2018 Men’s Tennis Season Preview

• Athletics

Bob Cawood ‘13 — one of the Flying Dutchmen’s most successful tennis players with 104 career singles and doubles wins combined — returns to lead his alma mater.

Hope is coming off its second consecutive 6-1 season in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play that was good for second place in the league standings. The Flying Dutchmen finished the 2016-17 season with a 9-10 overall record.

"Having a successful 2017 MIAA season, we are hoping to take what we learned and build for this entire season,” Cawood said. “We have an incredible group built around five juniors. Our coaching staff believes the experience will be extremely helpful this year as we take one match at a time. If our team can bring our best effort in practice and matches, I am incredibly excited for what this group of men can do!”

Hope returns three of its top singles players and three of its doubles players from last season.

The Flying Dutchmen’s roster of 10 features five juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.

Junior Michael Kiley of Muskegon, Michigan (Mona Shores HS), sophomore Danny Kroeze of Holland, Michigan (Holland Christian), and Mark VanderStoep of Holland, Michigan (West Ottawa) are back after topping Hope’s lineup last season and combining for 30 singles wins.

Other juniors in the mix for the Flying Dutchmen are Justin Folkert of Hamilton, Michigan (Hamilton) and transfers Christian Erickson of Waukesha, Wisconsin (Catholic Memorial) and Timothy Roe of Bakersfield, California (Frontier).

Sophomores Alec Berrodin of Grand Rapids, Michigan (Forest Hills Northern) and Matt Werkman of Jenison, Michigan (Hudsonville Unity Christian) will contribute as well.

Hope’s two freshmen are David Bacon of Grand Rapids, Michigan (Forest Hills Northern) and Cartey Smiley of Minnetonka, Minnesota (Minnetonka).

The Flying Dutchmen begin the spring season on Saturday, February 3 with a non-league match at the University of Chicago.