Hawai'i Trip

Hello everyone,

Not only has the new year started, but we are already looking at the end of January, wow how time flies when you're having fun.  And fun is exactly what we're having here at Whitman.  We started our season early with a trip we plan to do every 4 years to Hawai'i in January.  Our goals were to set the tone for our season with our training and match play but also to have a lot of fun and bring the team even closer together.

I can easily say we achieved our goals.  The team is so good at getting down to business on the court but always enjoying every moment off court.  If its possible we took this to another level, playing 4 matches in a week and getting in some great fitness and fun too.

We started off meeting in Portland where the flights are direct to Honolulu.  This was also the first time we saw Maddy after her semester abroad studying art and culture in Copenhagen.  She flexed her leadership muscle right away as we went from the airport straight to costco to buy food for the week.  Maddy organized everyone into teams that would shop for different meals and we were in and out in about 30 minutes which is probably a costco record for buying a weeks worth of food for 13 people!  That same day we got in a solid practice and made a great balanced dinner back at the rental house we were in.

So, with finals, then winter break and one practice under our belts we took on the #4 ranked team in D2 in Hawaii Pacific University.  This was a great first match because we got 4 doubles and 8 singles.  There was definitely some rust but we competed really well and didn't look like a team who had just been on break, I'm really proud of everyone for keeping up their fitness and tennis over the fall and break.  Of note were Jenna and Courtney going the distance before each losing a 3rd set match tie break.

The next day we got right back to work driving up to the north shore to BYU Hawaii. The courts were spread out about a block apart so it was tough to watch everyone, but we played a 4 doubles and 9 singles matches against the #2 team in D2, what a way to get our season going!  I think we played better today than vs HPU, but BYU was just a bit better up and down the lineup and we had great points and games and fought everywhere, but their talent level is as good as we'll see.  In doubles, HP and Allie were close at 4, losing in a breaker and both of them had long hard fought straight set singles losses.  There is a lot to learn from a team this good but the message from the team to me was that they came on this trip to play and leave it on the court, which was awesome.

It would have been wonderful to reward them with a win the next day vs our final D2 opponent of the trip in Chaminade.  Coming in unranked and with only 5 players, I decided it was important to rest some players as well as give some valuable match experience, so I mixed up the lineup.  In that sense, the 5-4 loss is on me as I didn't play our straight up lineup, but by the match coming down two these final points, we saw so much that was a win for us.  We saw Maddy and Jenna emerge as a force in doubles as their movement and chemistry at #2 was awesome.  Seana and Allie continued to get college match experience which will benefit us going into the conference season and Liv was terrific at #5, locking down a straight set win.  What was so great was to get Tree and Erin big matches versus really solid players at #1 and #2.  I loved seeing each of them settle in and fight back to win their second sets.  While each lost a tough third set, both are players who can make a huge impact on our success and it is so valuable to be in these situations.

We had a wonderful day off with some rest, a solid efficient practice and a boat trip snorkeling where the team swam with sea turtles!  After a trip to the historical site at Pearl Harbor, we met up with alum Lizzy who came over from her teaching job on the big island.  What a fun surprise and a validation of just how much the relationships built in college tennis mean to see Lizzy for our last couple days.

She was there along with Reed, Mark and Sandy to cheer us on Saturday in the big showdown of the week.  It was #4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs #16 Whitman and while there was a friendly fun spirit of aloha at Central Oahu Regional Park, there was no shortage of intensity on the courts.  Doubles went as doubles so often do with Courtney and Morgan starting well but running into a hot CMS team to lose at #1.  At #3, Jenna and Maddy continued their momentum, scoring a huge win to tie it up 1-1.  Erin and Tree were down a break fighting a team that is super tough from the baseline.  The match had been full of service holds, but in the end, three service breaks gave the proset and the 2-1 lead to CMS.

In singles, the courts were split up in 2's and so were the matches. Erin bounced back from the tough doubles by getting back to her competitive self and controlling her shots, emotions and opponent in a straight set win at #5.  Next to her, Allie was in one of those matches where she was doing the right things and was incredibly close to turning the match on its head, but all credit to her opponent for not flinching or giving an inch; her loss at #6 had CMS up 3-2.  On the next bank of 2 courts, Morgan found similar struggles against the lethal groundies of her first year opponent losing 6-1, 6-3 at #2.  Courtney also played an aggressive baseliner, but found a way to exert her game and came away with a very impressive 6-4, 6-1 win to make the score 4-3 CMS.  Across the park our sophomores battled and unfortunately the pattern remained, with one match looking to go to each team.  Katrina is developing her singles so rapidly, and it seemed every day in Hawaii was a new lesson she took home, though she lost and didn't play her best tennis, I am so proud of how she represented us with a huge heart and big fight.  Speaking of big fight, Jenna dropped the first set and really got her groove going, taking the second.  With the match decided, they played a match breaker for the third, which was close all the way and really came down to both players playing great with CMS earning a 10-8 win.

So, the match was 6-3, but along with being mere points from beating a top 5 team, we showed our improved depth.  This is the first year I've had a team that could take on anyone in the country and we all feel points can come from any spot in doubles or singles.  Even better, on our last day playing in Hawaii, we got a 4th doubles where Hannah and Allie continued to play very solid tennis and everyone played a singles match with Maddy continuing her quick re-entry to tennis with a match like Jenna's that came down to a razor thin match tie break.  Mags, Liv and Seana each played a set and HP demonstrated her much improved serve and baseline play.

This trip was such a success.  We had a ton of fun, created memories to last a lifetime and bonds to make us tougher this season.  It was a week on an island paradise, but far more than a vacation, this team enjoyed the process of focusing on tennis and improving each day so we can work to be the best team any of us have ever been on.  What a wonderful opportunity we have and I have to thank Jeff Northam, Tom Sawatzki and Greg Patton (Chelsea's dad!) because if it weren't for their amazing work at the Whitman Tennis and Wine Camps, we wouldn't have had the money to make the trip.  Speaking of Patton's, Chelsea was AMAZING in her first year coaching she was a steady and reliable guide, a terrific coach and her wonderful energetic self.  We wouldn't have had such an amazing time without you C Patt!

I'm always amazed by the support of our friends, families and alums and along with Lizzy we were visited by the Otto's and got to spend some really fun time with Reed, Mark and Sandy who were huge support in our matches, thank you all!

I know this was  long post, but it was an epic trip.  I'll be more brief next time, which will be very soon as we have LOTS going on back at school and practice and getting ready for our next match Sunday February 3rd at noon in Lewiston, Idaho versus a top NAIA team in Lewis Clark State College.

Aloha,
John