With rosters that span the globe and talent that has endured the test of time, Brigham Young-Hawai'i, Hawai'i Pacific and University of Hawai'i-Hilo embark on the NCAA Division II Tennis Championships this week hoping to make a huge racket.

The only real surprise might be if the Seasider women do not win. They have won the past two national titles and seven of the past nine. BYUH has lost only two dual matches since joining the NCAA in 1997. The current winning streak of 86 is mediocre by its lofty standards; the Seasiders introduced themselves to NCAA DII by winning their first 103 and followed their first loss by winning the next 130.

Top-ranked BYUH is 26-0 this year after defeating No. 23 UC San Diego, 5-0, in a second-round match (both teams received first-round byes) yesterday in La'ie. Hawai'i Pacific is ranked 16th, and hosts first- and second-round matches today and tomorrow in Waipahu that include 21st-ranked UH-Hilo. The trio of Hawai'i teams are 1-2-3 in the West Region.

And they are extremely young. BYU-Hawai'i's No. 1 player is freshman Elwen Li, also ranked No. 1 in the country. Her partner on the country's No. 1 doubles team is sophomore Maggie Deng, ranked fourth in singles. The Seasiders have three players from China, two from the Mainland and one each from South Korea, Japan and Romania. All are underclassmen but senior Ramona Husaru, ranked 14th.

Bulgarian freshman Nina Mihova is HPU's top-ranked player at No. 35 and has filled the team's one puka quite well. The Sea Warriors, who also have just one senior, lost in the NCAA quarterfinals last year. It was their best finish ever and they lost just one starter. Mihova, Romanian Ingrid Cseh and Anastasiya Ageychik, from Belarus, are all among the top 15 in the West Region. Cseh and Kamehameha graduate Lauren Shin are the region's fourth-ranked doubles team.

That puts them just behind Hilo's Eve Castaing, from France, and her partner, sophomore Christie Pagatpatan, out of Waipahu. Castaing, a freshman, is ranked 21st nationally in singles and Pagatpatan is 37th. Regionally, 12 of the top 15 are Hawai'i players.

The major concern for BYUH coach Dave Porter, who won his 1,000th match this season, might be the youth of both his teams.

"The key for us is playing our game. We have four freshmen on both teams," Porter said. "It's going to be tough. Your experience level often carries you. Some of our teams that have been very, very good have had very few freshmen."

Still, he has seen his teams, especially the women, thriving on their exuberance.

"We are young and excited and looking forward to it," he said. "The women haven't lost so they are confident. It might be a little misplaced because we have not played the level of competition we need for what we will see. But they are hungry and desiring it. It's new for them."

Travel would be his next worry. Porter was scheduled to fly to San Diego with his men's team last night. It plays tomorrow and, win or lose, will come back to Hawai'i Saturday. If the men beat UCSD, they will leave a few hours after arriving, with the women's team, for the quarterfinals in Houston.

Welcome to paradise, home of scary scheduling and scary-good small-college tennis. The Sea Warrior men just barged inside the country's top 10 and are No. 1 in the West, with BYUH third and Hilo fourth.

HPU's only loss came at UH-Manoa. Hendrik Bode, the 2007 West Rookie of the Year, is ranked 30th nationally, with Daniel Luedi, from Switzerland, and Mark Mestan, another German just behind. BYU-Hawai'i freshman Rong Ma is the top-ranked player locally at No. 27. Hilo's Laurent Colombo and Luiz Gonzaga are top 10 regionally.

The Sea Warriors have no seniors and no reason to hold back after last year's NCAA quarterfinal loss.

"I think our guys are very motivated. They know they can go all the way," said third-year HPU coach Stefan Pampulov. "They lost a very close match to the team that won the national championship (Lynn) last year. That made them realize winning a national title was within reach. They have been showing every single match that they want it. Now the time has come and we are ready."

So are the Sea Warrior women, whose loss to BYU-Hawai'i in the Pacific West Championship gave them hope.

"This time around we were actually able to compete with them ..." Pampulov said. "Our women realized we are a good team and have potential and can get far this year. Hopefully they are pumped up enough to do some damage."

Chaminade's Audra Takara won the Pacific West Sportsmanship Award at the conference championship. The Swords won as many matches this season as the last five combined.