TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 8 Ichabod women's tennis will finally begin MIAA play as they face Newman and Central Oklahoma before wrapping up the busy week verus Southern Arkansas on Sunday. 

First Serve

• No. 8 Washburn women's tennis returns home and begins conference play hosting Newman, Central Oklahoma and Southern Arkansas in a busy week. 
• The Ichabods will face the Jets on Thursday at 1 p.m. before facing the Bronchos on Saturday at 10 a.m. They wrap up the week against the Muleriders at 10 a.m. on Sunday. 
• Last time out the Ichabods improved to 9-1 on the year defeating Cameron 4-3 on the road March 17.

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 moved to No. 8 in the ITA rankings this season. 
• Washburn was picked to finish first in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. 
• This season the Ichabods are 1-1 inside of Topeka, 6-0 in road matches and 2-0 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

• On the doubles side of the first ITA rankings Renske Ubachs and Daniela Tijaro are ranked No. 3 nationally. 
• Isabella Martensson and Leo Floeth have not played together in the spring but are slotted at No.13. 
• On the singles side Renske Ubachs moves up to No. 22 nationally. 

SINGLES SETUP

• On the year Washburn has gone 95-36 (72.5%) in singles duals overall with a 40-15 record in duals. 
• Jasel Bailey is tied for the team lead with 14 victories going 14-2 overall and is 6-1 in duals at No. 5 and No. 6. 
• Renske Ubachs is 12-4 on the year and 9-1 in duals playing at the top two positions. She has won her last seven times out. 
• Daniela Tijaro is 12-6 during her freshman season. She is 6-4 in duals and 3-0 playing at No. 3. 
• Leo Floeth is 11-7 in her first season with Washburn, going 4-1 from No. 1 and 5-4 in duals. 
• Peyton Koper has a 7-0 record on the year, all coming in duals between No. 4 and No. 6. 
• Saajida Razick is 10-6 on the year, she is 4-4 in duals between No. 3 and No. 4.
• Isabella Martensson has posted a 8-3 record overall and is 1-1 from No. 6. 
• Maddie shelley has gone 9-1 on the year all coming in the fall.
• Isabella Pensavalle went 6-2 in the fall with wins in her last three duals. 

DOUBLES DOWNLOAD

• The Ichabods have gone 57-18 (76.0%) across their doubles matches this season overall and are 22-5 in duals. 
• Daniela Tijaro and Renske Ubachs are 17-4 together this season with a 8-2 record in duals from No. 1. They are 2-2 against ranked opponents. 
• In the spring Leo Floeth and Peyton Koper are 6-2 together all coming at No. 2. 
• Isabella Martensson and Saajida Razick are 10-1 together this season and have gone 7-1 together at No. 3. 
• Issabella Pensavalle and Jasel Bailey went 7-2 together in doubles action during the fall. 
• Leo Floeth and Isabella Martensson compiled a 7-4 mark playing together this season. 
• Daniela Tijaro has the most doubles victories of any individual going 19-5 so far. 
• Ubachs and Martensson are both second on the team with 17 victories. 

Last Time Out

Washburn 4, Cameron 3 (March 17, 2025) 

LAWTON, Okla. -- No. 5 Washburn wrapped up its weekend road swing in Oklahoma with a 4-3 nail-biting win over Cameron on Monday afternoon. The Ichabods are off for 10 days before opening conference play at home against Newman on March 27.  

Isabella Martensson and Saajida Razick led off double play with a swift, 6-1 win at No. 3. Renske Ubachs and Daniela Tijaro secured the double point for Washburn (9-1), winning 6-4 at No. 1 over No. 2 nationally ranked Jenna Goessel and Anastasia Uspenskaia. Peyton Koper and Leo Floeth led 5-4 over the Aggies (3-4) No. 2 pair when the point was decided.  

Cameron got on the board first in singles as Saajida Razick fell 6-1, 6-3 at No. 3. After losing the first set 6-0, Daniela Tijaro bounced back to win 6-4 in the second before falling 6-1 in the third as the Aggies went in front. Renske Ubachs pulled away late for a tiebreaking win 7-6(7) in her first set at No. 1. She evened the match up with a 6-3 win in the second set. 

Peyton Koper worked quickly in both sets, losing just one total game in her dual at No. 5 to bring up match point. After winning a long, 12-10 tiebreaker in the first set, Leo Floeth fell 6-4 and 6-2 in each of the next two sets at No. 2. Jasel Bailey worked a quick 6-1 first set victory before overcoming an early deficit to win 6-4 in the second set and clinch the match. 

