Hawaii Pacific did not whine like Rodney Dangerfield when respect for its men's tennis team recently became an issue. HPU tennis team
looks for respectBy Brandon Lee
blee@starbulletin.comActions, not words, were the Sea Warriors' remedy.
HPU won the Pacific West Conference championship last weekend by handing No. 1 Brigham Young-Hawaii (23-1) its first defeat of the year.
Still, the Sea Warriors (17-4) did feel like they were getting no respect from the national rankers entering the conference tournament. They did feel like they had something to prove after plummeting from the top spot earlier this season to No. 10 in the latest Division II poll released last week.
"I know we're better than where we're ranked right now," said HPU coach Henry Somerville, who should see his team move up in the next poll to be released Wednesday.
"(The win against BYUH) validated our strength, it gave us confidence and it will give us a certain amount of respect," he added. "The main reason these guys did it was because they wanted it for themselves. But when you drop as far down as we did (in the poll), sure our guys felt they had something to prove and wanted to show how good they really are."
There should be little doubt now that the Sea Warriors are the national championship contender that many expected them to be this season after runner-up finishes at the NCAA tournament the past two years.
HPU's only Division II losses this season were in two earlier matches against BYUH, and its two other defeats came at the hands of Division I Top 25 teams Tennessee and Southern Methodist.
"We are a talented team and so is BYUH," Somerville said. "It's just that when you lose to your rival two times in a row, it gives you a little more incentive to do well the third time."
The postseason begins for the Sea Warriors on May 3-4 at one of two West Regionals, both likely to be held at BYUH's courts. HPU will be the top seed in one of the three-team regionals, while the Seasiders will be No. 1 in the other.
Cal Poly Pomona, UC San Diego, UC Davis and Hawaii-Hilo will be the other participants, though pairings have yet to be finalized. The winner of each regional qualifies for the 16-team national championship tournament to be held May 9-12 at Kansas City, Mo.
The HPU, BYUH and Hilo women will also be participating in West Regional play on the same dates and at the same location as the men, with berths from two separate regionals similarly on the line to the women's draw at nationals.
Should the Sea Warrior and Seasider men win their respective regionals in convincing fashion, both teams could be seeded at the national tournament and would likely be placed on opposite sides of the draw.
And while Somerville said that HPU and BYUH are just two of about five or six teams with a legitimate shot at taking the men's championship, he and his players would look forward to meeting up with the Seasiders a fourth time -- especially with a national title at stake.
"Sure, it would be fantastic," Somerville said.
"It would be incredible to see two Hawaii teams in the (national) final. It would put us both on the map, if we're not there already. We do believe we are two of the top teams out there."
Tabuse taking off: Brigham Young-Hawaii freshman point guard Yuta Tabuse is leaving school after this semester to play professionally in Japan, Seasiders coach Ken Wagner said.
Tabuse led the Pacific West Conference in assists last year (6.45 a game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.92). He was fourth in steals with 1.79.
The Seasiders went to the regional tournament with Tabuse at the point.