HPU tennis star a leader on, off court

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

Mikael Maata, a 25-year-old from Sweden, will be relied upon today when HPU faces it's toughest test: No. 3 BYUH. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

But Mikael Maata insists he's just a friendly guy.

"I'm sensitive," he said, with a rascal smile, his blue eyes twinkling.

What Maata is, in all honesty, is not what he seems.

One of the top Division II tennis players in the country, Maata anchors the No. 1 Hawai'i Pacific men's team. Last year's ITA All-American and Rookie of the Year, the 25-year-old sensation from Sweden has helped the Sea Warriors to a 4-1 start this season.

HPU faces its toughest competition at 11 a.m. today against No. 3 Brigham Young University-Hawai'i (3-0 as of Feb. 15) at Kailua Racquet Club.

But there's more to Maata than a tough serve and a serious net game.

An international business major, he manages to find time between tennis practice and studying to practice kung fu 12 hours a week. He lost a bet three years ago — convinced he could beat his friend in tennis, he let him have a 4-0 lead and choked — and wound up with a tongue ring. And he recently became engaged to his girlfriend of two years.

Even his coach didn't know what to expect when he recruited him two years ago.

"He's a fairly soft-spoken guy but with a little humor in him," said head coach Henry Somerville. "And I knew he was a very good player; he had done well in tournaments in Sweden. But as far as attitude and work ethic, I didn't know what to expect."

What Somerville got was exactly what the team needed.

Maata has proved to be a charismatic leader on the court, a work horse, an example for the other players. And with a squad of mostly newcomers — to the program and to the country — Maata has contributed to the kind of team chemistry that has the players going to movies on weekends and grabbing lunch in between classes.

"He really pumps the guys up," Somerville said. "He really leads the way."

The Sea Warriors will rely on Maata's on-court prowess against the Seasiders, who also boast top players on their young-but-talented roster.

In recent years the competition between the two Division II programs has become a fierce rivalry, a matchup both teams work toward all season.

"It's going to be our biggest match," said Maata, who sat out with the flu during a recent practice at the O'ahu Club. (He is expected to compete today.) "Every year it's our biggest match. They want to beat us. They're really good, as solid as we are, at least, so it should be interesting."

The better HPU got, the more intense the competition became. No longer could the Seasiders emerge from their hideaway in La'ie and quickly put away the Sea Warriors.

Last year the Sea Warriors fell one match short of becoming the first collegiate men's tennis team from Hawai'i to win a national championship, losing to Rollins College in the finals. The Seasiders finished fourth at the NCAA II championships.

"There's not a lot that separates the two teams," Somerville said. "It's about who can get the edge ... It's that close."

The edge comes with mental toughness, that something extra that sets players apart.

Both teams have players who hit the ball well, control their strokes, serve tough. What gives one team the advantage, Somerville said, is endurance. Mentally and physically.

"The smallest difference makes a big difference at this level," Somerville said.

And lucky for HPU, Maata has exactly that mental toughness, the kind that keeps him playing just a bit longer, just a bit stronger.

But he's banking on something else.

"I'm a counter-striker," he said with a grin. "I know my strategy (for BYUH). But I'm not going to tell you."