Follow the University of Hawai'i women's tennis team during its historic trip to the 2012 NCAA Tournament for the First and Second Rounds at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. HawaiiAthletics.com will chronicle the team's first trip to the NCAA's with the blog, “GAME, SET, MATCH!."
 
By: Derek Inouchi, Media Relations Director

Day 7: Sunday, May 13
1:35 p.m. HT: Four team members and support staff returns to Honolulu. Head coach Jun Hernandez stayed on the mainland for recruiting. He will need to find replacements for seniors Barbara Pinterova and Aglae Van den Bergh. Pinterova, a native of Slovakia, lettered three years for the Rainbow Wahine after transferring from Florida and played primarily No. 1 this season while Van den Bergh was a four-year letterman from Belgium who played at No. 6 singles.
 
The team's two Germans – Xenia Suworowa and Rebecca Faltusz – Californian Jamie Pawid and Pinterova flew their separate ways while the other four members of the team caught the non-stop flight to Honolulu. It will be a long day for Van den Bergh, who returned to Honolulu, but had a four-hour layover before catching her original flight to Belgium by way of Dallas and Washington D.C.
 
So that's it for this blog. It was a fun experience for me, chronicling the team's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. The future is bright for Rainbow Wahine tennis and I'm sure more trips to the NCAAs are in store for Jun Hernandez and these young ladies. Hope you enjoyed the ride and thanks for tuning in.

Lastly, there was a lot to experience – and eat – in Chicago in one week. Below are the blog hosts' top meals.

 
Day 6: Saturday, May 12
10:15 a.m. CT: The team boards two vans and heads to downtown Chicago for some sightseeing and shopping although the team would rather have been boarding the vans for Evanston for a NCAA Second Round match against the host Wildcats. The team would later find out that Northwestern ended up beating Notre Dame 4-2.
 
Nonetheless, the team made the most of its trip with a 90-minute boat tour through the Chicago River and Lake Michigan to view the city's architecture and skyline. For most of the travel party, it was their first visit to Chicago. The weather was not so great – 53 degrees with slight rain and overcast skies – and most of the team huddled on the boat's lower deck. The views were amazing and everyone left the tour with a little more knowledge of the city's rich history.
 
After the tour, head coach Jun Hernandez gave the team a few hours to shop on “Magnificent Mile” Michigan Avenue. Some even enjoyed a Chicago-style hot dog. Despite the weather, it was a great trip to the city.
 
7:00 p.m. CT: The team returned to the hotel. It'll be an early night as the team has a early flight in the morning. It will be the last time the team will be together as four members and coach Hernandez will go their separate ways instead of catching the flight to Honolulu.

 

Day 5, Friday, May 11
9:30 a.m. CT: Its Game Day and the Rainbow Wahine arrive at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center for today's NCAA Tournament first round match against Notre Dame. The team arrives before the Fighting Irish and hits the courts for warm-ups.
 
It's a beautiful morning in Evanston, Ill., with clear skies and the temperature is supposed to be 70 by game time.
 
Both teams will feature primarily the same line-up as when they last met in March in Honolulu, with the exception of Notre Dame's No. 3 and 4 players swapping. UND won that match 6-1. Since then, the Rainbow Wahine have won their last nine matches, including three straight last week to win the WAC Tournament.

You can follow the match by clicking on the live stats link here.

3:00 p.m. CT: The Rainbow Wahine returned to their hotel after today's match. Unfortunately it was "Game, Set, Match" for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish won 4-0. UH put up a good fight, although the score did not tell the entire story of the match. In doubles play, the Rainbow Wahine led on courts No. 1 and 2 midway through. Then in singles play, all but one match went to either 6-4 or 7-5 in the first set and UH even took the first set at No. 6.
 
Weather conditions were absolutely perfect. Clear skies, temperature reaching 70 degrees, and a slight breeze just enough to make those under shade think about putting on a jacket.  Notre Dame was a formidable opponent and its obvious they are tournament-tested. Their top three singles players are among the best UH has seen all season although the Rainbow Wahine held their own against UND's bottom three.

What a gutsy effort by freshman Martina Kostalova who suffered through a cold which lingered the past few days. She fought hard today, leading her match 4-1 in the first set before losing 7-5. Just last week, she provided the match-clinching win in UH's quarterfinal and semifinal matches. Its amazing to think she'll have three more seasons at UH. Along with fellow freshman Jamie Pawid, who earned the WAC's top frosh award this season, the future is bright for the Rainbow Wahine!
 
Following the match, the team was still in good spirits and enjoyed their first experience to the NCAA Tournament. They even grabbed up the entire shipment of souvenir tournament t-shirts.
 
Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano conducted exit interviews with the team. After that, half the team took a trip to the mall while the other half will watch a movie later tonight. No more tennis this season so its now time to enjoy Chicago. A full day of activities is in the works for tomorrow.
   

