First serve . . . 

•    Washburn women's tennis looks to extend a two-match win streak when it opens conference play on the road in Missouri against Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western.

•  The Ichabods have posted two sweeps this season and are off to its best start to the season under head coach Lance Lysaught.

•  The last time Northwest Missouri State and Washburn met was March 28, 2016 when the Bearcats dealt Washburn a 2-7 loss on the road. Missouri Western last met with Washburn on March 7, 2016 when the Griffons handed the Ichabods a 3-6 loss on the road. 

 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 22-2 record in singles. 

•    Jacqueline Engelbrecht and Hill have teamed up to post a 17-1 doubles record and are currently 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. . .

•  Northwest Missouri State is 0-2 on the season after falling to Midwestern State and Indianapolis. 

•  NWMS was picked fifth in the MIAA Presseason poll after posting a 12-13 record last year including a 7-3 record in conference play. 

• Missouri Western is in the midst of four-game slide and currently sits at 2-5 on the season.

• Missouri Western is in its second year under head coach Shawn Becker.

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 28-46 as a women's collegiate head coach in his fifth season and 17-29 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 return home for a pair of matches against Nebraska-Kearney on March 15 and Fort Hays March 18.