FIRST SERVE

• Washburn men's tennis is set to face Rockhurst on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Kansas City, Mo. The Ichabods were originally scheduled for a Friday match against Lindenwood but it was canceled due to cold weather.
• The Ichabods also have a 16-13 advantage in the all-time series against Rockhurst. The teams last faced off on April 7, 2019, when the Ichabods defeated the Hawks, 4-3.

 
SCOUTING THE HAWKS

• Rockhurst is off to a 3-0 start after a 6-1 victory against Augustana on March 13. Rockhurst will face Harding on March 19, prior to the match against Washburn the next day.
• The Hawks return nine from last year's roster while welcoming in two newcomers.
• Rockhurst's No. 1 singles starter Simon Birgerson holds a 2-1 record this season. At No. 1 doubles, him and partner Martijn Eleveld has a 3-0 record.
• The Hawks were picked to place fourth in the west division of the GLVC Preseason Poll.
• Rockhurst is headed by Jamie McDonald in his first season as head coach.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• The Ichabods came back from their Florida-Georgia roadtrip with a two wins and a loss, making their record 6-2 overall this season. 
• In Washburn's first game of the road trip, the team defeated Northwood by 6-1 on March 9. The team swept the doubles point as the duos of Raul-Alin Dicu/Daniel Bird at No. 3, Paul Haase/Miquel Perez from the second spot, and Sebastian Pjontek/Bradley Eidenmueller from the top of the lineup all earned victories.
• The Ichabods then went on to win the first five singles points to beat the Timberwolves. Bird clinched the winning point from the No. 5 spot by scores of 6-1 and 7-5 to help lead the Ichabods to victory.
• On March 10 against then-No. 9 ranked Flagler College, the Ichabods took down the Saints, 6-1. After winning the doubles point by wins from Perez/Haase at the No. 2 spot and Eidenmueller/Pjontek from the top spot, the Ichabods dominated singles, only allowing Flagler one point. The first singles point was won by Daniel Bird at the No. 6 spot by scores of 6-4 and 6-4. The clinching point was won by Haase from the No. 3 spot by scores of 7-5 and 7-5.
• The Ichabods faced No. 7 Valdosta State on March 11 to close out the road trip, falling to the Blazers, 4-0, as the teams agreed to only play to the clinching point.

 
CHECKING IN WITH THE BODS

• Paul Haase leads the Ichabods with a 6-1 singles record this season. Haase also has a 5-3 doubles record. With partner Miquel Perez, he has earned a 3-1 record.
• Raul-Alin Dicu and doubles partner Daniel Bird have earned a 4-2 record from the No. 3 spot. 
• Along with a 4-2 record in doubles, Bird, the transfer newcomer from East Carolina, has gone a perfect 5-0 in singles action to make a commanding first impression on the Washburn team.
• Bradley Eidenmueller is off to a 5-0 start in singles action, playing mainly at the No. 4 spot. Eidenmueller is 5-3 in doubles action.

 
ICHABODS IN THE RANKINGS

• The Ichabods are ranked No. 21 in the nation according to the most recent ITA national team rankings released on March 11, 2021. 
• Individually, two Ichabods were listed in the top-20 of the Central Region singles rankings, which was last updated April 15, 2020. Raul-Alin Dicu was ranked at No. 16, while Paul Haase checked in at No. 19.
• The Ichabods were picked second in the north division in the MIAA/GAC Preseason Coaches Poll, released on February 5, 2021. The team gathered three-first place votes and 26 points total.

 
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

• Washburn returns home to for its first conference matchup of the season, hosting Newman on March 27 at 1 p.m. The team will then host another conference opponent on March 28 as Emporia comes to town at 11 a.m.