The Hope College women's tennis team earned a hard-fought 5-2 victory at North Central College (Illinois) on Saturday night, securing the win behind a gritty performance from Sullivan Moran, whose marathon match clinched the outcome.

The 35th-ranked Flying Dutch showed resilience throughout the match, battling through close sets and tiebreaks to come away with their fifth win in five matches this season.

Moran, a senior from Birmingham, Michigan (Wylie E. Groves HS), rallied for a thrilling 4-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 victory at No. 2 singles for the decisive point.

Hope started strong, taking two of the three matches to claim the doubles point. 

The No. 2 pairing of senior Miyako Coffey (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Xavier) and freshman Hadley Krygier (White Lake, Michigan / Walled Lake Northern) set the tone early with a 6-2 victory, while sophomore Phoebe Walker (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City Central) and junior Mallory Matthews (Midland, Michigan / H.H. Dow) fought hard at No. 3 before falling 6-4. 

At No. 1 doubles, junior Amanda Lopykinski (Lemont, Illinois / Lemont Township) and Moran secured a 6-4 win, giving Hope the early 1-0 advantage.

In singles play, Hope's depth proved to be the difference. Krygier dominated at No. 3 singles, delivering a flawless 6-0, 6-0 victory to push Hope's lead to 2-0. 

Lopykinski followed with a strong performance at No. 1, winning 6-4, 6-2, putting the Flying Dutch within striking distance of the overall win. 

However, North Central fought back, winning at No. 4 to stay in contention. Liveta Everskis rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 victory over Coffey.

The match ultimately came down to a dramatic battle at No. 2 singles, where Moran fought through a grueling showdown to clinch the victory for Hope. 

Hope added one more victory at No. 6 singles, where Walker completed a comeback, winning 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 (5], rounding out the 5-2 team victory. 

The Flying Dutch play next when they begin their spring break trip on Monday, March 17, against University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the morning and St. Lawrence University in the afternoon in Orlando, Florida.