Video Blog #2 - Thursday, May 10



Day 4, Thursday, May 10
10:00 a.m. CT: The team held its final practice before tomorrow's NCAA first round match against Notre Dame. The sun was shining and and according to athletic trainer Lyn Nakagawa, the temperature was 60 degrees. We all didn't believe her because it felt more like in the 70s, which is what the forecast is for tomorrow.
 
Associate A.D. Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano flew in from Palm Springs, Calif., where she was attending Big West Conference meetings. She took a red-eye flight from Los Angeles (who knew) and saw the sunrise from her plane.
 
The team held a spirited practice and are well-adjusted to the time change, considering the practices the past two days have occurred at 4:00 a.m. HT and 5:00 a.m. HT, respectively. The only person on our trip not acclimated to the time change is head coach Jun Hernandez's son Will, who according to his mother Jenny, is still on Hawai'i time.
 
The team also recovered from its meal last night. The team dined at Gino's East, a popular pizza joint in downtown Chicago, where most enjoyed their first deep dish pizza. Assistant Saverio Mennella, a native Italian, ordered a medium-sized thin crust pizza and finished it before any of us received ours. He rated the pizza “OK” but he sure fooled us. It was a sight to see. The wait for our pizza was 45 minutes but it was well worth it. We'll see if we can make a return visit before our trip is complete.

2:30 p.m. CT: Several members of the team took their final exams which was proctored by academic advisor Jim Gillespie. A native Philadelphian, Gillespie brought several pairs of sneakers, all of which are adorned with a matching color shirt. Today's outfit was red shoes with a matching red Roy Halladay Phillies' shirt. Gillespie has been at UH less than a year but is well-liked by the staff and student-athletes. Why the move to Hawai'i? He can't stand the cold weather. And he calls himself an East Coast guy.

Hernandez and Moniz-Kahoohanohano attended a coaches meeting in the afternoon and then it was off to an Italian restaurant for team dinner.

8:45 p.m. CT: The team returned to its hotel from dinner. Dinner was terrific. Family-style Italian meal that even volunteer coach Saverio Mennella gave his approval. Of all the restaurants in the neighborhood, we happened to bump into Akron's team. The Zips, champions of the Mid-American Conference, will face host Northwestern tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. CT.

Akron also features a blog on its website. Its loaded with photos. Check it out here.

 
Video Blog #1 - Wednesday, May 9



Day 3, Wednesday, May 9
9:00 a.m. CT: The Rainbow Wahine begin the first of two practices today with a morning session practice at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center. UH will practice for two hours, have lunch, then practice at Northwestern's indoor courts in the afternoon. Following that, several team members will complete final exams while other members, including the staff are planning an afternoon trip to the city. On the agenda, a trip to Gino's East for some deep dish pizza.

1:20 p.m. CT: After a light lunch in downtown Evanston, the team practiced at the Combe Tennis Center, which is home to Northwestern University. The beautiful indoor facility features six courts, locker rooms for the men's and women's teams, scoreboards and seating at each court. This is a tremendous homecourt advantage for the Wildcats and the reason why they are one of the top programs in the country.
 
It was a nice alternative to the 50 degree weather that the team endured during the morning session. The only problem though was the air conditioning was not turned on so it felt like 80 degrees!
 
This weekend's matches are scheduled for the outdoor Vandy Christie Center although according to the Northwestern coaches, in the last 14 years the school has hosted NCAA Tournament regional, 12 of them have been moved to the Combe Center due to inclement weather. Friday's weather forecast is 70 degrees and sunny. We're crossing our fingers.



Day 2: Tuesday, May 8
11:50 a.m. CT: The team checks into hotel and naps for a few hours before departing for the Vandy Christie Tennis Center on the campus of Northwestern University. Most were able to rest except for roommates Xenia Suworowa and Barbara Pinterova, who moved rooms twice after problems with their first two rooms. They were not happy to say the least.

3:15 p.m. CT: The team begins a spirited two-hour practice with the temperature reaching 70 degrees. Host Northwestern was practicing on the neighboring courts. Head coach Jun Hernandez was happy with the team's effort despite the long flight and five-hour time difference.

7:30 p.m. CT: The Rainbow Wahine return to the hotel after dinner and a quick stop at a favorite grocery store, popular among many Hawai'i residents. Many of the team members still need to study or take finals tonight or the next day. It'll be a long night for those players. 


Day 1: Monday, May 7
7:36 p.m. HT: The WAC champion Rainbow Wahine embark on their first trip to the NCAA's aboard a United Airlines flight bound non-stop to Chicago. Making the trip are the eight team members, head coach Jun Hernandez along with his wife Jenny and son William, volunteer coach Saverio Mennella, athletic trainer Lyn Nakagawa, academic advisor Jim Gillespie, and yours truly. Assistant coach Bridgette Thompson recently gave birth and will not make the trip, although the team sends their best and will miss her deeply.
 
With the five-hour time difference from Honolulu to Chicago and the early start time for Friday's match (6:00 a.m. HT), coach Hernandez wants to get the team acclimated. Also its finals week at UH so Jim will be proctoring exams all week.

Sophomore Kelsey Daguio will be filming footage throughout the trip and her videos can be seen here on the blog.