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Washburn men's tennis vs Ouachita Baptist April 6, 2024.
Kyle Manthe/Assistant Director Athletic Communications

No. 6 Washburn plays final road match of the season against Emporia State on Wednesday

4/23/2024 9:43:00 AM

TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 6 Washburn men's tennis heads down the turnpike to take on Emporia State on Wednesday at 2 p.m. for its final road match of the regular season. 
 

FIRST SERVE

  • No. 6 Washburn men's tennis plays its final road match of the season on Wednesday against Emporia State beginning at 2 p.m. 
  • The Ichabods are 15-4 on the year and 3-0 in the MIAA/GAC after a 4-3 neutral court loss to No. 40 Southern Arkansas on Sunday. 
  • Emporia State enters the match with a 10-7 record on the year and a 1-3 mark in the MIAA/GAC North after a 7-0 win over Baker on April 14. 
  • The Ichabods remain at No. 6 in the latest ITA rankings. 
  • Washburn went 17-8 in 2022-23 with a 3-1 record in the MIAA during the regular season. They won the MIAA Championship Tournament and advanced to the NCAA National Championships. 
  • The Ichabods return eight players from last season's roster while adding four freshmen and one transfer to complete the roster. 

SINGLES SITUATION 

  • Washburn has four players ranked in the latest ITA singles rankings with Tim Hammes at No. 9, Sebastian Pjontek checking in at No. 21, Santiago Rendon ranked 37 and Pavlos Parson rounding out the group at No. 69. 
  • For the season the Ichabods are 128-60 (68.1%) in singles matches and are 73-36 in duals. 
  • Santiago Rendon leads the team with 21 wins and has a 21-7 overall record this season. he is 11-3 at No. 3.
  • Tim Hammes is 14-7 overall with a 7-5 record after moving to No. 1.  
  • Tommy Cecchetti has gone 5-2 from the No. 5 spot and is 18-6 overall. 
  • Sebastian Pjontek has an overall record of 14-11 on the year with a 5-6 mark from No. 2. 
  • Pavlos Parson carries an 16-7 mark in singles play from four different positions with a 5-0 mark at No. 4. 
  • Moritz Pieper has a 10-1 record on the singles side and is 2-0 at No. 6.
  • Daniel Bird has posted a 14-2 record this season with a 5-0 record at No. 6 and has won his last nine matches overall. 
  • Matthew Earle is 10-7 on the year and has gone 2-0 at No. 4. 

DOUBLES DOWNLOAD

  • Washburn has four doubles duos ranked in the latest ITA doubles ranking with Tim Hammes and Santiago Rendon ranked No. 9, Matthew Earle and Tim Hammes at No. 25, Daniel Bird and Sebastian Pjontek moving up to No. 37 with Hammes and Pjontek rounding out the group at No. 43. 
  • On the year the Ichabods have gone 54-29 (65.1%) on the year with a 31-16 record in duals. 
  • Daniel Bird and Sebastian Pjontek have the most wins together of any Ichabod pair with an 11-1 mark together. They are 6-0 at No. 2. 
  • Rendon and Pavlos Parson are 9-2 together, with an 8-2 record from No. 3. 
  • Matthew Earle and Tim Hammes are 6-1 together this season all coming from No. 1. 
  • Hammes leads all Ichabods with an 20-11 doubles record, he is 10-7 at No. 1. 
  • Rendon and Bird are tied for the second most victories on the squad with 16 while Pjontek followed just behind at 15 on the year. 


LAST TIME OUT

Southern Arkansas 4, Washburn 3 (April 21, 2024) 

EDMOND, Okla. -- No. 6 Washburn led early but a late comeback from No. 40 Southern Arkansas resulted in a 4-3 loss for the Ichabods in a neutral court match in Edmond, Okla. Washburn is back in action next in Emporia on Wednesday.  

Doubles play started on the top court with No. 25 Matthew Earle and Tim Hammes working a 6-1 win to gain the advantage. Santiago Rendon and Pavlos Parson clinched the doubles point, winning 6-3 from No. 3. No. 37 Sebastian Pjontek and Daniel Bird led 5-4 at No. 2 when the point was decided.  

The Ichabods (15-4) built a 2-0 lead over the Muleriders (12-7) after No. 37 Rendon took a 6-2 first-set win and finished off his No. 4 duel with a 7-5 victory in the second. Southern Arkansas got on the board as Tommy Cecchetti fell 6-4 and 6-3 in two sets from No. 5. Bird won his first set 6-3 at No. 6. and set up match point with a 7-5 second set win.  

No. 69 Parson won his opening set 6-4 from No. 3 and took the second set to an extra point before falling 7-5. The momentum swung the other way in the third resulting in the Muleriders pulling within one after a 6-2 third set. Playing on the second court No. 21 Pjontek took his first set 6-4. SAU's No. 52 ranked Tim Fischer responded with 6-3 wins in each of the next two sets to even the match.  

