The 2023 Kalamazoo College men's tennis team will begin its season with a home match on Feb. 3 against North Central. The Hornets will look to repeat as MIAA champions and make their way back to the NCAA Championships. The team competed in the ITA Central Regionals on Sep. 23-25 and has been preparing for the season since coming back from winter break.
Schedule Breakdown
- The Hornets will begin their season in February, with four of the five matches at home. The season and home opener will be against North Central on Feb. 3.
- As the schedule enters March, Kalamazoo will be spending time on the road, with five of the six matches away from Kalamazoo.
- The MIAA opener is against Alma on Mar. 17, the one home match in the month.
- The Hornets will have two home matches and four road matches in April.
- Kalamazoo will play its final home match against Hope on Apr. 14, and the regular season will wrap up at Calvin on Apr. 22.
Roster Breakdown
- Kalamazoo returns all but one player from the 2022 squad. In addition, there will be three new players to increase the total to 10.
- The team will be comprised of three seniors, three juniors, two sophomores, and two freshmen.
Returning Statistical Leaders
- After primarily playing #2 singles last season, Gabe Vidinas returns after posting a 13-8 record.
- Peter Fitzgerald finished 15-6 last year, mostly playing in the #3 singles spot. He was also a part of the #1 doubles team, going 15-10.
- In the #4 singles spot was Casey Johnson, going 12-10. He also went 13-8 as a part of the #2 doubles team.
- In his first collegiate season, Adnan Alousi finished 15-4 while primarily playing #5 singles. Also, on the #2 doubles team, he finished with a 12-12 doubles record.
Stepping Up
- Parker Foster, Lukas Hultberg, and Tieran Rafferty are returners looking to complete the lineup. Foster has the most experience, playing in eight singles and 18 doubles matches last season.
- Louis Landreau is a newcomer with experience that is expected to mix in with last season's starters.
- Alek Hultberg is also expected to compete for playing time in his first collegiate season.
Head Coach Mark Riley
Coach Riley is set to begin his 16th season as the head coach of the Hornets. His teams have compiled an overall record of 206-104 in matches during his time at Kalamazoo. Riley was named Wilson/ITA Central Region Coach of the Year in 2017 after leading the Hornets to an 18-2 record. Under Riley, four different players have earned NCAA III All-American recognition, including recent graduate Ian Yi in 2019, 2021, and 2022. In addition, Riley has coached 30 players to All-MIAA status, including nine that have been named MIAA MVP. Before arriving at Kalamazoo, Riley spent time as the head men's tennis coach at the University of Pennsylvania (2001-07), the University of Kansas (1997-2000), and Drake University (1994-96).
Quoting Coach Riley
"Our seniors Casey Johnson, Peter Fitzgerald, and Gabe Vidinas, plus sophomore Adnan Alousi, will team up to help fill the void of the graduated three-time All-American Ian Yi as we move into the 2023 season. The senior leadership is busy preparing the team for the initial portion of our season. We will look to thrive versus the very tough teams in the central region and the country. Our season kicks off versus North Central and Kenyon, both very talented programs. The team goals are to continue to improve as we aspire to win the MIAA championship and tournament and compete in the NCAA championships in May."