Success of BYUH tennis based on mental toughness
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
Think of a third baseman, taking a step forward when a power hitter approaches the plate. "Hit to me," he says quietly. "Hit to me."
That's the fearless attitude David Porter wants his players to have, that mental toughness that's critical in playing tennis.
"They have to learn to compete, but they have to love it," said the head coach for the undefeated Brigham Young-Hawai'i men's and women's tennis teams. "I expect guys to say, like Michael Jordan, 'Give me the ball.' People who love to play the big points, who aren't nervous, who say, 'This is why I play all day.' That's what I want."
So far his mental mentoring has paid off.
The top-ranked BYUH men's team (14-0) pushed past third-ranked Hawai'i Pacific Tuesday, 6-3; the second-ranked women's team (11-0) swept all their singles and doubles matches against No. 17 HPU. More than 100 people attended the match in La'ie.
The hard-fought win was important in boosting players' confidence levels, as HPU proved to be the kind of competition the Seasiders needed — and Porter wanted — to prepare them for the national tournament in May.
"They're capable of beating us or anybody in the country," Porter said about HPU. "It was wonderful to have that kind of competition mid-season. I still consider both teams strong contenders for the national championship. But so much depends on health and conditions."
The Seasiders learned this lesson firsthand, as the team's No. 2 singles player, Peter Madarassy (ranked ninth in the nation), pulled out of the match to be with his ill father in Hungary. (He is expected to return next week.)
That should have hurt BYUH. Instead, the Seasiders stepped up their level of competition and played each match like they had everything to lose.
With five of the Seasiders moving up a slot in singles play, the only matchup that was the same as last month's meeting was between the two top players, BYUH's Jan Krejci and HPU's Mikael Maata. And like their last match, Krejci easily put away Maata, 6-3, 6-1. The only BYUH player to lose in singles play was Andrew Makarevich, who fell to Jan Tribler, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
The Seasider women quickly swept the Sea Warriors, winning all six singles matches in straight sets.
"It's was good for the team to be able to realize that even if you have to play without a key person, you're capable of competing at the highest level," Porter said. "I think this match increased their confidence because they won without Peter. To win without him showed some of the players what they're capable of doing when they dig deep."
Confidence will help both the men and women when they hit the road next to play several schools in Florida. For the men, this road trip is especially important, as four of their opponents are ranked in the nation's Top 15.
With confidence levels up, Porter hopes both teams will play with mental toughness. Because that aspect of the game is just as important as the physical.
"As you become fitter physically, you have a huge advantage mentally," he said. "You know you can last longer or run down more balls. But mental toughness is more than that. It's about being able to put yourself in a position where you can play your best on the big points. That makes the difference."
| STANDINGS | ||||||
| Conference | Overall | |||||
| W | L | W | L | T | ||
| UH-Hilo | 10 | 2 | 21 | 6 | ||
| Western New Mexico | 8 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 1 | |
| Chaminade | 7 | 5 | 14 | 14 | ||
| Hawai‘i Pacific | 2 | 2 | 14 | 7 | ||
| BYU-Hawai'i | 4 | 5 | 7 | 14 | ||
| Montana State-Billings | 0 | 12 | 0 | 14 |
This week's schedule
Softball
Saturday
UHH at Chaminade, 9:30 a.m., Palolo Field
BYUH at HPU, noon and 2 p.m., HPU Windward Campus
Sunday
Eastern Oregon at HPU, noon, HPU Windward Campus
Monday
Eastern Oregon at BYUH, noon and 2 p.m., BYUH Field
Wednesday
Eastern Oregon at Chaminade, 4 p.m., Palolo Field
Baseball
Rainbow Easter Tournament, Murakami Stadium
Monday
UHH vs. HPU, 6:35 p.m.
Tuesday
HPU vs. San Jose State, 10 a.m.
UHH vs. Lewis-Clark State College, 2 p.m.
Wednesday
UHH vs. San Jose State, 10 a.m.
HPU vs. Lewis-Clark State College, 2 p.m.
Men's tennis
Today
Idaho at HPU, 11 a.m., Kailua Racquet Club
Tomorrow
Idaho at BYUH, 2 p.m., BYUH courts
HPU at UHH, 9:30 a.m., UHH courts
Saturday
Tennessee at HPU, TBA, Hilton Waikoloa
UHH at Queen's College, TBA, Greenlefe Fla.
Sunday
UHH at Florida Golf Coast College, TBA, Greenlefe, Fla.
Monday
UHH at Portland State, TBA, Greenlefe, Fla.
Wednesday
UC-San Diego at BYUH, 2 p.m., BYUH courts
UHH at Quachita Baptist, TBA, Greenlefe, Fla.
Women's tennis
Today
Wisconsin-Green Bay at BYUH, 2 p.m., BYUH courts
Arkansas at HPU, 10 a.m., O'ahu Club
Tomorrow
HPU at UHH, 9:30 a.m., UHH courts
Sunday
UHH at Florida Gulf Coast College, 9:30 a.m. Hawai'i time, Fort Myers, Fla.
Monday
UHH at Florida Southern College, 10 a.m. Hawai'i time, Lakeland, Fla.
Tuesday
UHH at Tampa, 10 a.m. Hawai'i time, Tampa, Fla.
Wednesday
UHH at Buffalo, 10 a.m. Hawai'i time, Greenlefe, Fla.