After winning 6-3 in his opening set No. 9 Hammes and No. 47 Ole Valkyser went into a tiebreaker in the second. Valkyster pulled away in the longest tiebreaker for any Ichabod so far this season, 15-13, to force a third set. In the third Hammes fell 6-4 and Southern Arkansas was able to finish off the match.  

HEAD COACH KIRBY RONNING

  • Ronning is in year four as the head coach of the men's and women's tennis teams at Washburn  
  • Has led both teams to the NCAA Tournament in every season at the helm with a 128-48 combined record with Washburn.
  • Was named the ITA Central Region Coach of the Year on both the men's and women's side after the 2022-23 season.   
  • Prior to joining the Ichabods Ronning spent four seasons as the assistant coach at Azusa Pacific from 2016-2022
  • As a player, he played for four years at Bethel University (Minn.). Ronning received his bachelor's degree in Business from Bethel in 2014 and earned his master's degree in Physical Education at Azusa Pacific in May 2020.

THE ASSISTANTS

  • Graduate assistants Sofia Smagina and Casie Curry begin their first season on the Ichabod coaching staff while Kurt Reid and Raul-Alin Dicu enter their fifth and second seasons respectively.  
  • Kurt Reid enters his fifth season as an assistant with the Ichabods. 
  • He started his collegiate tennis career at Tulsa (1977-78) before transferring to Washburn for the 1978-79 season.
  • Reid, a Topeka-native, played tennis at Topeka West High School and was elected to the Topeka West Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. 
  • Dicu enters his second season with Washburn and his first as a volunteer assistant after serving as a graduate assistant in 2022-23. 
  • Dicu finished his five-year career with Washburn in 2022 with a 56-45 singles record and 53-41 doubles mark. He is in the top-20 in singles and doubles wins in program history
  • Former All-American Sofia Smagina joins the coaching staff after wrapping up one of the best seasons in Ichabod tennis history in 2022-23. 
  • Finished as the runner-up at the ITA Cup in singles and was named the MIAA Player of the Year while going 30-3 in singles and 26-5 in doubles in her one season at Washburn. Joined the Ichabods as a transfer from Kansas. 
  • Casie Curry rounds out the coaching staff as a graduate assistant after spending one season with Washburn in 2022-23. 
  • Curry received All-MIAA recognition in both singles and doubles while going 16-11 and 22-6 respectively. She joined the Ichabods after transferring from Midwestern State. 

OPPONENT QUICK SCOUT - MATCH #20

ABOUT THE EMPORIA STATE HORNETS

  • Emporia State enters the match with a 10-7 record on the year and a 1-3 mark in the MIAA/GAC North after a 7-0 win over Baker on April 14. 
  • The Hornets are 3-1 at Milton Courts this season. 
  • Last season Emporia State went 6-9 overall and 1-3 inside the conference, missing out on the MIAA Tournament. 
  • The Hornets have one singles player ranked by the ITA with Anton Sarunic at No. 42. 
  • Emporia State has gone 58-40 in singles play this season (59.2%). 
  • Mostafa Elbasnaly leads the Hornets with 11 wins and an 11-6 record, he is 4-2 at No. 3. 
  • Anton Sarunic is 10-6 on the year all coming at No. 1. 
  • In doubles action Emporia State is 22-26 (45.8%) on the year. 
  • Sergio Vera and Anton Sarunic are 4-1 together this season with a 4-0 mark from No. 1. 

HORNETS STAFF 

  • Cyrielle Peyroche is in her first full season as the head coach of the Emporia State tennis programs. 
  • she was elevated from a graduate assistant position to the interm head coach last spring. 
  • Peyroche was 23-15 in singles play during her three years as a Hornet before moving into the graduate assistant position during the 2021-22 season
  • Graduate assistant Phatsimo Ruele rounds out the coaching staff 

HISTORY WITH EMPORIA STATE

  • Wednesday will be the 105th match between Washburn and Emporia State with the Ichabods leading the all-time series 75-29.
  • The series began on April 10, 1948 with a 6-0 win for Washburn in a location unknown. 
  • The Ichabods are 31-17 against the Hornets in Emporia. 
  • Last season the Ichabods took a 7-0 win over ESU in Topeka. 


MILESTONE MARKERS

  • Tim Hammes needs two doubles victories away from reaching 50 in his career. 
  • Santiago Rendon is one singles victory away and two away in doubles from reaching 50 career wins at Washburn. 
  • Matthew Earle is two doubles wins away from reaching 30 in his career. 

SCHEDULE SPRING FORWARD 

  • Senior day for Washburn will take place on April 26 against Nebraska-Kearney to finish out the regular season. 
  • The men's MIAA Tournament will take place in Edmond, Okla. from May 1 to May 3.
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