Women's Tennis Wins Four Flights at Season-Opening Hope College Invite

The Hope College women's tennis team was all too eager to return to its winning ways last weekend.

The Flying Dutch, the defending MIAA regular-season and 12-time defending MIAA Tournament champions, began their season by hosting a two-day invitational.

The Orange and Blue won two singles flight championships and recorded a third-place finish in another. In doubles, Hope won the top two draws.

On Friday, the Flying Dutch played at the Dewitt Tennis Center and Vande Poel-Heeringa Outdoor Courts in five separate draws of 16 players. Matches progressed in a tournament style, eight-game pro sets with a tiebreak at seven games all. Finals are played like regular season non-conference matches.

On Saturday, the women commenced doubles play. There were three draws with 16 teams (A), 13 teams (B), and eight teams (C). Matches progressed in a tournament style, with a single six-game set with a tiebreak at six games all.

In the top singles draw, junior Amanda Lopykinski (Lemont, Illinois / Lemont Township HS) won two matches to secure a third-place finish.

Senior Miyako Coffey (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Xavier) was clinical en route to a 6-3, 2-6, 10-6 victory in the Draw B championship match.

In Draw D, sophomore Makenna Crandell (Byron Center, Michigan / Byron Center) was untouchable as she swept through the draw and took the title match, 7-5, 6-3.

During doubles, Lopykinski and senior Sullivan Moran (Birmingham, Michigan / Wylie E. Groves) did not allow any team more than two games on them as they raced to the top spot in the top draw.

Sophomores Phoebe Walker (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City Central) and Madison Wei (Parker, Colorado / Regis Jesuit) followed suit as they clinched Draw B in a 7-6 (6) championship-match thriller.

The Flying Dutch will return to match play on Friday, Saturday, Sept. 27-28, at the ITA Central Region Tournament hosted by Kalamazoo College.

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Players Mentioned

Miyako Coffey: Senior; Political Science

Makenna Crandell: Sophomore; Elementary Education; 3-6 Grade

Amanda Lopykinski: Junior; Neuroscience

Sullivan Moran: Senior; Political Science

Phoebe Walker: Sophomore

Madison Wei: Sophomore; Biomedical and Bioelectrical Engineering

Players Mentioned

Miyako Coffey
: Senior; Political Science

Makenna Crandell
: Sophomore; Elementary Education; 3-6 Grade

Amanda Lopykinski
: Junior; Neuroscience

Sullivan Moran
: Senior; Political Science

Phoebe Walker
: Sophomore

Madison Wei
: Sophomore; Biomedical and Bioelectrical Engineering