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Kyle Manthe/Assistant Director Athletic Communications

Ichabods Return Home for Friday Match

3/17/2022 12:03:00 PM

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn returns home to host Augustana on Tuesday, March 18 at the Topeka Country Club.

First Serve

  • It is the Ichabods' first conference match of the season
  • The men's team defeated No. 22 Azusa Pacific, 4-2, but lost 4-2 to No. 8 Hawaii Pacific
  • The Ichabods are 2-2 in ranked matches
  • Washburn is 2-0 against the Vikings in program history. The Ichabods defeated the Vikings 7-0 in March 2019
  • Washburn ended an eight-game win streak. The Ichabods went 6-1 during the road trip
  • The Ichabods are 10-2 on the season

2022 Ichabods

  • Daniel Bird since joining the Ichabods has a 15-5 singles record and a 15-6 doubles record. Bird was All-MIAA Second Team at No. 5 singles in 2021
  • Raul-Alin Dicu is a fifth-year senior holding an overall singles record of 51-41 and an overall doubles record of 47-38. He is a four-time Academic Honor Roll member, two-time MIAA Scholar-Athlete, two-time All-MIAA Honorable Mention and an ITA Scholar-Athlete
  • Miquel Perez has gone 19-12 in singles and 22-8 in doubles while at Washburn. He earned All-MIAA Honorable Mention at No. 2 singles and All-MIAA Second Team at No. 2 doubles in 2021.
  • Sebastian Pjontek is 12-8 in singles and 20-9 in doubles since joining the Ichabods in 2020. Pjontek, along with partner Eidenmueller, earned ITA All-American in doubles last season
  • Miller Zeiders holds a 10-3 overall singles record and 8-6 in doubles play. He was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete in 2021
  • Freshman Matthew Earle comes in with many accolades while playing for St. Michael's College. Earle helped lead the team to Leinster School Senior Champions twice and as an individual was a two-time National Doubles champion and National Grade 1 singles champion. He is 3-4 in singles and 10-3 in doubles in his first season
  • Freshman Tim Hammes played No. 1 singles and doubles throughout high school while leading them to three regional championships. Hammes is 12-4 in singles play and 2-1 in doubles in 2021-22
  • Kim Niethammer holds a 6-2 singles record and Noah Neideck is 7-2 in doubles with partner Dicu and has a singles win
  • Sophomore transfer Santiago Rendon, from Norfolk State, is 3-2 in singles and 6-0 in doubles play

Milestone Tracker

  • Dicu's 51 career singles wins are 18th in Washburn history. He needs 6 more wins to move into the top 15 and 10 wins to be the 11th Ichabod to have 60 wins.
  • Dicu is also three doubles wins from the 50 mark. 
  • Perez earned his 20th doubles win against Concordia Irvine. Pjontek earned his 20th doubles win against No. 6 Hawaii Pacific
  • Perez is two singles wins away from 20
  • Hammes is eight singles wins away from tying Aleja Valarezo Plaza for the most singles wins by a freshmen

Washburn Notes

TWO-TIME MIAA AOTW

  • In five straight weeks, a Washburn a men's tennis player has won MIAA Athlete of the Week in the North Division
  • Perez is the first Ichabod to win it in back-to-back weeks
  • Week 5, Perez posted a 2-0 doubles record and a 2-0 singles record. He finished first doubles from No. 3 in both matches and defeated No. 50 Stefan Andrei at No. 4 singles
  • This week, Perez went 3-0 at No. 3 doubles and 2-1 in singles play this past weekend. In doubles, Perez secured the doubles point at CUI and APU. In singles, he started at No. 3 singles at CUI then won at No. 2 singles at APU

THE HOT NEW DUO

  • Santiago Rendon and Miquel Perez first competed as a doubles team in the 4-3 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State
  • Since that match, Rendon/Perez has appeared in five straight matches and won them all for a 5-0 doubles record
  • The Ichabods earned the doubles point in all five matches and Perez/Rendon secured it twice
  • The duo has outscored their opponents 31-17

HOME SWEET HOME

  • The Ichabods have been on the for the last seven matches but are set to start a four-match homestand
  • The last home match was a 4-0 win against No. 17 now No. 8 Ouachita Baptist on Feb. 19
  • Washburn is 3-0 at home this season
  • During this stretch, the Ichabods face two- top-50 opponents in No. 37 Southwest Baptist and No. 42 Rockhurst

 Last Match Recap

AZUSA, Calif. – Washburn men's tennis saw its eight-match win streak come to an end in a 4-2 loss to No. 6 Hawaii Pacific on Sunday.

The Ichabods had an impressive start in doubles competition. Miquel Perez and Santiago Rendon win 6-2 at No. 3 doubles. The win makes five in a row in their first five together. Matthew Earle and Sebastian Pjontek gave the Ichabods the 1-0 lead after they won 6-4 at No.1 doubles.

