A rivalry match worthy of its history swung Hope College's way on Friday as the Flying Dutch powered past Kalamazoo College, 5–2, in a meeting between the league's perennial top two programs. From a doubles sweep to a series of composed, late-match singles pushes, Hope delivered the kind of all-lineup performance that has defined this matchup for years.
The win put the Flying Dutch at 11-7 for the season, and kept them unbeaten in league play at 5-0 and tied for first place with Saint Mary's College
The tone was set early. Hope stormed through doubles with three distinct styles of victory: a tiebreak thriller at No. 1, steady control at No. 2, and a decisive closeout at No. 3.
Freshman Jana Beier (Fort Wayne, Indiana / Carroll HS) anchored Hope's singles response with a gritty three-set win at No. 3, bookending her match with dominant sets, and clinching the win for Hope.
Freshman Sophia Grzesiak (Beverly Hills, Michigan / Detroit Country Day) recorded a straight-sets victory at No. 4, and sophomore Kaitlyn Stievater (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan / Wylie E. Groves) also delivered a win, rallying from a set down to win at No. 5 singles. Junior Madison Wei (Parker, Colorado / Regis Jesuit) brought a composed two-set performance at No. 6.
Hope travels to Adrian College on Monday, April 20, at 4 p.m. to continue league play.
Doubles
1: Jana Beier /Amanda Lopykinski (Lemont, Ilinois / Lemont Township) def. Juliana Pullen/Addison Lyons (KC), 7-6 (8-6)
2: Hadley Krygier (White Lake, Michigan / Walled Lake Northern) /Kaitlyn Stievater def. Eleni Bougioukou/Soussana Kimbouris (KC), 6-3
3: Mallory Matthews (Midland, Michigan / H.H. Dow) /Phoebe Walker (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City Central) def. Daryn Krause/Peja Lilies (KC), 6-1
Singles
1: Julianna Pullen (KC) def. Amanda Lopykinski (HC), 6-1, 0-6, 7-5
2: Addison Lyons (KC) def. Hadley Krygier (HC), 7-5, 6-3
3: Jana Beier (HC) def. Eleni Bougioukou (KC), 6-1, 1-6, 6-1
4: Sophia Grzesiak (HC) def. Molly Stevison (KC), 6-3, 6-3
5: Kaitlyn Stievater (HC) def. Daryn Krause (KC), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
6: Madison Wei (Parker, Colorado / Regis Jesuit) def. Peja Lilies (KC), 6-3, 6-4
