FIRST SERVE

• The Ichabods travel to Broken Arrow, Okla., to face Southeastern Oklahoma State on Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. at The Club in Indian Springs.
• Washburn holds the 2-1 advantage in the all-time record against Southeastern Oklahoma State.
• The last time the two teams played each other was April 20, 2019, when the Ichabods swept the Savage Storm, 4-0.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• Washburn improved its record to 2-0 after the Ichabods swept William Jewell, 7-0 on Feb. 21.
• The Ichabods swept the doubles point as the duos of Marta Torres/Cadence Lynn and Maria Soler Valverde/Sydnee Foster defeated their opponent and Kinsey Fields/Maja Jung won by default as the Cardinals did not have enough players.
• In singles action, Torres, Jung and Fields all swept their opponents from the the top three spots in the lineup. Foster defeated her opponent from the No. 4 spot, while both Soler Valverde and Lynn won by default due to no Cardinals players in the fifth and sixth spots.

 
SCOUTING THE SAVAGE STORM

• The Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm hold a 2-0 record to start the season, after a 8-0 win over Austin College and 4-2 win over UT-Dallas on Feb. 6. The team will play Northeastern State on Feb. 26, prior to facing Washburn on Feb. 27.
• The Savage Storm returns seven from last year's roster - Diana Budnik, Chantal Lozano, Nicole Maldonado, Rachel Routledge, Nina Sergeev, India Shiaelis and Elizaveta Tregubova. The squad welcomes six newcomers, including Rhythm Aswal, Zulay Castaneda, Vanessa Cozamanis, Georgia Hosking, Steffi McDonald and Vanessa Nitu.
• In doubles action, the duo of Castaneda and Cozamanis hold a 2-0 record from the No. 1 spot.
• The women were picked to finish third in the Great American Conference preseason poll.

 
CHECKING IN WITH THE BODS

• The Ichabods return six from last year's roster, while welcoming in two newcomers.
• Washburn had three regionally-ranked student-athletes in the final 2020 ITA rankings - Logan Morrissey, Maria Soler Valverde and Svea Crohn - are among the returners and will be key performers for the Ichabods this season.
• Morrissey ended the 2020 season with a 7-7 singles record and a 10-5 doubles record with partner Crohn. Crohn also held a 9-4 record in singles. Soler Valverde had a 9-5 record while playing the No. 1 spot for Washburn. 
• Sophomore Kinsey Fields and freshmen Sydnee Foster and Cadence Lynn also rejoin the team this season. Fields went 5-4 in singles and 3-6 in doubles last season, while Sydnee Foster held a 5-3 singles record and 1-4 doubles record. Lynn ended the season with a 4-8 record for singles and 0-5 record for doubles.
• Two newcomers - Maja Jung and Marta Torres - join the team this spring season as true freshmen.

 
ICHABODS IN THE RANKINGS

• The ITA national team rankings were last updated on Feb. 2, 2021.
• Washburn was picked third in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, with two first-place votes and 46 points total, released on February 5, 2021.
• The doubles team of Logan Morrissey/Svea Crohn were ranked second in the Central Region according to its last update on April 15, 2020.
• Three Ichabods were also ranked in the top-15 of singles in the Central Region. Maria Soler Valverde checked in at seventh while Morrissey landed in ninth. Crohn rounded out the top-15.

 
HEAD COACH KIRBY RONNING

• Kirby Ronning is in his first season as the Washburn head tennis coach for the Ichabods men's and women's programs after being named to the position on July 23, 2020. Prior to Washburn, Ronning spent four seasons as the assistant coach at Azusa Pacific, where he helped lead the Cougars to multiple NCAA postseason appearances and earned himself both ITA West Region's Men's Tennis Assistant Coach of the Year and Women's Tennis Assistant Coach of the Year. 
• He earned his bachelor's degree in business from Bethel University (Minn) in 2014 and his master's in physical education from Azusa Pacific in May 2020.
• Ronning also played at Bethel for four years, playing primarily at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles position.

 
TAKE A LOOK AHEAD

• The Ichabods return home on March 5 to host Barton County Community College at 1 p.m.
• The team then sets out on a roadtrip through Florida the following week, facing Northwood University in Lake Nona, Fla. on March 9 at 11 a.m. at USTA National Campus. Next, they will play Flagler College on March 10 at 3 p.m. in St. Augustine, Fla., before ending the trip with a matchup against Valdosta State on March 11 at 2 p.m. in Valdosta, Ga.
• Washburn later begins conference play on March 27, hosting Newman at 1 p.m