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Katreina is pronounced like the hurricane.
She’s all that and a fire storm. At 4, Katreina Corpuz got the final say in her family. With mom, Ellen, hapai with Katreina’s younger sister, the chosen name was going to be Eleina. A perfectly fine name, right?
“I threw a tantrum and I wanted her name to be Katelyn. It sounds so much better with Katreina,” Corpuz says now, nearly 14 years later.
Dad went along with it, and so did mom. Four years prior, Reinaldo Corpuz had integrated a piece of his name into his oldest child and the passion was born into Katreina.
“We listened to her because she was our golden child. We went for it,” he said.
Katreina Corpuz, now a Punahou senior, began playing tennis around age 6, surrounded by the game. Dad was an avid player, then studied the game to coach her — similar to the way 2017 boys state champion Andre Ilagan of Farrington and his father, Sergio, bonded through tennis.
| KATREINA CORPUZ
Punahou tennis, senior
Athlete: Serena Williams
“The first time I saw her play, I was about 4. I was watching on TV with my dad. I don’t remember much of the game, but I remember she lifted the plate up over her head and she smiled and was so happy. She was always the most fierce and she had the most personal presence on the tennis court. She wasn’t just a person. She had a lot of personality.”
Home food: Grandma’s spaghetti
“My grandma (Modesta Corpuz), everyone calls her Mama. The way she makes it, she puts a lot of sugar in it, so the sauce is really sweet, that’s why I like it.”
Eating food out: Steak
“Coach Tuan Nguyen’s world-class steak. I like eating steak a lot, but I want to give a shout-out to my coach. He lives in the Philippines, but he has a house here and in California. Every December, he and his family come here. Every summer, I train with him in California. When he makes the steak, it’s the best in the world every time.”
GPA: 3.6
College: U.S. Naval Academy
TV show: “Friends” or “Game of Thrones”
Movie: “Kill Bill” series
“The storyline and the adrenaline of it all, I kind of grew up watching that with my dad and I’ve always watched violent movies with him. It’s a combination of everything.”
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Corpuz captured the HHSAA girls state title last year at the same tourney Ilagan took his crown. After being seeded second as a sophomore and losing in the semifinal round to eventual champion Taylor Lau (St. Francis) during the ’16 state tourney, the championship affirmed Corpuz’s work ethic and dedication.
The 2018 state championships are nearing. Punahou has won the past 15 girls team titles and Corpuz is likely to be a No. 1 seed for the first time. The self-driven senior may look like she has all the skill and ability in the world on the court, but even in the midst of last season’s title run, she wasn’t comfortable. Not even through a 7-5, 6-3 win over Lau for the title.
“At states, I feel like it was really weird because I didn’t feel ready at all. I think I was nervous and I was just overthinking a lot of things, which is really bad, actually. I wanted it a lot,” she said. “My level of urgency to win was higher than my level of preparedness to win the tournament. I could tell the matches weren’t my best, but at the end of the day, I played well enough to win. It’s definitely going to be better this year.”
The string of team titles at Punahou isn’t a given to any of the coaches and players. The boys team saw its state-title streak of 26 come to an end last year at the hands of ‘Iolani.
“The team thing is really huge for us Punahou girls. We have this streak that we always have to uphold. It’s what brings us closer as a team,” Corpuz said. “It’s not an expectation, but it’s a collective goal. Even though tennis isn’t exactly a team sport, all the girls are pushing toward a triple crown (team, singles and doubles). You can’t have it without winning the team title.”
Coach Betsy (Somerville) Purpura was a state singles champion in ’83, ’84 and ’86 at Punahou.
“It’s great to coach a player with such high caliber like Katreina. She is supportive of her teammates. She is a great sportsman coupled with the tenacity to succeed,” said Purpura, who says she doesn’t pay attention to the streak. “I don’t want them to worry about the number. From an education standpoint, I’d much prefer them to go out there and try to play their best.”
It’s not just the accolades and titles that matter to Corpuz. She’s seen much of the U.S., thanks to year-round play: California, Las Vegas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Connecticut. She has also trained in top-level facilities in the Philippines.
One of her dreams is to travel through Europe, but this is where any parent wonders aloud. Corpuz insists on doing it alone.
“I want to backpack everywhere there. Every place is a train ride away. If you’re under 21, I think it’s free, so that’s what a lot of college kids do,” Corpuz said.
Dad, though, can’t help wanting to protect.
“We need to remind her, we’re still here as parents. We’re not going to let her go until she’s on the plane,” Reinaldo said. “Ellen is the one that keeps everyone sane. She is the peacekeeper when all heck breaks loose. Katreina wishes she could call all the shots, so we have a happy medium.”
Next stop: Annapolis. Corpuz signed with the U.S. Naval Academy.
“I’ll be surrounded by people that want to work for what they want. I want to be with people that I aspire to be like,” Corpuz said. “I visited there twice, but they like to have fun, too. They’re a different caliber of people.”
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