There is a good chance that by that the time you read this, UH-Hilo’s first round match at the NCAA men’s tennis championships is already underway, or maybe even finished.
The early rising Vulcans face – or faced – Indianapolis in a match that starts – or started – at 5 a.m. Hawaii time Wednesday in Surprise, Ariz.
If you’re reading this first thing after jumping out of bed in the morning, perhaps the doubles portion of the match is still ongoing.
The Vulcans (17-2) edged the the Greyhounds (24-2) 5-4 in a neutral court match in mid-March, but Indianapolis won two of three doubles contests. Only Vaclav Slezak and Alessandro Giuliato won on court 1 for UHH.
If you’ve had your coffee and breakfast and are ready to start your day, UHH might have moved on to singles play. The Vuls got wins from their top four players – Slezak, Giuliato, Chun En Wu and Alex Fillat Perez – the last time out against Indy.
“It was a very close match,” UHH coach Tina McDermott recalled of the March encounter. “They are a great team.”
If you slept in Wednesday, maybe the Vulcans have already advanced to the quarterfinals, or maybe Indianapolis extended its winning streak to a lucky 13 (its last loss was to the Vulcans).
The Greyhounds’ other loss this season came against Division I Butler, 4-3. The Vuls lost to D-I Southern Utah (5-2) along with splitting against Azusa Pacific, which is seeded fourth in the field. The Cougars edged UHH in the PacWest finals, ending the Vuls’ 13-match win streak, and play Lynn on Wednesday.
“I think every team we face is going to make adjustments,” McDermott said. “And both teams are going to have certain things the like to do.”
The UHH-Indy winner will move on to face either third-seeded Lander or Washburn in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
No matter when you read this, McDermott said, win or lose, it’s been a heck of a ride. The Vuls are the school’s first team to compete at an NCAA championship since the men’s golf in 2014.
“The atmosphere is fantastic and exciting, and everything is well-organized,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
