HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i women's tennis team will play its first dual match of the 2009 season on Thursday, January 29 against San Diego State. First serve is set for 4:00 p.m. UH will then play against No. 64 UC Irvine on Friday, January 30, at 4:00 p.m. Both matches will be played at the UH Tennis Complex.

Rainbow Wahine junior Sophie Kobuch is ranked No. 20 in the West region singles rankings. Sophomore Natasha Zorec leads the team with three singles victories. The duo of Zorec and freshman Alyssa Nafarrete leads the team with a 5-1 record and the team of Kobuch and freshman Anja-Vanessa Peter is 5-2 on the season.

San Diego State is 2-0 on the spring season, crushing Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside. The Aztecs feature two ranked singles players. Julia Trunk is ranked No. 93 nationally in the latest ITA singles rankings and No. 19 in the West region rankings. Holly Bagshaw is No. 16 in the West region rankings. The duo of Bagshaw and Trunk is ranked No. 10 in the West region doubles rankings.

UC Irvine is 0-1 on the season, losing to No. 10 USC. The Anteaters are ranked No. 64 in the ITA team rankings. UC Irvine return six players from last year's team, including Heidi Kaloi, a graduate of Kamehameha Schools.

Schedule

Thursday, Jan. 29

UH vs. San Diego State, UH Tennis Complex, 4:00 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 30

UH vs. No. 64 UC Irvine, UH Tennis Complex, 4:00 p.m.

Recapping the Fall Season

The Rainbow Wahine competed in two prestigious tournaments, hosted the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, and played a mock dual match against national and Pac-10 powerhouse Stanford in the 2008 fall season. Freshman Anja-Vanessa Peter shined in the Rainbow Wahine mock dual match loss to Stanford, 6-1. Peter earned an impressive straight set win over Veronica Li at the No. 4 position, 6-3, 6-4. The duo of sophmore Natasha Zorec and freshman Alyssa Nafarrete squeezed past Carolyn McVeigh and Veronica Li, 9-8(8) at the No. 2 court.

At the ITA West Regionals, five singles players and two doubles teams represented UH in this individual singles and doubles tournament. UH did well in doubles competition. The team of junior Sophie Kobuch and Peter won the doubles consolation championship.

The Rainbow Wahine Invitational featured opponents from UC Santa Barbara, Texas Christian, and Hawai`i Pacific. Kobuch and Zorec earned singles victories, while the team of Kobuch and senior Melinda Wong and the duo of Zorec and Nafarrete earned doubles victories.

Kobuch represented UH in the prestigious Riviera ITA All-American Championships. The junior gave a valiant effort as she lost a close 7-5, 6-3 match in the first round to No. 46 Ela Kaluder of Arkansas.

WAC Features Top Ranked Teams
The Western Athletic Conference is once again gaining national attention in the rankings. Fresno State leads the WAC ranked No. 15, followed by Boise State being ranked No. 45. The WAC Championships will once again be a tough fight for the Rainbow Wahine.

No Holding Back
Head coach Jun Hernandez, who returns for his fourth season, has put together a competitive schedule this season. The schedule includes the likes of nationally ranked teams such as Stanford, UC Irvine, UCLA, Washington State, Washington, Cal Poly, Illinois, Marshall, Boise State, and Fresno State. In all UH will face 10 ranked teams.

UH Hosts WAC Championships
The Western Athletic Conference will be holding its tennis championships in Honolulu at the UH Tennis Complex. The championships run from April 23-26. UH also hosted the WAC Championships in 2005 and 1984. Last season the championships were held in Las Cruces, N.M.

What's Next
The Rainbow Wahine will go on a five match Southern California road trip, beginning on February 17 against UC Santa Barbara. UH will also face Cal State Fullerton, No. 3 UCLA, Cal State Northridge, and San Diego.

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