TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 8 Washburn women's tennis heads on the road for the first time in conference play taking on Fort Hays State on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
First Serve
- No. 8 Washburn continues MIAA play as the head on the road to face Fort Hays State.
- The Ichabods will face their first conference test on Wednesday, April 2 at 2 p.m.
- Last time out the Ichabods improved to 10-1 on the year and 1-0 in the MIAA with a 4-3 win over Central Oklahoma.
- Fort Hays State improved to 11-3 on the year and 1-1 inside the MIAA after defeating William Jewell 5-1 on March 30.
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 2-1 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
SINGLES SETUP
- On the year Washburn has gone 98-39 (71.5%) in singles duals overall with a 43-18 record in duals.
- Jasel Bailey is tied for the team lead with 15 victories going 15-2 overall and is 7-1 in duals at No. 5 and No. 6.
- Renske Ubachs is 12-5 on the year and 9-2 in duals playing at the top two positions. She is 5-1 at No. 1.
- Daniela Tijaro is 12-7 during her freshman season. She is 6-5 in duals and 3-1 playing at No. 3.
- Leo Floeth is 11-8 in her first season with Washburn, going 4-1 from No. 1 and 5-5 in duals.
- Peyton Koper has a 8-0 record on the year, all coming in duals between No. 4 and No. 6.
- Saajida Razick is 11-6 on the year, she is 5-4 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
Last Time Out
Washburn 4, Central Oklahoma 3 (March 29, 2025)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn worked a second straight 4-3 victory Saturday afternoon, defeating Central Oklahoma in its MIAA-opener. The Ichabods will briefly head back to non-conference action facing Southern Arkansas on Sunday at 10 a.m.
Doubles play was tight across all three courts, beginning with Isabella Martensson and Saajida Razick working a 6-4 win at No. 3. Renske Ubachs and Daniela Tijaro bounced back from an early deficit to win 7-5 on the top court and clinch the doubles point for Washburn (10-1, 1-0 MIAA). Peyton Koper and Leo Floeth did the same, winning a tiebreaker 8-6 at No. 2 to complete a doubles sweep over the Bronchos (5-4, 1-1 MIAA).
Central Oklahoma evened the match at one as Leo Floeth fell in two sets on court two, 6-0 and 6-1. Peyton Koper quickly gave the lead back to the Ichabods with a pair of 6-3 victories at No. 5. The match evened up once again as Daniela Tijaro fell 6-4 in the first set and 6-3 in the second at No. 3.
Saajida Razick worked a quick 6-3 win in the first set before falling 6-2 in the second at No.4 . She bounced back for another 6-3 win in the third, setting up match point. Renske Ubachs went into an extra game but came up just short in her first set at No. 1, losing 7-5. The second set also took extra games, before she fell 7-6(0) in a tiebreaker to even the match. Jasel Bailey won 7-5 in her first set at No. 6 and came through with a second-straight clincher, winning 7-6(2) in a tiebreaking second set.
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 157-56 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 FORT HAYS STATE TIGERS
- Fort Hays State improved to 11-3 overall with a 1-1 mark inside the MIAA after defeating William Jewell 5-1 on March 30.
- Last season the Tigers went 6-15 overall and 0-8 in conference play, missing out on the MIAA Tournament.
- This season they are 4-0 playing in Hays, Kan., 7-1 on the road and 0-2 in neutral court matches.
- This season Fort Hays State is 83-39 (68.0%) in singles play with a 58-25 record in duals.
- Irina Alfonso is 15-4 in singles to lead the team in victories, she is 4-0 at No. 1.
- Grace Unruh is 13-5 overall with a 10-3 record in duals playing between No. 4 and No. 6.
- In doubles competition, the Tigers are 45-15 (75.0%) in doubles with a 32-9 record inside duals.
- Irina Alfonso and Suzana Faucz are 17-2 together with a 13-1 record in duals and 11-1 from No. 2.
- Yone Perelro and Ines Latorre are 6-1 together all coming at No. 3.
HEAD COACH BRIAN FLAX
- Is in his 29th season as the head tennis coach at Fort Hays State in 2024-25.
- Flax ranks as the all-time leader in coaching victories at FHSU with 219. Flax is currently the longest tenured head coach at Fort Hays State.
- A graduate of Trego Community High School in WaKeeney, Kan., Flax was a two-time all-state selection in tennis and helped lead the Golden Eagles to a state runner-up finish in 1987.
- After high school he attended Cloud County (Kan.) Community College where he played baseball and tennis. Flax transferred to FHSU where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Physical Education.
HISTORY WITH FORT HAYS STATE
- Washburn leads Fort Hays State 27-9 in the all-time series.
- The Ichabods are 9-4 against the Tigers on the road.
- The series began on October 24, 1974 with a 5-4 win for Fort Hays State in Topeka.
- Washburn has won the last 25 meetings going back to 1997 including a 7-0 sweep last season in Topeka.
MILESTONE MARKERS
- Isabella Martensson is seven singles victories away form reaching 50 in her career.
- Renske Ubachs is eight 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 continue conference play with a ranked battle on the road against Nebraska Kearney at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 5.
- 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.
