Growing pains, to say nothing of physical and emotional scars and upgraded schedules, have torched the records of the University of Hawai'i tennis teams. But spend time with the players and coaches John Nelson and Jun Hernandez, and the subject of wins and losses rarely comes up.

"We've been up and down," said Samanta Cappella, a Rainbow Wahine senior from Argentina, "but we never look at scores. We look to the future and our main goal is the WAC."

The Western Athletic Conference championships are April 26 to 29 at Boise, Idaho. The women are 5-16 with one match remaining. The men are 7-10. It does not look promising to anyone but the 'Bows.

"It's been a tough year because of losses and injuries, but to be honest we're still dangerous," said Nelson, whose men's team earned its first national ranking last year and was 68th in the spring before dropping out. "We can pick up the doubles point and our top guys (freshman Andreas Weber, ranked 56th nationally, and sophomore Sascha Heinemann, No. 103) can beat anybody in the country.

"And, everybody is improving — Spencer (Mendoza), Chad (Faulk), Derrick (Lajola), Brent (Hunter). We're trying to get the right lineup and get healthy."

A battering ram of a schedule has kept the 'Bows going with few breaks the past three months. And, they have caught few breaks since their top recruit — two-time NCAA Division III national champion Matt Seeberger — left school before the semester started.

Injuries have piled up. The 'Bows have lost five matches by 4-3 scores, dropping the doubles point (best two-of-three pro sets on three courts) in each. Three of those losses have come against ranked teams, including then-No. 10 Stanford.

The Rainbow Wahine have not been that close, but it's tough to tell at their matches. The volume is turned up — Cappella says the team likes to cheer "football loud" in six different languages — and the team is outspokenly loyal to second-year coach Hernandez.

He was hired far too late to recruit last year and also lost his best recruit this year — Tennessee All-American Sabita Maharaj, who transferred to UH when her husband was stationed here, but left school for personal reasons. Australian Jacqui Williams, who was playing in the middle of the lineup, is out with an injury.

"Our record doesn't look good," Hernandez admits. "I was anticipating those two players being here. I thought we had a good balance with being able to play top-30 and top-40 teams. With those two girls we would have been top 20 in the nation. Even without them we lost 4-3 to San Diego State when they were ranked 35th."

The team's personality does not reflect its record, which came against nine ranked teams. Its seniors — Cappella, Kana Aikawa from Saipan and Florence Wasko from American Samoa — sound extremely grateful that Hernandez stuck with them. Freshmen Sophie Kobuch, from France, and Julia Hodes, from Germany, are the foundation for next year, when Hernandez has five scholarships to give.

"It was hard for Jun because when he came he already had a team," Cappella said. "He never gave up on us and we keep on building as a team. We've really improved since our freshman year. ... It's like a brand new team. It's the same players but our game is so much better — our fighting spirit, our team spirit, everything."

Hernandez calls the development of the players he inherited his first priority. Next is "building the program" with players like Kobuch, Hodes and those he can attract by dangling paradise, another parade of ranked opponents next year, and his history of success previously at Cal and San Diego. The final piece is creating a tradition. The Rainbow Wahine haven't had a winning season since 1999.

"Right now we don't have a great history of women's tennis in Hawai'i so we have to change that," Hernandez said. "Change the perception. Having close matches with top-30 teams is a great start for us. We're going to get better. The kids I have back have really bought into what I teach and are very coachable. ... You can't ask for more."

Nelson might. He calls "talent and desire 80 percent" of an elite team. His goal is to get UH into the postseason for the first time since 1975. It would take a WAC championship at this point, though Weber and possibly Heinemann have a chance at making NCAAs as individuals.

'Iolani graduate Lajola, one of three seniors with Faulk and Hunter, looks at the Germans and sees precisely what it takes: "Sascha and Andy aren't intimidated, it's not a big thing," said Lajola, who does not believe a WAC title is a long shot now that the team is healthy. "They're like 'Who are these guys?' They had good junior careers, too."

Nelson figures if he can bring in three more players the caliber of his Germans, his program could be top 10.

A year ago, in Nelson's third season, the 'Bows reached the WAC semifinals for the first time. He knows that is not enough to change anyone's mind about coming here. But returning to the rankings, upgrading the schedule and getting a strong finish from last season's WAC Freshman of the Year (Heinemann) and possibly this year's (Weber) just might.

"It takes a while to change perception," Nelson said. "This place has been a sleeping giant. ... No. 1 is getting kids with talent and drive, then I go after the most aggressive schedule I can get. Sometimes you learn more when you lose. To me, it's all about the learning and peaking at the end of the season."

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.