For the 78th straight year, the Kalamazoo College men's tennis team sits atop the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association with another regular season championship. The Hornets will look to add to their trophy case this week with an MIAA tournament championship and extend their streak of making every NCAA tournament dating back to 1976, the year of the tournament's inception and notably the only school to do so.
The Match Ups
May 5
Semifinal #1 – No. 4 Calvin (11-5, 4-3) at No. 1 Kalamazoo (16-4, 7-0) – 4 p.m. (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
Semifinal #2 – No. 3 Adrian (15-8, 5-2) at No. 2 Hope (7-11, 6-1) – 4 p.m. (Holland, Mich.)
The MIAA final will be held on May 6. Time and location are TBA.
Previous Meeting
In the Hornets' lone meeting with the Knights this season, Kalamazoo made quick work of Calvin sweeping the Knights 9-0. All matches for the Hornets were won in straight sets.
What to Watch for
Junior Branden Metzler, ranked No. 18 in the country, will look to ride his momentum from the regular season into the MIAA tournament and beyond. The Rockford, Ill. native is 24-1 in singles matches this season and a perfect 3-0 against nationally ranked opponents. He's won his last 19 matches and has a career record of 55-13.
Elan Dantus and Eric De Witt have stood out at three and four singles going 10-6 and 12-1, respectively. Allen Vinson is 7-1 at five singles and Spencer Navarre is 7-3 at six singles. Robert Hudson's faced tough opponents at two singles recording a record of 8-9, but he's undefeated with a 6-0 record in the MIAA.
Kalamazoo has won 12 of its last 14 matches this season and holds a 7-1 record at home. Collectively, the Hornets hold a .739 winning percentage in all singles matches this season.
Thursday's semifinal will take place at Stowe Stadium following the conclusion of the women's semifinal.