First serve . . .
• The Washburn Ichabod men's tennis team will continue the 2015-16 season on Feb. 5 when they will travel to Springfield, Mo., to face the No. 15-ranked Drury Panthers.
• The following the day the Ichabods will take on McKendree University.
• The Ichabods will look to snap a 13-match losing streak to the Panthers. Washburn's only win came in the first meeting in the series on April 5, 1997 when the Ichabods swept the Panthers in Topeka.
• The Ichabods have never faced McKendree.
Drop shots . . .
• The Ichabods won their only dual match of the season in a 9-0 win over William Jewell on Sept. 19.
• The Ichabod doubles team of
Blake Hunter and
Alejandro Valarezo Plaza are ranked No. 22 in the nation and No. 1 in the regional rankings released on Nov. 23. The duo reached the championship match of the ITA regional falling to Drury's team of Maximillan Hepp and Kay Bartmann 9-8 falling in the tiebreaker 7-2.
• Hunter is also ranked No. 8 in singles in the region.
•
Matt Barlow is ranked No. 15 in the singles regional rankings after going 8-2 during the fall slate.
• Barlow and Hunter lead the Ichabods with eight singles wins and Valarezo Plaza recorded seven.
• Hunter and Valarezo Plaza recorded an 11-2 record in the fall en route to the national ranking.
• Statistically speaking, the Ichabods were a combined 42-25 (.627) in singles play in the fall and 27-10 (.730) in doubles action.
Coaching . . .
Former Ichabod tennis player
Lance Lysaught is in his second season as the Ichabod head coach. He is 14-32 as a collegiate head coach in his fourth season and 5-11 at Washburn.
Up next . . .
The Ichabods will face off with Missouri-Kansas City on the road on Feb. 20 in Kansas City before taking on another NCAA Division I foe in Wichita State on March 2.
