HPU Men’s Tennis is heading to the PacWest Conference Tournament, happening April 16–19 in Surprise, Arizona. After everything this season has thrown at us, we now have a chance to fight for the conference title and hopefully qualify for the regionals and nationals.
This season has honestly been a crazy roller coaster for our team. It all started in January when we came in strong, beating a few really good teams – including a Division I team, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. We were so confident and excited before our California trip.
But then… things changed so fast.
In our very first match on the trip against Point Loma, I twisted my ankle during the match and couldn’t finish. Unfortunately, that also meant we didn’t have enough players to compete properly – we were only five, and we needed six. From that moment, everything became harder. We lost our next two matches, and honestly, our team spirit took a big hit.
But even though things looked bad, we didn’t give up.
Toward the end of the trip, we managed to grab some important wins that kept our chances alive. Then, we played Hilo back home. Lost again. At that point, it really felt like the season was over. But something switched in us. Maybe it was the pressure or the fact that we knew we were running out of time. We came back strong.
We won our last three matches, dropping just a few sets in total. It was like we found our rhythm again – everyone stepped up, and the energy was amazing.
And now? After almost missing the playoffs completely, we finished top 5 in the conference. What a comeback.
Next week, we’re playing Fresno Pacific University in the first round of the PacWest Conference Championship. It’s going to be a battle. We’ve already been through so much together – and now, we have a real shot at making it to regionals and maybe even nationals..
Job’s not done yet!
Go Sharks!
