FIRST SERVE

• No. 17 Washburn women's tennis closes out the regular season at home, hosting Northwest Missouri State on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Washhburn Tennis Complex.
• At the conclusion of the match, the Ichabods will have a Senior Day ceremony recognizing the 2021 graduates, Logan Morrissey and Maria Soler Valverde.
• The Bearcats have a 25-14 advantage over the Ichabods in the all-time series. The squads last played on May 14, 2019, when Northwest defeated Washburn, 4-2.

 
LAST TIME OUT

• Washburn improved to a 14-1 record last weekend and 6-1 in MIAA play after two 6-1 wins over both Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State. Key highlights from the two wins:
• Washburn pushed its win streak to five after notching wins over the Lopers and Tigers.
• Maria Soler Valverde kept her perfect record as she improved to 13-0 singles record, playing from the third spot. She defeated her UNK opponent by 6-0, 6-1 and she earned a 6-1, 6-1 win over her Fort Hays State opposition.
• Marta Torres continues to show success at the No. 1 singles spot as her record now sits at 11-4 overall and 8-2 at the top of the lineup. Torres took a 6-4, 6-3 win over her Lopers opponent and 7-5, 6-0 victory over her Tigers opponent.
• The Ichabods continue to dominate in doubles action as they swept the doubles point in both matches. 
• Maja Jung and Kinsey Fields continue to hold it down in the middle spot of the doubles lineup. The duo improved to 10-2 after a 6-4 win against their Lopers opposition.
• Jung also improves to 13-1 in singles action after a 6-1, 6-0 win over her UNK opponent.
• Soler Valverde and Crohn are a great match at No. 3 doubles as they swept their Lopers' opposition by 6-0 to improve to 7-1 as a duo.
• Cadence Lynn keeps on battling and perservering at the bottom of the lineup as she improves to 10-2 on the season after a 6-3, 7-5 victory over the UNK opponent and a 6-3, 6-2 win over the FHSU opponent (playing at the fourth spot that match).

 
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS

• Northwest Missouri has a 10-5 record (6-1 in MIAA play) this season after a 4-2 loss to Augustana on Sunday. 
• The Bearcats' roster consists of two returners and seven newcomers.
• Vera Alenicheva leads the team with a 12-1 record, playing mostly from the No. 1 singles spot. She is ranked No. 15 in the nation in singles.
• The Bearcats are led by Mark Rosewell in his 39th season as head coach.
• Northwest Missouri was picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

 
CHECKING IN WITH THE BODS

• Maria Soler Valverde leads the Ichabods with a perfect 13-0 record playing mainly from the third spot in the lineup. She is also 8-1 in doubles action.
• Freshman Maja Jung continues to make a stellar first impression as she has gone 13-1 in singles action to start the season. Jung is also 11-2 in doubles action, playing mainly with partner Kinsey Fields from the No. 2 spot.
• Freshman Marta Torres is also off to a great start with a 11-4 record. Torres was moved up to the No. 1 spot midway through the season, where she has a 8-2 record. She was also moved up to No. 1 doubles with partner Logan Morrissey where they have gone 6-2. Torres is 10-5 overall in doubles action.
• Morrissey has a 11-3 record in doubles action at the top of the lineup, as she has gone 6-2 with Torres and 5-1 record with Svea Crohn.

 
ICHABODS IN THE RANKINGS

• The Ichabods are ranked No. 17 in the latest updated ITA rankings, last updated on April 20, 2021. The team is ranked second in the central regional rankings released on March 23.
• 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 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.