California State University Northridge Athletics
CSUN's Dominant Duo of Kristen Poei and Mickey Hsu
1/17/2017 7:57:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Matador Seniors Have United to Form Winning Doubles Team
by Andrew Fortuna, CSUN Media RelationsÂ
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- When Mickey Hsu and Kristen Poei arrived at CSUN in the fall of 2014, ready for their freshman year, they did not know what was in store. Four years later, the two enter their senior seasons as the winningest doubles tandem in CSUN's Women's Tennis program history with 44 total wins.
"It's been a great ride to see them mature and grow up together," said CSUN head coach Gary Victor.Â
Hsu and Poei have stayed a duo for all four years of competition, a feat that Victor describes as unheard of in collegiate tennis and a remarkable accomplishment. Before Poei and Hsu, no other doubles team had stayed together for four years in CSUN program history.
Both Poei and Hsu received All Big West First Team honors for each of the past two seasons (2014, 2015), and were part of the All-Big West Second Team in 2014 as they headline the doubles team for the CSUN program and head coach Gary Victor.
The connection and rhythm between the two developed quickly, as they flew through competition in their freshman campaign with a mark of 17-3, competing primarily in the second draw. In their sophomore season, Poei and Hsu ascended to the number one draw in most tournaments, and posted an impressive record of 16-4, which included wins over Eastern Michigan, Dartmouth, UC Irvine, and UTEP.
"We just have a connection and chemistry between us. I don't need to tell her and she doesn't need to tell me where to be at," said Hsu.
While both Peoi and Hsu did not pinpoint one occasion or time as a definitive moment in their growth, they both credited their closeness off the court to improving their play. The two are currently roommates, study the same major of Business, and are scheduled to graduate together.
The duo sustained their success throughout their junior year as well, posting a record of 5-2 against Big West opponents while closing the regular season with a 7-3 mark. Notable wins came against non-conference teams in Connecticut and Loyola Marymount.
As Poei and Hsu have shown longevity and consistency, much can be attributed to both seniors understanding and playing their roles exceptionally.
"Mickey is really good and consistent at the baseline were she keeps it alive and sets up points, while my role is primarily at the net to take the point," said Poei.
With the two tennis stars fundamentally sound, the other instrumental factor in their record-breaking success can be traced to their emotional toughness they have demonstrated.
"Tennis is very unpredictable with some people having their good days and some people will have there off days," Poei stated. "Between Mickey and I, whoever has the better day than the other will be responsible to be the leader of that situation and of that particular match in order to encourage the other person."
Coach Victor highlighted a specific moment that showed the toughness and resilience of Poei and Hsu.
"We were in the Big West quarterfinals against Hawai'I, a national power featuring a server that hit the ball at 115 mph. We found ourselves down, and were in six match points, but they fought back and won them to get a big upset win and propel us further," Victor described. "Those moments, Kristen and Mickey stay calm, they stick with it and never say we are done. They are really good at that."
As Poei and Hsu begin their senior year at CSUN, they both have sights toward big accomplishments after tennis as well as reaching the NCAA Tournament and advancing in the postseason. "The NCAA Tournament is a goal of ours and something we want to accomplish," Hsu stated.
"When I started in college tennis, I couldn't have imagined these accomplishments," Poei proclaimed. "Once Mickey and I started playing doubles together, I saw how much potential we could have and we just pushed to get better and better every year."
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NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- When Mickey Hsu and Kristen Poei arrived at CSUN in the fall of 2014, ready for their freshman year, they did not know what was in store. Four years later, the two enter their senior seasons as the winningest doubles tandem in CSUN's Women's Tennis program history with 44 total wins.
"It's been a great ride to see them mature and grow up together," said CSUN head coach Gary Victor.Â
Hsu and Poei have stayed a duo for all four years of competition, a feat that Victor describes as unheard of in collegiate tennis and a remarkable accomplishment. Before Poei and Hsu, no other doubles team had stayed together for four years in CSUN program history.
Both Poei and Hsu received All Big West First Team honors for each of the past two seasons (2014, 2015), and were part of the All-Big West Second Team in 2014 as they headline the doubles team for the CSUN program and head coach Gary Victor.
The connection and rhythm between the two developed quickly, as they flew through competition in their freshman campaign with a mark of 17-3, competing primarily in the second draw. In their sophomore season, Poei and Hsu ascended to the number one draw in most tournaments, and posted an impressive record of 16-4, which included wins over Eastern Michigan, Dartmouth, UC Irvine, and UTEP.
"We just have a connection and chemistry between us. I don't need to tell her and she doesn't need to tell me where to be at," said Hsu.
While both Peoi and Hsu did not pinpoint one occasion or time as a definitive moment in their growth, they both credited their closeness off the court to improving their play. The two are currently roommates, study the same major of Business, and are scheduled to graduate together.
The duo sustained their success throughout their junior year as well, posting a record of 5-2 against Big West opponents while closing the regular season with a 7-3 mark. Notable wins came against non-conference teams in Connecticut and Loyola Marymount.
As Poei and Hsu have shown longevity and consistency, much can be attributed to both seniors understanding and playing their roles exceptionally.
"Mickey is really good and consistent at the baseline were she keeps it alive and sets up points, while my role is primarily at the net to take the point," said Poei.
With the two tennis stars fundamentally sound, the other instrumental factor in their record-breaking success can be traced to their emotional toughness they have demonstrated.
"Tennis is very unpredictable with some people having their good days and some people will have there off days," Poei stated. "Between Mickey and I, whoever has the better day than the other will be responsible to be the leader of that situation and of that particular match in order to encourage the other person."
Coach Victor highlighted a specific moment that showed the toughness and resilience of Poei and Hsu.
"We were in the Big West quarterfinals against Hawai'I, a national power featuring a server that hit the ball at 115 mph. We found ourselves down, and were in six match points, but they fought back and won them to get a big upset win and propel us further," Victor described. "Those moments, Kristen and Mickey stay calm, they stick with it and never say we are done. They are really good at that."
As Poei and Hsu begin their senior year at CSUN, they both have sights toward big accomplishments after tennis as well as reaching the NCAA Tournament and advancing in the postseason. "The NCAA Tournament is a goal of ours and something we want to accomplish," Hsu stated.
"When I started in college tennis, I couldn't have imagined these accomplishments," Poei proclaimed. "Once Mickey and I started playing doubles together, I saw how much potential we could have and we just pushed to get better and better every year."
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