Jun Hernandez doesn’t always know what to expect in his tennis travels with Cindy Nguyen. But "for sure it’s entertaining," the University of Hawaii coach said.

Hernandez and Nguyen departed for Texas on Saturday, and with a 90-minute drive from Dallas to Waco — site of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships — Nguyen had a playlist in mind for the ride.

"This year I might be dancing a lot more," Nguyen said before the trip. "I might stick to some Taylor Swift, some One Direction."

Swift’s inescapable "Shake it Off" or Clean Bandit’s "Rather Be" might become earworms for Hernandez during their stay in Texas, where Nguyen will close her sophomore year with her second appearance in the NCAA singles tournament.

The 64-player tournament opens Wednesday at Baylor’s Hurd Tennis Center. Nguyen earned the Big West’s automatic berth into the field and will find out who she will face in the first round when the draw is released Tuesday.

Nguyen thrives on "enjoying the moment" — evidenced by her selfie with Gov. David Ige during a ceremony at the state Capitol honoring UH athletes last week — and is looking forward to taking in her second NCAA tournament experience.

Last year’s trip to Georgia as UH’s first player selected to the singles tournament also drove her through a regimen of two-a-day practices tucked around final exams leading up to her second shot.

"She has a great attitude," Hernandez said. "She works hard, she knows there are a lot of things that need to get done, but she has fun doing it."

Her first NCAA tournament experience also helped Nguyen structure preparation this time around. She focused on skill work with Hernandez in the mornings and played matches against members of the UH men’s team in the afternoons.

"It’s exhausting at the end of the day, but I know it’s helped me so much," Nguyen said. "I feel my shots have gotten so much stronger. I’ve gotten so much looser. I know exactly what I really need to do and I have a better feel for the game."

She also has greater comfort with the atmosphere of playing in an NCAA tournament.

Nguyen lost in the first round to Texas’ Breaunna Addison in her first trip to the NCAA singles tournament. She fell behind 3-0 to open the match before falling 7-5, 6-2.

"After losing that match I was really sad and sat down and vowed to myself that I’ll be back and I’ll be hungrier, I’ll fight more and I’ll play stronger and do whatever it takes to get back here," Nguyen said.

She focused on refining her serves and finishing at the net and went 15-6 overall in her sophomore season with wins over two nationally ranked opponents. She went undefeated at No. 1 singles in Big West play, was named the conference’s player of the year and takes a seven-match winning streak into the NCAA tournament. She was also named the ITA’s Southwest Region Player to Watch last week, making her the first UH player to earn the distinction.

Hernandez said Nguyen’s success last year put a target on her in conference play, "but she held her ground, she played solid tennis, smart tennis and what’s great about her, she’s very strong mentally. I know some of the days when she’s not playing great tennis she just competed well and never gave up."

Nguyen opened her sophomore year in the Rivera/ITA All-America Championships in September, and a first-round loss honed her focus for a run at All-America status to end the year.

"That was a wake-up call for me," she said. "Making it to NCAAs was awesome and I was enjoying the moment and went to the All-Americas going, ‘Hey I’m doing well.’ " To be beaten in the first round it reminded me there are so many good players out there … and anyone can beat anyone."

Note

Nguyen, Hernandez and UH sports media relations assistant Kara Nishimura arrived in Waco late Sunday. The trio was still in Dallas when a shooting between rival motorcycle gangs occurred in Waco that left nine dead on Sunday.