The BYU–Hawaii men’s and women’s tennis team is hitting the courts once again for their 2016 season.
With the start of the season for both teams about a month away, the men’s and women’s teams are hard at work preparing for what promises to be another successful year of tennis.
For years, the BYUH tennis team, under Head Coach Dave Porter, has been one of the top teams in NCAA division II with multiple conference championships and for the women’s team seven national titles. However, the tennis program has hit a short dry spell, as the last time they won a National Championship was 2007.
Since that time both programs have been a regional powerhouse, particularly the women’s team, but have come up short each year in the national tournament.
This year, both teams will be looking to end the drought and regain the top spot in NCAA division II tennis. The women’s team, which lost in the semifinals of the national tournament last year, comes into the year with a squad deep in talent.
Returning will be the Lady Seasiders’ two aces, Dallas Zhang and Karen Liu. Last year Zhang was the number three ranked tennis player for division II, while Zhang and doubles partner Liu were also ranked as one of the top doubles pairs in the nation.
Alongside Zhang and Liu, the Lady Seasiders will feature returners Kanela Adamson, Jade Griffin, Leah Han, Jeong-Min Jeon and JoJo Wu. The Lady Seasiders will also be welcoming newcomers Shu-Ying Hsieh and Xin Wen.
The team is ready and poised to continue their dominance in the PacWest conference where they have won more than nine straight conference titles, as well as, getting that illusive national championship.
“We are all working really hard and are hungry for the win,” said Kanela Christensen, an elementary education major from Bountiful, Utah. “These last few years we have come up short, but this year we want to change that.”
While the men’s team has not been as dominant as the women’s, that does not mean they are not capable of the same success this year. Last year the men’s team finished third in the conference behind Hawaii Pacific University and Azusa Pacific University. The men are looking to rebound this year as they return Peng Dai, Ibrahim Karmadzhe, Wei-Feng Lee, Colton Pate and Grant Zukeran. The Seasiders will also feature newcomers Caleb Bow, Colton McBride, and Guillermo Pueyo.
The men are working hard to raising up the rankings, winning conference, and making the national tournament. “We are just looking forward to raise up our ranking and make it into nationals,” said Peng Dai, a sophomore exercise and sports science major from China. “We are really hungry this year and ready to prove ourselves.”
Both teams have their work cut out for them, as the PacWest is the top tennis conference in the West region. The Seasiders will face top ranked opponents Hawaii Pacific, Azusa Pacific, and Academy of Art. Regardless, the Seasiders are confident in what they will can accomplish this year.
“We are just trying to play our best and reach our goal, which is the national championship,” said Zhang, a sophomore business major from China.
The women’s team will open their season at Chaminade University Feb. 29. The men’s teams have their first match against Hawaii Hilo March 3 here in Lai.