UH tennis team endures growing pains

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Stacy Hakikawa and Birgitte Brubakken see the writing on the wall. The writing, of course, is in perfect English.

Birgitte Brubakken, UH's lone senior, has compiled an 8-5 record at No. 3 singles. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Hakikawa is 20 and Brubakken 24. Yet the Rainbow Wahine co-captains are relatively ancient on this team. Polina Kravets is the only other player with collegiate experience.

There are seven new players and only five victories going into this week's matches in Reno against Nevada Friday, San Jose State Saturday and UTEP Sunday. It is Hawai'i's only conference competition this regular season, and the sole goal in The Biggest Little City in the World is to create a comfort zone for the WAC Tournament, April 26-28.

There will be three ranked teams — UTEP, Fresno State and Boise State — that week in Tulsa.

"Then, when we get into the WAC Tournament, we just play," UH coach Carolyn Katayama said. "That will be the culmination of all that they've learned. Based on how they've performed, they should feel good and confident. A lot has to do with confidence."

The joy of this 5-14 season is that the Rainbow Wahine truly appear to be enjoying themselves.

"Because there are so many freshmen, they are more into it," says Hakikawa, a junior out of Leilehua. "They are really motivated."

Brubakken, from Norway, is the team's only senior. She says the relentless energy of the freshmen is contagious.

"I enjoy it," Brubakken says. "They are not tired of practicing yet. In three or four years, when there's a lot more going on in their lives, then you just have to love the game to play like that. But for me, there's more spark right now."

Mean competition

Coach Carol Katayama said confidence is the key. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Hakikawa won a state high school doubles championship her senior year, after finishing second to Erin Hoe in singles the previous two years. Playing at Nos. 5 and 6 her first two collegiate seasons, she compiled a 32-19 record. This year, sharing the bull's-eye of No. 1 with Fitzgerald, she is 3-14.

And playing much better.

The gap between Nos. 1 and 6 is vast. Before, consistency was the key to success. Now more technique is necessary, along with more strategy and "more everything," according to Hakikawa. She can't suffer a lapse, nor even play a bad point. Sometimes, she can't stand her opponents.

"They are more ... intense," Hakikawa admits. "Most of the time, that's hard to deal with. I've come across so many players this year that are just so mean. Winning is everything.

"I guess you just have to stay humble. Concentrate on your side of the court."

Brubakken has found a home at No. 3, going 8-5. She prefers to talk about her leadership role in Rainbow Wahine Inc. Katayama encourages her co-captains — both business majors — to help coach and they have embraced the challenge. It was part of what brought Brubakken here with Katayama three years ago.

"I was a freshman at Azusa Pacific and found out the school was not accredited in Norway," Brubakken said. "We came here on a road trip. I saw how it was and it was like, 'Yes!' I liked the business school. The tennis program was totally new and that intrigued me. And then, of course, there was the sun and the beach."

Freshman phenom

Fitzgerald has become the season's most compelling story, and core of what Katayama hopes is a solid foundation. She is coming off a WAC Player-of-the-Week performance where she won five of six matches, the only loss against Washington State's Erica Perkins, who was ranked 68th.

Fitzgerald is 10-7 overall — 7-1 at No. 2. "She can get on a roll," Katayama says, "but she's a freshman, so she can get frustrated. ... Lauren has really matured with all the learning situations."

Fitzgerald is part of a recruiting class that came here with an average GPA of 3.7. Hakikawa, Brubakken and Kravets are all scholar-athletes. Last semester, the women's tennis team was second only to the men's team with a cumulative team GPA of 3.12; seven of the 10 were at 3.0 or better.

Katayama, whose team has lost four 4-3 matches, hopes their won-loss record will catch up to their GPA soon.

"We've got the base now," she says. "They are really good girls, very respectful, good athletes, they try hard, have good attitudes, they're all good in class.

"This is a learning year and they know it. In the beginning they were a little frustrated because they were not winning. I sat them down and told them they were learning. As soon as I presented it that way you could see the attitude change."