TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 11 Washburn women's tennis will begin its home schedule of matches with a top-15 tilt as they host No. 5 Midwestern State on Saturday inside the Genesis Tennis Center with first serve set for 12 p.m.
First Serve
- No. 11 Washburn women's tennis will begin its home schedule with a top-15 dual as they host No. 5 Midwestern State.
- The Ichabods will take on the Mustangs at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 inside the Genesis Tennis Center.
- Washburn is ranked No. 11 in the ITA Rankings before the beginning of the spring season.
- Last time out the Ichabods picked up their first sweep of the season dispatching of McKendree 7-0 on Feb. 2.
- Midwestern State has not played an official match this spring. They will take on Rockhurst on Friday before facing the Ichabods.
BODS AND BITS
- Washburn's 2024-25 roster features five returners from a season ago with four new additions to round out the roster.
- The Ichabods were ranked No. 11 nationally in the first ITA poll of the season.
- Washburn was picked to finish first in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
- This season WU is 2-0 in road matches and have not played a neutral court or home match. Last year, the Ichabods went 8-1 in matches in Topeka, 6-3 on the road and 6-2 in neutral court matches.
- Washburn is coming off a 20-6 season where they went 6-2 in the MIAA and advanced to the NCAA Round of 16.
AROUND THE RANKINGS
SINGLES SETUP
- On the year Washburn has gone 66-22 (75.0%) in singles duals overall.
- Jasel Bailey leads the team with 10 victories going 10-1 overall and winning her last seven duals. She is 2-0 from No. 5.
- Maddie shelley has gone 9-1 on the year all coming in the fall.
- Saajida Razick is 8-2 on the year, winning her last five times out. She is 2-0 in duals with one each coming at No. 3 and No. 4.
- Isabella Martensson has posted a 7-2 record overall and is 1-0 from No. 6.
- Daniela Tijaro has gone 7-3 during her freshman season going 1-1 in duals.
- Leo Floeth is 7-3 in her first season with Washburn, going 1-0 from No. 1.
- Renske Ubachs is 5-3 on the year and 2-0 in duals coming at No. 1 and No. 2.
- Isabella Pensavalle went 6-2 in the fall with wins in her last three duals.
- After missing the fall Peyton Koper returned in the spring and is 1-0, coming at No. 4.
DOUBLES DOWNLOAD
Last Time Out
Washburn 7, McKendree 0 (February 2, 2025)
O'FALLON, Il. -- No. 11 Washburn picked up its first sweep of the season Sunday morning, dispatching McKendree 7-0. The Ichabods will play next in Topeka, hosting Midwestern State on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 11 a.m. inside Genesis Tennis Center.
Doubles competition got started on the top court with Renske Ubachs and Daniela Tijaro working a 6-1 win over the Bearcats (0-2) top team. Washburn (2-0) secured the doubles point with Leo Floeth and Peyton Koper winning 6-1 as well from No. 2. Playing at No. 3, Isabella Martensson and Saajida Razick were tied 3-3 when the point was decided.
Floeth got singles action started on the top court as well, winning 6-1 in the first and 6-3 in the second set. Tijaro also won 6-1 in her opening set before bringing up match point with a 6-3 win in the second set from No. 3. Playing at No. 2, Ubachs pulled away late for a 7-5 win in the first set and she clinched the match winning 6-4 in the second.
Jasel Bailey didn't drop a single game in her first set and worked a 6-4 victory in the second set from No. 5. Razick fell behind early, losing 6-2 in the first set, but bounced back for 6-2 and 6-4 wins the next two sets to add another point to the Ichabod total. Martensson completed the sweep with a 6-2 win in the first a second set victory by a 6-3 tally.
Head Coach Kirby Ronning
- Ronning is in year five 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 140-52 combined record with Washburn.
- Has been named the ITA Central Region Coach of the Year three times. He earned the award on both the men's and women's side in the 2022-23 season and repeated as the men's winner after 2023-24.
- 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 Maja Jung and Santiago Rendon begin their first season on the Ichabod coaching staff while Kurt Reid enters his sixth season with both programs as a volunteer assistant.
- Reid started his collegiate tennis career at Tulsa (1977-78) before transferring to Washburn for the 1978-79 season.
- A Topeka-native, Reid played tennis at Topeka West High School and was elected to the Topeka West Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
- Maja Jung joins the coaching staff after finishing her four-year playing career at Washburn with the second most total victories of any player in women's program history.
- Santiago Rendon also moves from playing to the sidelines after wrapping up three seasons with the Ichabods headlined by an ITA Cup Doubles National Championship in fall of 2023.
- Former Ichabod All-American Logan Morrissey joins the staff during the spring season as a volunteer assistant on the women's side.
- After finishing her career she spent the 2021-22 season as a graduate assistant with the team.
OPPONENT QUICK SCOUT
ABOUT THE MIDWESTERN STATE MUSTANGS
- Midwestern State enters the spring 0-0 after competing in fall tournaments and two exhibitions in the spring. They will face Rockhurst on Friday before taking on the Ichabods.
- They are ranked No. 5 in the preseason ITA rankings.
- Last season the Mustangs went 22-5 overall and 10-0 in the LSC. They fell in the semifinals of the conference tournament but advanced to the NCAA National Championships semifinals before losing to No. 1 Barry, 4-0.
- In the ITA rankings on the singles side two Mustangs are ranked with Jessica Binzari at No. 6, Sofia Giraldo at No. 8.
- On the doubles side Jessica Binzari and Anda Ghinga are ranked No. 13 in the nation.
MUSTANGS STAFF
- Scott Linn is entering his 15th season as the head men's and women's tennis coach.
- Has guided the programs to 20+ NCAA Tournament appearances since taking over in Wichita Falls.
- A 1995 graduate of East Central, Linn was a four-year letterwinner and two-year captain for the Tigers. He received his bachelor's degree in Mass Communications and then earned his master's degree in Human Resource Administration in 1997 from ECU.
HISTORY WITH MIDWESTERN STATE
- Midwestern State leads the all-time series over Washburn 11-3.
- The first meeting in the series came on March 23, 2001 and was a 5-4 win for the Mustangs in Wichita Falls, Texas.
- The last meeting came on March 3, 2024 last season with Midwestern State winning 4-3 at home.
- The Ichabods are 1-4 all-time in Topeka against the Mustangs.
MILESTONE MARKERS
- Isabella Martensson is eight singles victories away form reaching 50 in her career.
- Maddie Shelley is five singles wins away from reaching 30 career victories.
- Renske Ubachs is five doubles victories away from 40 victories in her career.
SCHEDULE SPRING FORWARD
- Washburn will return remain at home after a week off, taking on Texas A&M University - Kingsville at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15 inside the Genesis Tennis Center.
- MIAA play will begin on March 27 when the Ichabods host Newman at the Washburn Tennis Complex.
- The regular season concludes with senior day for Washburn hosting Arkansas-Fort Smith on April 26 at 1 p.m.
- The MIAA Tournament will be held in Springfield, Mo. from May 2-4.
