The Hope College men's tennis team enters the 2026 season with renewed ambition and a clear sense of direction after tying for second place in the inaugural MIAA preseason poll, matching Calvin University with 40 points. 

Head coach Austin Hunt says the program is right where it needs to be as it enters a pivotal year in its long-term development. Now in the final stage of the vision he set when he arrived at Hope, Hunt reflected on the goals that have guided the program's growth. 

"We're in the fifth and final year of the initial goal setting I started out with when I got hired at Hope College, and within the first five years of my tenure as the head coach of this team we've had three major program goals. First, win the MIAA conference title. Second, become a team that is known as a 2nd round at the national tournament team. Third, reach the top 40 in the national rankings. This men's program will continue the pursuit of these goals and look to have an incredible season."

The Flying Dutchmen finished 9-13 overall and 6-1 in MIAA play last spring, earning second place in the league and reaching the MIAA Tournament championship match for the fourth time in the last five years. With experience returning across the lineup and a schedule built to challenge them early, Hope is positioned to push toward the next tier of its competitive aspirations.

Roster

Hope's 14-player roster features a strong returning core and a deep group of underclassmen ready to elevate the program. The team's lone senior, Hunter Napieralski (Chelsea, Michigan / Chelsea) is joined by a large and influential junior class that includes Paul Schneider (Fishers, Indiana / Hamilton Southeastern), Cooper Nugent (Rochester Hills, Michigan / Rochester Adams), Alec Maynard (Northville, Michigan Detroit Catholic Central), Rylan Doden (Fort Wayne, Indiana / Blackhawk Christian), and Ned Curley (Plymouth, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central). The trio of Nugent, Curley and Schneider return as All-MIAA honorees. 

The sophomore group of Blake Smith (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan / Birmingham Seaholm), Aiden Sin (Holland, Michigan / Holland), Karsten Patel (Birmingham, Michigan / Birmingham Seaholm), Hank Mast (Kansas City, Missouri / Liberty), and Elliot Dozeman (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) brings another year of experience and competitive maturity.

The freshman class is compiled of Owen Jackson (Traverse City, Michigan / St. Francis), Eli Schmude (Northport, Michigan / St. Francis), and Ian Williams (Lincolnshire, Illinois / Adlai E. Stevenson).

Hunt emphasized how valuable that continuity is heading into the season. 

"We return the vast majority of our roster from last year, which is amazing having the amount of experience that we do heading into this season," he said. "Our top five singles lineup players from last year's team all returned, and we have plenty of more talent to keep making this program even stronger."

Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Austin Hunt, 5th season
Assistant Coach: Mark Hunt

Schedule

The Flying Dutchmen open their season on Friday, February 6, with a road matchup at Ohio Northern University, setting the tone for a competitive early stretch. 

In March, Hope travels to Texas for three challenging matches against Howard Payne University, No. 37 Southwestern University, and Concordia University Texas.

MIAA competition opens on Saturday, March 28, with a rivalry showdown at Calvin University, followed by a key showdown on Tuesday, April 7, when the Flying Dutchmen face Kalamazoo College, the league's projected No. 1 team.

Hunt believes the schedule sets the team up for meaningful growth. 

"Our men's program has a very favorable schedule this season," he said. "We play a large number of teams that we will have great, competitive matches with in hopes of bringing home some hard-fought wins. This season should be a very exciting one for our men's team, and we're looking for this large group of upperclassmen to really step up in big moments throughout the next few months."