Sharks Weekly: High Belief, High Expectations, HPU Women’s Tennis Sets the Standard

This week’s Sharks Weekly served up an inspiring look at Hawai‘i Pacific University Women’s Tennis, featuring head coach Chelsea Patton and senior leaders Lynn Kader and Annika Hakovirta. Hosted by Baylei Furman live from the HPU Esports Arena at Aloha Tower Marketplace, the episode captured the essence of a program rooted in connection, culture, and belief—on and off the court.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE:

Now in her first year as head coach, Patton’s HPU journey has come full circle. After a decade on campus—first in administration and later as an assistant coach—she’s back leading from the court, where she helped guide the Sharks to a PacWest title and NCAA semifinal run in 2023. Returning to coaching, she said, was about rediscovering the competitive energy and close connection with student-athletes that she’d missed. “There’s something special about being a Shark,” she reflected, describing how her love for collegiate athletics and mentorship drew her back.

Her guiding philosophy for the year—“High Expectations, High Belief”—applies equally to coaches and players. Patton encourages her athletes to expect the best from themselves and from one another while believing in their collective goals.

“If we all believe in each other,” she said, “big things can happen.” The mindset is deeply personal, inspired by her father, a longtime Boise State coach who often reminded her to “put gratitude in your attitude and you’ll gain altitude.” That saying now anchors the team’s “Aloha Friday gratitude sessions,” where players pause to reflect on positivity and growth.

For senior Lynn Kader, her road to HPU began with a detour. After being deferred from her dream school, Georgetown, she enrolled at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa—deciding not to play tennis for the first time in her life. The break didn’t last long. Missing the sport deeply, she contacted then-head coach Lauren Conching at HPU and asked for a chance to return to the court. Conching welcomed her, and that same season the Sharks went on a postseason run that reignited Kader’s competitive spirit. Her favorite memory remains a dramatic PacWest match against Dominican, when a teammate saved multiple match points to clinch victory.

“We were all crying and jumping on each other,” Kader recalled with a laugh.

Now majoring in environmental studies, Kader has evolved into a leader who embodies the Sharks’ balance between athletics and community. Passionate about sustainability, she often coordinates team volunteer events around O‘ahu, teaching her teammates about local ecosystems and Hawaiian culture.

“We’re privileged to play this sport here,” she said. “It’s important to respect and learn from the place we call home.”

Her teammate Annika Hakovirta, a transfer from Finland by way of Wingate University in North Carolina, first noticed HPU at the NCAA Championships and immediately set her sights on joining the program. She now studies business management while interning with Pacific Edge magazine and embraces the Hawai‘i lifestyle through surfing and outdoor adventures. “In North Carolina, it was dorm to caf,” she said. “Here, I feel free.”

Patton’s vision of blending gratitude, discipline, and belief has clearly resonated. “We believe we’re going to Nationals,” Kader said confidently. “That’s the goal, and we’re ready to make it happen.”