The 2020 Hawai`i Hilo women's tennis team has a similar look to the 2019 version, but don't expect the same results.

Last spring's team went 5-12, falling to Point Loma and Stanislaus State at the Pacific West Conference tournament. Improvement should be the name of the game this year, according to Vulcan head coach Kallen Mizuguchi.

"They will definitely be better," he stated. "We improved a lot towards the end of last season, and injuries prior to that had a lot to do with our record. This year, they have had a full off-season and Fall of training. We have had a chance to address areas of weaknesses and work on improvement."

Last year, Mizuguichi took over both the men's and women's programs just weeks before the start of the season. Now, he has had a full year to implement his methods and help each player get better through strength, conditioning and skills improvement.

"When you start in the middle of the season, all you can do as a coach is focus on what they already have," the second-year coach and former Vulcan player explained. "When you can start in the Fall, you can work on weaknesses and pick apart their game. You can add tricks and different gears. It adds to their confidence and playing ability."

The Vulcans will get their first test of that long off-season grind this coming weekend on the Kona side of the Big Island at the Fairmont Orchid. Mizuguchi's team will play five matches in four days, beginning with a Friday (Feb. 14) 3:30 match with Stanislaus State—the team that beat them 4-3 last year to end their season.

UH Hilo will also face off against UC San Diego, Hawaii Pacific, Chaminade and Dallas Baptist over the long weekend (Friday-Monday).

"It's a demanding, physical start," Mizuguchi said. "We will learn a lot about where we are at this time of year and what we need to work on."

One thing is for sure, Mizuguchi is very familiar with the faces he sees each day on the courts.

The Vulcans only lost one player, Hina Nishida, who played at the No.'s 4-5 singles spots. Returning is Marina Colvee, Anouk Van Hoek, Sandra Dafincescu, Carmelle Joyner, Gabriela Aguilar Lawlor and Irena Le.

Joyner and Van Hoek earned Third Team All-PacWest honors last year in doubles, compiling a successful 10-5 record while playing mostly on court one. Joyner was also 8-3 in singles action while playing 2-4, while Van Hoek, a freshman last year, was 5-7 mostly at No. 2.

Colvee was 6-7 in singles at No. 1 and 9-7 in doubles, while Le put together a 7-9 mark in doubles and was 5-3 in singles. Dafinescu was 5-6 in doubles, and Lawlor was 5-3 in doubles and 6-8 in singles.

All returned to the courts this spring in much better shape than a year ago.

The returnees are also bolstered with a pair of freshmen newcomers in Mia Rosa (Federal Way, Wash.) and Shelby Graber (Las Vegas). Mizuguchi is not yet set on a line-up, which is a good sign because of how competitive his group is.

"We will set the line-up based on who is playing the best at the time," he said. "Everyone is pretty close, so that helps create competition for all of the spots. It forces the girls to work harder and bring more energy to each practice."

After the whirlwind of matches this coming weekend, the Vulcans will get back to the practice courts before heading to Honolulu for four matches March 9-12. After that, a nearly two week long road trip through northern and southern California follows. The Pacific West Conference Championships are again in Arizona, April 22-25.

"They are excited to get on the court," Mizuguchi said. "The teams, men and women together, have great chemistry and support each other. We are really looking forward to the weekend and the season."