Hope College

The Hope College men's tennis team punched its ticket to the MIAA Tournament championship match, presented by Collegiate Credit Union,  with a gritty, nerve-tilting 4–3 semifinal win over rival Calvin University on Wednesday afternoon in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a duel that swung back and forth until the final two courts delivered the decisive Blue and Orange win. 

The third-seeded Flying Dutchmen (12-7, 5-2) advance to Friday's championship match at Kalamazoo College, the top seeded team at 4 p.m.

After dropping the doubles point, Hope answered with four singles victories, three of them in straight sets. 

Junior Ned Curley (Plymouth, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central HS) set the tone with a composed straight-set win at No. 1.

Junior Cooper Nugent (Rochester Hills, Michigan / Rochester Adams) outlasted Caleb Bartels in the two singles slot in a 7–6 (8–6) third-set thriller to make it 3-2, Calvin with three games remaining to be finished. 

Calvin briefly regained the lead with wins at Nos. 3 and 4, but Hope's depth took over from there.

Junior Paul Schneider (Fishers, Indiana / Hamilton Southeastern) rolled at No. 6 to even the match.

Sophomore Elliot Dozeman (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) clinched the semifinal on court 5 with a poised 6–4, 6–4 victory over Mario Neto, sealing Hope's spot in the title match.

Doubles

1: Rodrigo Alipio/Mario Neto (CAL) def. Alec Maynard/Cooper Nugent (HOPE), 7-5

2: Elliot Dozeman/Blake Smith (HOPE) def. Felipe Sartori/Diego Castellanos (CAL), 6-0

3: Caleb Bartels/Tanner Warners (CAL) def. Owen Jackson/Ned Curley (HOPE), 7-5

Singles

1: Ned Curley (HOPE) def. Rodrigo Alipio (CAL), 6-3, 6-4

2: Cooper Nugent (HOPE) def. Caleb Bartels (CAL), 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (8-6)

3: Felipe Sartori (CAL) def. Karsten Patel (HOPE), 6-3, 6-2

4: Diego Castellanos (CAL) def. Blake Smith (HOPE), 6-3, 3-6, 6-0

5: Elliot Dozeman (HOPE) def. Mario Neto (CAL), 6-4, 6-4

6: Paul Schneider (HOPE) def. Tanner Warners (CAL), 6-2, 6-1