First serve . . . 

•    After splitting its 2017 opening weekend 1-1 the Washburn Ichabod women's tennis team will continue its road swing with a trip to Oklahoma City, Okla. to face Oklahoma Baptist.

 Racking up Rankings . . . 

•    Washburn heads into its third season under head coach Lance Lysaught led by sophomore Madeline Hill who holds the No. 1 spot in the ITA Division II singles rankings.

•    Hill leads the team with a near perfect 20-1 record in singles. 

•    Jacqueline Engelbrecht and Hill have teamed up to post a 15-1 doubles record and head into the season ranked 12th nationally.

• To go along with its national rankings, Washburn is tabbed 10th in the central region with Hill leading the way at No.1 in singles. Engelbrecht and Hill are second in doubles in the region behind Northeastern States Val Efimenko and Molly Worden.

 The Opps. . .

•  Washburn will continue its road swing with a match against the unranked Bison of Oklahoma Baptist.

•  In its first-year as a member of the Great American Conference, the Bison ended the 2015-16 season with a 23-4 overall record after going undefeated in conference play under fifth-year head coach Peter McCorkle.

• OBU made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance last season under GAC Coach of the Year, Peter McCorkle ultimately falling in the final to Indiana Wesleyan.

• OBU was tabbed third in the preseason GAC poll after graduating No. 1 singles player Anatasia Baranova and redshirting No. 2 Kateryna Shkot.

• Oklahoma Baptist returns four players who appeared in last seasons NCAA Championship match.

Tournament success. . .

•  The Ichabods closed out the 2016 calendar year with each player picking up at least one flight victory in tournament play.

•    Three Ichabod netters ended 2016 with a spot in a ITA Central Regional final which was capped off with a singles victory by Madeline Hill. 

 The young and the restless. . .

•    With one senior on both the men and women's tennis teams combined the Ichabods have the youngest roster in the MIAA conference.

 Coaching . . . 

•  Former Ichabod tennis player Lance Lysaught is in his third season at the helm of the Ichabod women's tennis program. He is 26-45 as a women's collegiate head coach in his fifth season and 15-28 at Washburn.

• Washburn added former Washburn men's tennis standout, David Price, as the assistant coach to both the men and women's teams during the offseason.

 Up next . . . 

• Washburn will take a three-week hiatus before hosting William Woods (Mo.) on March 1st and Newman on March 4.