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 155-56 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 NEWMAN JETS

• Newman is 4-10 on the year and 0-1 inside the MIAA after falling 4-3 to Emporia State last time out. 
• Last season the Jets went 12-12 overall and 2-6 in the MIAA, missing out on the MIAA Tournament. 

HEAD COACH BRADY MATTHEWS

• Is in his 1st season as the head men's and women's tennis coach at Newman. 
• Spent one season as an assistant coach at Cowley County CC. 
• Before joining Cowley College, Brady Matthews was an assistant men's and women's tennis coach at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

HISTORY WITH NEWMAN 

• Washburn leads Newman 11-2 in the all-time series, winning the last seven matches. 
• In Topeka, the Ichabods are 8-0 against the Jets. 
• The series began on April 21, 2008 with a 9-0 sweep for Washburn at home. 
• Last season Washburn defeated Newman 5-2 in Wichita on April 4, 2024. 

ABOUT THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BRONCHOS

• Caentral Oklahoma is 4-3 on the year after falling 4-1 to No. 21 Dallas Baptist last time out. 
• Last season the Bronchos went 8-10 overall and 4-4 inside the MIAA, falling to Washburn in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament. 
• Pete Komada is ranked No. 72 nationally in singles. 
• Ayaka Koga has a 6-1 record in singles going 5-0 at No. 4. 
• In singles play Central Oklahoma is 21-17 on the year. 
• On the doubles side the Bronchos are 12-8 overall. 
• Ayoka Kaga and Anika Ouwejan are 5-2 together on the year all at No. 2. 

HEAD COACH JOE VANN

• Is in his fourth season as the head women's tennis coach at Central Oklahoma. 
• In his first season, Vann led Central Oklahoma to its best season in school history. The Bronchos won a school record 24 matches. UCO won the regular season MIAA title before winning the MIAA postseason championship. Central then won its NCAA Division II Central Region I tournament and advanced to nationals for a fourth consecutive season. 
• Vann came to UCO from UT Tyler, where he spent four years as the assistant coach for both men's and women's programs.
• Vann is a 2009 graduate of UT Tyler. He earned All-ASC honors both on the court and in the classroom there before moving into coaching.

HISTORY WITH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

• Central Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Washburn 15-6. 
• The Ichabods are 3-5 against the Bronchos in Topeka. 
• The series began on April 12, 1998 with a 9-0 sweep for Central Oklahoma in Topeka. 
• Washburn has won the last two meetings, both coming last season with a 4-3 win at home and a 4-2 win in the MIAA Tournament. 

ABOUT THE SOUTHERN ARKANSAS MULERIDERS

• Southern Arkansas is 8-6 on the year after defeating Southwest Baptist 4-0 last time out. 
• Last season the Muleriders went 20-5 overall and 4-1 inside the GAC, falling in the semifinals of the GAC Tournament. 
• In singles play Ameile Gindl is ranked No. 6 nationally in singles. Josie Holderbach is ranked No. 49 and Maria Fiacan is No. 59. 
• In singles play Southern Arkansas is 18-15 on the year in duals. 
• Maria Fiacan is 5-2 on the year all at No. 3. 
• In doubles play this season the Muleriders have gone 6-10. 
• Ameile Gindl and Maria Fiacan are 3-3 together this season with a 3-2 mark at No. 2. 

HEAD COACH GREG OWEN

• Is in his eighth season as the head coach for the men's and women's tennis programs at Southern Arkansas.
• Owen comes to SAU from Seward County Community College (Liberal, Kan.) where he was into his third season as head men's and women's tennis coach.
• A native of Henryetta, Okla., Owen played collegiately for a season at Seminole State College (Seminole, Okla.) and then his final three seasons at GAC-rival Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Durant, Okla.).

HISTORY WITH SOUTHERN ARKANSAS

• Washburn leads the all-time series with Southern Arkansas 5-0. 
• The Ichabods are 1-0 against the Muleriders in Topeka. 
• The series began on February 15, 2019 with a 5-2 win for Washburn in Midlothian, Texas. 
• Last season the Ichabods won a 4-3 meeting on April 21 in Edmond, Okla. 

MILESTONE MARKERS

• Isabella Martensson is seven singles victories away form reaching 50 in her career. 
• Renske Ubachs is nine doubles victories away from reaching 50 in her career. 
• Maddie Shelley is five singles wins away from reaching 30 career victories.

SCHEDULE SPRING FORWARD

• Washburn will hit the road facing Fort Hays State on Wednesday, April 2 at 1 p.m. 
• 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.