SURPRISE, Ariz.--No one has ever said "the fifth time is a charm", but for the University of Hawai`i Hilo men's tennis team, the fifth and final time was completely satisfying, exhilarating and worth celebrating.
After losing to BYU-Hawaii four previous times this season, the Vulcans won the match-up that mattered the most, defeating the Seasiders 5-3 in the third place match at the Pacific West Conference championships on Saturday at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Club. There will be no chance for revenge next year, as this was the final tennis match in BYU-H men's tennis history, as the entire athletic program will be discontinued at the end of the school year.
The Vulcans finished the year on a five-match winning streak, improving to 13-11. BYU-Hawaii is now 17-8.
UH Hilo won two of the three doubles matches to put the pressure on the Seasiders early.
Bruno Figlia and
Alex Fillat Perez won on court two 8-5, but the Seasiders countered with a win on court three, 8-6. The thrilling rubber match was on court one, where
Vaclav Slezak and
Stefan Coney won a tie-breaker over Sterling Galli and Chia-Hua Lu, 9-8 (7-5).
Slazak improved to 19-4 on the season in singles, winning on court one over Galli, 7-5, 6-1. Figlia cruised on court five (6-2, 6-2), leaving the Vulcans needing just one more win. They got it at No. 2 in thrilling fashion, with Fillat Perez winning a tense and emotional double tie-breaker with No. 38 nationally ranked Guillermo Ucelay, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6). That gave the Vulcans the five points that they needed, halting the match.
"It was an honor to play BYUH in their last match ever in the program," said head coach
Tina McDermott. "I am so proud of my team for their fight today and for playing on their terms. They have worked very hard this season and they deserve this win today."
#40 Hawaii Hilo 5, #27 BYU-Hawaii 3
Apr 22, 2017 at Surprise, Ariz. (Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex)
| Singles competition |
| 1. #5 Vaclav Slezak (UHH) def. Galli, Sterling (BYUH) 7-5, 6-1. |
| 2. Alex Fillat Perez (UHH) def. #38 Ucelay, Guillermo (BYUH) 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6). |
| 3. Karmadzha, Ibrahim (BYUH) def. Gregory Zukeran (UHH) 6-1, 7-6 (7-5). |
| 4. Lu, Chia-Hua (BYUH) def. Stefan Coney (UHH) 7-5, 6-0. |
| 5. Bruno Figlia (UHH) def. Guillin, Simon (BYUH) 6-2, 6-2. |
| 6. Kuang, Tsu-Ping (BYUH) vs. Ryuta Ogawa (UHH) 7-5, 2-6, 2-4, unfinished |
| Match Notes |
| Hawaii Hilo 13-11; National ranking #40; Regional ranking #5 |
| BYU-Hawaii 17-8; National ranking #27; Regional ranking #4 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,1,4,3,2) |
| PacWest Conference Championship Third Place Match |
