FIRST SERVE

• The No. 20 Ichabods men's tennis team hosts Northwest Missouri on Saturday at 1 p.m. to close out regular season play.
• After the conclusion of the match, the Ichabods will have a Senior Day ceremony recognizing the 2021 graduates, Bradley Eidenmueller, Paul Haase and Luke Howard.
• The Bearcats have a 46-14 advantage over the Ichabods in the all-time series. The squads last played on April 27, 2019, when Washburn defeated Northwest, 4-1.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• The Ichabods hosted a scrimmage against Cowley on April 15 in which scores were not counted towards Washburn's records. The week before, the squad faced Southern Arkansas and Bethel, falling to the Muleriders, 4-0, on April 10 and defeating the Threshers, 6-1, on April 11.
• Washburn struggled against Southern Arkansas as they played to the clinching point and didn't earn a single point in the match.
• Against Bethel, the Ichabods swept the doubles point. Bradley Eidenmueller/Sebastian Pjontek first got a 6-1 win from the top doubles spot. The duo of Paul Haase and Miquel Perez then followed with a 6-1 victory from the middle of the lineup. Playing doubles together for the first time this season, Marc Roura Casi and Miller Zeiders defeated their opponents by 7-6 (7-2).
• In singles action, Roura Casi started things off with a 6-0, 6-1 win from the fourth spot. Sebastian Pjontek followed with a 6-1, 6-2 victory from the No. 3 spot, before Miquel Perez clinched the Washburn win with a 6-2, 6-3 victory from the second court. 
• Raul-Alin Dicu earned a 6-1, 6-3 win from the top of the lineup, then Miller Zeiders won the sixth point with a 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (5-0) win from the No. 5 spot. Bethel earned one point as Luke Howard battled but ultimately fell by set scores of 6-3, 3-6, 0-1 (0-4) from the bottom of the lineup.

 
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS

• Northwest Missouri holds a 12-3 record this season with a 2-0 MIAA record after a 7-0 sweep over Augustana.
• The Bearcats return eight from last year's roster while welcoming in two newcomers. 
• Andrea Zamurri is ranked No. 6 in the ITA singles rankings released on April 8. He has a perfect 14-0 record playing from the top of the lineup this season. He also earned the MIAA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week earlier this week.
• Northwest Missouri was picked first in the south division of the MIAA-GAC Preseason Poll.
• The Bearcats are headed by Mark Rosewell in his 39th season as head coach.

 
CHECKING IN WITH THE BODS

• Bradley Eidenmueller is off to an 8-0 start in singles action, playing mainly at the No. 4 spot. Eidenmueller is also 8-4 in doubles action. With partner Sebastian Pjontek, they have gone 6-2 from the No. 1 doubles spot. 
• Paul Haase holds an 8-2 singles record this season. Haase also has a 7-4 doubles record. With partner Miquel Perez, he has earned a 5-2 doubles record from the second spot.
• Raul-Alin Dicu and doubles partner Daniel Bird have earned a 5-3 record from the No. 3 spot. 
• Along with a 6-3 record in doubles, newcomer Bird has gone a perfect 6-0 in singles action to make a commanding first impression on the Washburn team.
• Playing at the bottom of the lineup, Miller Zeiders and Marc Roura Casi have split duties throughout the season. Zeiders holds a perfect 4-0 record so far, while Roura Casi has a 7-1 record.

 
ICHABODS IN THE RANKINGS

• The Ichabods are ranked No. 20 in the nation according to the most recent ITA national team rankings released on April 20, 2021. Regionally, they are ranked first in the central region, released on March 23.
• Two Ichabods were listed in the top-40 of the first national singles rankings of the season, released on April 8, 2021. Raul-Alin Dicu checked in at No. 24 and Miquel Perez sits at No. 37.
• The No. 1 doubles duo of Sebastian Pjontek and Bradley Eidenmueller are ranked No. 12 in the national doubles rankings.
• 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

• The Ichabods will compete in the MIAA Championship on April 30-May 1 at the Edmond Center Court in Edmond, Okla. The schedule will be released after the last MIAA regular season matches on Sunday.
• Washburn is currently on the list of schools under consideration for the NCAA regional for the Central Region. The selection committee will determine who the regional brackets on May 4.