SEA WARRIOR SPORTS
Rybakova Has Breakout Season Amaral Drafted on Tennis Court By Brent Curry
Blake Amaral
HPU
senior Blake Amaral was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 40th round of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft. Amaral is the 12th Sea Warrior selected in school history and the first since 2008. Ielyzaveta Rybakova
Ukrainian native Ielyzaveta Rybakova is used to people struggling with her name, but in 2012 it was Rybakova’s game that gave her opponents trouble. Rybakova went 19-2 in singles play, winning her final 14 matches of the season. She also went 18-3 in doubles action, which added with her singles production, led her to being named the “West Region Player to Watch” by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and her earning All-Conference honors. She played in professional leagues in Eastern Europe before HPU, and that was a job in itself. “Back home, especially when I was traveling to tournaments by myself, I had to take care of flight tickets, transportation, housing, food, practices, balls, and courts all by myself. It was pretty tiring,” says Rybakova. Here at HPU the fun is back in the game with only the match
itself to worry about. “Our head coach, Lauren Conching, is a great manager for our team in addition to her coaching duties. She perfectly organizes every trip, our practice schedule, and can help everyone with any question so we don’t have to worry about anything except for our performance on the court.” Rybakova had exacting standards when it came to picking a school to play. She was only interested in top 10 schools in Division II. She decided on HPU despite being a 30 hour trip from her home and dealing with Hawai‘i’s high prices. “But, come on, it is Hawai‘i, it’s worth it,” she says. Entering her final season with the Sea Warriors Rybakova wants to graduate on time “and, of course, our biggest desire is to win the national championship next year. Our team is very strong. We all believe in ourselves and are ready to do this.”
Amaral, who was taken 1227 overall, had an outstanding career at HPU, with 11 hitting records and the longest hitting streak. He also had the most RBI in a game, doubles in a season, RBI in a season, career games played, career at-bats, career runs, career hits, career doubles, career triples and career RBI. Amaral ranks second in career average and home runs. In 2012, Amaral hit .358 with 36 runs, 14 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 45 RBI. He was named to the All-PacWest First Team for the fourth time and All-Region by two different organizations. Additionally, Amaral established himself as a steady right fielder after spending much of 2011 as a designated hitter.
Fall 2012
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