First Serve … 

• The No. 24 Washburn women's tennis team (5-1) continues their homestand this weekend with a dual match against Newman (6-3) on Saturday, Mar. 2.
• Predicted cold weather will keep the Ichabods indoors again this week as the match will take place at the Topeka Country Club beginning at 5 p.m.

Last Week …

• The Ichabods lost their first match of the season on Feb. 22 to the 44th-ranked Air Force Academy (Division I) in a 4-1 final score.
• The Falcons started the doubles competition winning at No. 1, 6-4.
• Washburn put up a fight and pushed the other two doubles matches to a tie breaker. 
• Kinsey Fields and Maria Soler Valverde won 7-6 (9-7) and improved to 5-0 at No. 3 doubles.
• Jacqueline Engelbrecht and Kinsey Fields put up a fight at No.2,  but fell 7-6 (7-4) and the Air Force Academy took a 1-0 lead with the doubles point.
• Air Force extended its lead to 2-0 after taking No. 1 singles, but Alexis Czapinski answered by winning her match at the No. 2 slot, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).
• Logan Morrissey dropped the first set at No. 3, but battled back to take the second set 7-6 (7-4) before falling in the third, 6-1.
• The Falcons clinched the match at the No. 5 slot, 6-2, 7-5.

Scouting the Opposition ...

Newman Jets

• The Newman Jets finished the 2017-18 season with a 13-9 record and were 1-3 in Heartland Conference matches.
• The Jets started this spring season 3-0 after sweeping Missouri Western, Southwest Minnesota State, and Truman State at the Missouri Western Invitational Feb. 1-2.
• The team is currently 6-3 overall with their most recent win coming by way of a 7-0 sweep against Kansas Wesleyan.
• Sheila Augspurger is entering her 13th full year as the head coach of both the men's and women's teams at Newman.
• The Ichabods lead the all-time series against the Jets, 5-2, with their most recent win coming last season in a 6-3 decision.

Ichabods in the Rankings …

• Washburn is ranked 24th in the nation.
• This is the first time the team has appeared in the top-25 ITA rankings since 2007, when Washburn was ranked 25th in all of Division II.
• As a team, the Ichabods are ranked No. 6 in the Central Region.
• Reflecting their finish at the ITA National Cup, Morrissey and Czapinski will begin the season as the third-ranked doubles team in all of Division II.
• Additionally, the duo also holds down the top ranking in the Central Region. 
• Individually, Engelbrecht is ranked fouth in the region and 28th in the nation.
• Czapinski also joins the region's top-10 list at No. 9 in women's singles.
• Washburn was picked fourth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

'Bods and Ends …

• Washburn became one of just four teams to score at least one point against the Air Force Academy. The Falcons had swept the other 10 teams they faced.
• The Ichabods were also the only Division II team to pick up a point when facing the Falcons.
• With her win against Air Force, Czapinski moved to 6-0 at No. 2 singles and 10-2 overall on the season.
• The duo of Fields and Soler Valverde maintained their perfect doubles record and improved to 5-0 at the No. 3 slot.
• Fields is 7-1 overall in doubles action while Solver Valverde is 9-3 when including the fall season.

Coach Lance Lysaught …

• is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Washburn men's and women's tennis teams.
• has coached the Washburn women to a 42-45 overall record and is 16-22 in MIAA matches.
• led the Ichabod men to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal round in 2018, the first time the program had ever advanced beyond the national round of 16.
• was tabbed to start up the men's and women's tennis programs at Ottawa University in 2012 where he was the head coach for two seasons.
• is a former Washburn student-athlete who played tennis for the Ichabods from 1987-91.
• was a two-time District 10 singles champion and an NAIA national qualifier in both singles and doubles over his tenure as a player.

By the numbers after four seasons coaching both Washburn men and women

7: All-American awards

5: ITA Central Region Championship titles

1: ITA Women's singles National Champion

1: MIAA Most Valuable Player

33: All-MIAA selections

3: NCAA National Tournament appearances

51: MIAA Academic Honor Roll selections