KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The 2021 Kalamazoo College men's tennis team is set to begin its season on Friday, Feb. 26 at Hope. The Hornets return to action after the 2019-20 season was cut short due to Covid-19. They ended with a 4-2 record and ranked No. 26 in the nation.
The Hornets' current schedule features eight matches against fellow MIAA opponents. The Kalamazoo roster has seven returning members along with freshman newcomer Dylan Drier.
Key Dates
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The Hornets will open their season on Friday, Feb. 26 on the road against Hope College.
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Kalamazoo is currently scheduled to play one match in March, on the 31st at Calvin.
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The team travels to Alma on Friday, April 9 to begin a six-game slate in the month of April. They host Trine on Monday, April 12.
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Kalamazoo finishes off April with back to back home matches, against Hope on April 23 and Olivet on April 27.
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The MIAA Tournament is set to begin on Thursday, May 6 and conclude on Saturday, May 8.
Returning Statistical Leaders
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The team returns seven of eight players from last season including the top four singles spots held by Ian Yi, Daniel Henry, Tytus Metzler and Casey Johnson. The four have compiled a 142-51 singles record over their careers.
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Junior Ian Yi returns for his third season in the No. 1 singles spot after finishing last year ranked No. 24 in the Central region with a 3-4 record. He is now 24-9 through three seasons.
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Yi and Henry will resume their spot at No. 1 doubles after finishing last season with a 5-3 record and ranked No. 11 in the Central region.
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Henry earned a 4-4 record at No. 2 singles, while Metzler finished with a 4-1 record at No. 3 and a 5-3 singles record overall.
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Johnson, playing primarily at four singles, tied for the most singles wins on the team in 2020 with five.
Head Coach Mark Riley
Coach Riley is set to begin his 14th season as the head coach of the Hornets. His teams have compiled an overall record of 182-95 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 Ian Yi in 2019. Riley has coached 26 players to All-MIAA status including nine that have been named MIAA MVP. Prior to 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 number one expectation is for our team to simply enjoy and embrace our time together in practice and in competition. Our team hopes to start this season right where we left off in 2020, as we finished the shortened season with a national ranking of No. 26. With the return of seven of our eight players from last year's roster and with the addition of first-year athlete, Dylan Drier, we expect to make a deep run in the 2021 NCAA Tennis Championships. We are a small group, but a talented one and we aspire to be stellar on and off the court."