Once again, Raul-Alin Dicu and Noah Neideck did not finish their match with Washburn already winning the doubles point.

Hawaii Pacific got one back to start singles play. At. No. 3 singles, No. 25 Tim Hammes fell in two sets to No. 60 Robin Sanz, 6-2, 6-0. Immediately following Hammes' loss, Perez put the Ichabods back on top at the second spot. Perez was the only Ichabod to win his first set with a score of 6-4. He finished the job in the second set with a 6-3 win.

Washburn did not hold the lead for very long. Dicu dropped his match in straight set, 6-2, 6-1, to No. 8 Jordi Walder. The match was tied at two apiece. The Sharks took their first lead of the match when they defeated Pjontek at No. 4 singles. Pjontek lost in two sets, 6-2 and 6-3. Washburn looked to Daniel Bird and Rendon to pull late-match heroics as they did against Azusa Pacific.

Unfortunately, Bird lost his first set 6-3 then fought to keep Washburn alive in the second but lost 6-4. Rendon lost his first set 6-3 but forced a third set with a 6-2 set two victory. Rendon took a 1-0 third-set lead, but the match was stopped because Hawaii Pacific already won.

The Ichabods head home to start another long win streak on Friday, March 18 at 1:30 p.m.

Doubles Competition

1. Earle, Matthew/Pjontek, Sebastian (WU) def. Pleva, Jan/Walder, Jordi (HPU) 6-4

2. Dicu, Raul-Alin/Neideck, Noah (WU) vs. Beran, Jakub/Sanz, Robin (HPU) 2-5 uf

3. Perez, Miquel/Rendon, Santiago (WU) def. Heine, Jan/Loccisano, Benjamin (HPU) 6-2

Order of Finish: 3,2

Singles Competition

1. Walder, Jordi (HPU) def. Dicu, Raul-Alin (WU) 6-2, 6-1

2. Perez, Miquel (WU) def. Pleva, Jan (HPU) 6-4, 6-3

3. Sanz, Robin (HPU) def. Hammes, Tim (WU) 6-2, 6-1

4. Beran, Jakub (HPU) def. Pjontek, Sebastian (WU) 6-2, 6-3

5. Loccisano, Benjamin (HPU) def. Bird, Daniel (WU) 6-3, 6-4

6. Rendon, Santiago (WU) vs. Heine, Jan (HPU) 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 uf

Order of Finish: 3,2,1,4,5

 Scouting the Vikings

  • The Vikings compiled a 4-8 record last season and have started the 2021-22 season 4-7.
  • Augustana brought back four players and added five freshmen to the roster
  • The three players lost combined for a singles record of 10-21 and a doubles record of 11-16
  • The Vikings did bring back their top singles player and doubles player from last season
  • Junior Tory Shafer was the only Viking to have a .500 singles record of 6-6. This season he is 1-3 in singles and 5-4 in doubles with fellow returner Tyson Cowger
  • Cade Damgaard was the only Viking to be .500 or above in doubles with a 6-5 record. This season, he is 3-5 in doubles and 2-4 in singles
  • Freshmen Henry Dornbusch and Justin Karcher have excelled to start their collegiate careers
  • Dornbusch took over the No. 1 singles spot and has gone 7-2 along with a doubles record of 4-6
  • Karcher is also 7-2 (5-0 at No. 2) in singles and has a 3-6 doubles record

Vikings Head Coach Marc Kurtz

  • Marc Kurtz is entering his 18th-year coaching the Vikings
  • Kurtz has compiled an 87-148 men's record
  • In addition to coaching at Augustana, He is the tennis director at GreatLife Center in Sioux Falls
  • During the summer months, Kurtz serves as the tennis director at Minnehaha Country Club
  • He is a member of the Sioux Falls Tennis Association Board, and on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Central Region ranking committee for women
  • Kurtz earned four letters in tennis in the top three singles positions and top two doubles for Montana State University-Billings
  • He earned his BA at Montana State in business management and marketing

 Ichabods in the Rankings

  • The Ichabods remain at No. 7 in the ITA DII National Rankings released March 17
  • It is the highest rank in Washburn history
  • There are five Ichabods ranked in the ITA DII National Singles and Doubles Rankings.
  • Freshmen Tim Hammes moved down to no. 30 with his 12-4 singles record
  • Senior Raul-Alin Dicu still in the top-50, but down four spots to No. 49
  • Kim Niethammer vaulted up 17 spots to No. 53 with a 6-2 singles record
  • Sebastian Pjontek enter the singles rankings for the first time at No. 67
  • In doubles, Matthew Earle and Pjontek with a doubles record of 10-3 shot up to No. 20

Looking Ahead

The Ichabods remain at home to host McPherson College on Tuesday, March 22 at 2:30 pm

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