TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn men's tennis opens its fall home schedule on Friday and Saturday at the Washburn Invite in Topeka at the Kossover Tennis Complex.
First Serve
- Washburn men's tennis makes its home debut on Friday, Sept. 12 for day one of the Washburn Invite at the Kossover Tennis Center as part of a two-day tournament.
- The Ichabods are coming off a 2024-25 season that saw a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and and an appearance in the National Championship match.
- Last season Washburn also won a program record 23 matches, going 23-4 and won a third straight MIAA/GAC Tournament Championship.
- Washburn's 2025-26 roster features 10 players with five seniors, two juniors and three freshmen.
- Tournament play on both days will begin with doubles competition followed by singles action.
- All ten players will compete in both the singles and doubles side of the tournament.
- The tournament features players from Seward CC, Pratt CC, Northwest Missouri State, Southwest Baptist, Colorado Mesa, Rockhurst and Missouri Western.
Singles Statistics
Doubles Download
LAST TIME OUT
Valdosta State 4, Washburn 2 (May 24, 2025)
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. -- Three separate rain or lightning delays and nearly six hours after the match began No. 9 Washburn's season came to an end with a 4-2 National Championship loss to No. 1 Valdosta State on Saturday evening. The Ichabods end the historic season for the program with a 23-4 record.
The top-seeded Blazers (26-0) jumped ahead in doubles play at No. 3, defeating Pavlos Parson and Moritz Pieper 6-2 to take the advantage. Playing on the top court Matthew Earle and Tim Hammes fought in a top-five battle with No. 5 Takeshi Taco and Saveam Van Wijk. After the dual was tied 4-4 the final two games went to Valdosta State to take the doubles point. Tommy Cecchetti and Vasek Schneider led 5-4 on court two for Washburn over No. 8 Edgar Destouet and Arthur Bord and were leading 30-15 in the game when the point was decided.
In singles play the first court featured a top-five battle between No. 4 Tim Hammes and No. 2 Takeshi Taco. Hammes fell in the first set 6-1 before bouncing back to reverse the score in the second and force a third set. In the third he fell behind early and was unable to make up the ground, losing 6-1. Finishing just behind him was Zino Nahirniak on court five who put the Ichabods on the board with a pair of 6-3 victories.
Court two also had a meeting of top-10 opponents with No. 8 Vasek Schneider taking on No. 3 Boruch Skierkier. Schneider fell behind 4-0 early in the first set but was able to battle back, winning six straight games for a 6-4 win in the first set. The second set went back-and-forth with ties at 2-2, 3-3- and 4-4 before Schneider claimed two straight games to win 6-4 and tie the match at two.
Pavlos Parson dropped a first set at No. 3, 6-2. In the second set he bounced back with an early lead to win 6-3 and force a third set. In the third No. 20 Edgar Destouet went in front 4-1 over Parson before winning 6-2. Playing at No. 6, Matthew Earle built an early lead and was able to work a 6-4 victory in his first set of play. In the second set the score went in the other direction 6-3. He fell behind early in the third set, and trailed 5-2 when the final delay of the match for lightning was called, lasting over two hours. After play resumed the final game went to Valdosta State as they clinched the set 6-2 and the match 4-2.
After falling in his first set at No. 4, 6-4, Tommy Cecchetti battled back for a 6-3 win in the second set and was tied 1-1 in the third when the point and match were decided.
Head Coach Kirby Ronning
- Ronning is in year six 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 176-60 combined record with Washburn.
- Has been named the ITA Central Region Coach of the Year four times and the MIAA Coach of the Year twice.
- 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
- Kurt Reid enters year seven as a volunteer assistant coach for the Ichabods. 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.
- Graduate assistant Santiago Renton is entering his 2nd season as part of the Washburn coaching staff.
- He moved 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.
- Vasek Schneider joins the Washburn coaching staff as a graduate assistant for 2025-26 after finishing his playing career with the Ichabods in 2024-25.
- Schneider was an All-American in singles and set a program record with 32 singles victories in his lone season in Topeka going 32-7 overall.
FALLING FORWARD
- Next up is the ITA Central Region Tournament with the Ichabods remaining at the Kossover Tennis Center. The tournament begins Sept. 26 and runs through Sept. 28.
- The fall season will come to a close back at home for the Washburn Invitational beginning Oct. 24 and running through Oct. 25 at the Kossover Tennis Center.
