At this early stage in the tennis season, the University of Hawai'i men's team is lodged between a rock and a hard place. It could not be happier.

Last year was the best in 'Bows' history with a Western Athletic Conference championship and NCAA appearance. This year, the Rainbows are set on defending that WAC title at home in April and breaking into the Sweet 16.

And — no pressure on heralded freshman Leo Rosenberg — but if Hawai'i does not get its fourth straight WAC Freshman of the Year award there will be some bummed out 'Bows.

"He better," said UH sophomore Dennis Lajola of Rosenberg, a guy he has known since they played together on the U.S. Junior Davis Cup team at age 13.

Lajola went from 'Aiea to the USTA High Performance program and around the world to play ITF events, leaving Hawai'i after the first semester of his freshman year at 'Iolani. He came home for college and was the 2008 WAC Freshman of the Year. He is currently playing No. 1 for Hawai'i and is ranked 56th nationally in singles.

Rosenberg's parents were born in Russia. The family has lived in France and Germany (he speaks four languages) and settled in Manhattan, Kan., in 2000, where his father teaches math at Kansas State. His mother, a mechanical engineer, gave up her career to coach and homeschool her son, who has spent every summer since 2000, and all of the the last 2 1/2 years, traveling the international junior circuit in Europe.

Germans Sascha Heinemann (2006) and Andreas Weber (2007) were the first two WAC freshmen. UH coach John Nelson has "built the team around" around Heinemann, a two-time Academic All-American. He calls Weber, the lone all-region selection in UH history and ranked as high as 25th nationally, the "other cornerstone of the team."

"I recruit No. 1s," shrugs Nelson unapologetically.

Underclassmen Lajola and Rosenberg are the latest in his list, which has Hawai'i ranked 55th heading into the heart of its schedule. The Rainbows already have a win over No. 57 San Diego State and get a rematch at No. 25 Cal Saturday. They also play No. 54 San Diego and No. 51 St. Mary's on this trip. The only home match left is March 7 against San Francisco, with the WAC Championships (men and women) April 23 to 26.

Lajola and Rosenberg are the antithesis of the common college student. Lajola saw the world then moved home for college, seeing it as the best way to reach his goal of playing professionally. Much of his high school education was online. He is still working on classroom transition.

"For so long my major focus has been tennis and I would schedule everything around tennis," he said. "In college your priority is a degree. You schedule tennis around class."

Rosenberg's background has eased his academic transition, but he too saw the world early and now can actually settle in for the first time since he was 15. Hawai'i's massive road trips are nothing to two guys who had frequent flier executive status before they got to high school.

That shared background, and professional dream, is the foundation for their friendship.

"When you are traveling around the world at 13 you share a natural bond," Lajola said. "You have to depend on each other."

Added Rosenberg: "I have always liked Dennis. I remember playing him when I was 13 at clay court super nationals. We got to really know each other on our first trip with the USTA. Ever since we've traveled a lot together and been very close."

Lajola, who won the 2007 Honolulu Futures before coming to UH, was first-team all-WAC last season and the WAC Player of the Week this season after his win over Cal's top player, ranked 49th. An "aggressive counter-puncher" learning the intricacies of mixing his game, he reached the semis at the ITA West-South Regionals in October.

Nelson's top three were a combined 45-14 last season. Rosenberg, basically recruited here by his buddy, is currently playing No. 2 and already has wins over players ranked 37th and 66th. Nelson loves his grip-it and rip-it lefty game and calls his presence "huge for our program," but is downplaying his team's obvious potential for now.

With his top four, and five more fighting it out for the final two spots — including Kealakehe and Roosevelt graduates Spence Mendoza and Kevin Okasaki, Nelson finally has the depth he has craved. But, he is waiting to wade through a difficult schedule that now includes a WAC regular season, and see how his players progress technically and analytically, emotionally and in terms of "commitment of the mind" before he judges them.

"We haven't done anything yet," he said, "but these guys are good. ... My job is to keep them coming back and saying this is what we want. I sincerely feel we can be in the Sweet 16, but it will take a lot of work."

NOTES

In a release last month, the USTA and Tennis Industry Association announced U.S. tennis participation continued to grow "on every measurable level" last year. The sport had more players (26.9 million) than at any time in the past 15 years. By comparison, golf participation stayed flat at about 29 million since 2000, according to the National Golf Foundation.

The joint study showed total tennis player participation grew by more than 7 percent, continuing a trend that had shown a 12 percent increase over the five previous years. "Total play occasions" were up more than 13 percent, the percentage of frequent players was up 7 percent (23 percent from 2003). Continuing players are up 9 percent and new players 3 percent. Tennis ball sales are up more than 15 percent since 2003.