place finish at the PacWest Conference championships.
While the end results were frustrating in terms of wins and losses, it was an opportunity for Matheiowetz to try to just enjoy the moment.
“My main goal is to have fun because then I’m getting loose and can swing away,” Matheiowetz said. “As soon as I start to want more, I will probably get the yips or whatever.
“I’m just trying to have a good time on the court and enjoy the team. I cannot play well without fun anyway.”
Matheiowetz arrived to the Big Island looking to pursue a degree in psychology, but is now working toward a double Bachelor’s of Business Administration in accounting and finance.
While he’s not too sure where his career path will end up taking him, Matheiowetz plans to return to Germany after one more go at tennis with his senior season next spring.
