The Hope College women's tennis team returns to the court this spring with championship aspirations.
The Flying Dutch are seeking to extend their league-record run of MIAA regular-season titles to eight in 2023.
In 2022, Hope finished 8-0 in league play en route to a 19-2 overall record. The Flying Dutch also served up a 10th consecutive MIAA Tournament championship and reached the regional semifinals of the NCAA Division III Championships.
This season, Hope is ranked 10th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Region poll.
The addition of promising newcomers after the loss of key student-athletes has head coach Austin Hunt excited for this year's team.
"We have some returners, but we also have two new freshmen who are going to be really good for our lineup," Hunt said. "It'll be a good mix of newcomers and veterans, but they'll all be great players."
Hope begins its spring season with 11 non-conference matches, including the home opener on Friday, Feb. 3, at 3 p.m. against Cornerstone University. The Flying Dutch also will battle with Denison University, who is ranked 26th in the ITA and fourth regionally, on Saturday, March 4, at 4 p.m. at DeWitt Tennis Center. The orange and blue will head to the United States Tennis Association Training Center in Orlando, Florida, for four matches during spring break. The MIAA opener is Saturday, March 25, at 11 a.m. at Adrian College. The MIAA Tournament will be held on Wednesday and Friday, April 26 and 28.
Head Coach: Austin Hunt, 2nd season
Assistant Coach: Mark Hunt
The Flying Dutch return five to their roster of 12. Hope has two returning All-MIAA selections; sophomore political science major Sullivan Moran (Birmingham, Michigan / Wylie E. Groves HS) who was selected to the first team, and junior business major Annika Weeber (Rockford, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian), who earned a spot on the second team.
By the Numbers
4 — Number of teams who qualify for the MIAA Tournament. The winner receives the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
16 — Number of consecutive completed seasons with double-digits wins for the Flying Dutch. The lone exception was the 2020-21 season that was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
19 — All-time MIAA women's tennis MVPs for the Flying Dutch, including a current run of five: Sydney Jackson (2021 and 2022), Claire Hallock (2019), Amanda Bandrowski (2018) and Nancy Benda (2017).
28 — MIAA regular-season titles for the Flying Dutch since 1939. Nine of them have earned in the past 10 seasons.
31 — Singles wins in 42 matches the past two seasons for Sydney Jackson, graduated No. 1 singles player.
Coach's Outlook
"We graduated two important seniors from the lineup but the two players we brought in are going to be filling those shoes. One thing I've learned from preseason practices from the returners side of things is the continual willingness to be coachable, take in what we're trying to tell them. From the newcomers, they have the same coachability qualities, being able to take what the coaches say and adopt it and move forward, and it's been great." -
Austin Hunt
