TOPEKA, Kan. -- Spring season action begins for Washburn women's tennis at a new time as they now host McKendree on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 12:30 p.m. inside the Genesis Tennis Center. 

FIRST SERVE

• No. 13 Washburn Ichabod women's tennis opens the spring season facing McKendree.
• The Ichabods will host the Bearcats at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31 inside the Genesis Tennis Center in Topeka, Kan.
• Saturday's match is the first dual match of the season for Washburn.
• McKendree enters the match with a 2-0 record after the fall season. They will also begin the spring schedule on Saturday.

BODS AND BITS 

• Washburn's 2025-26 roster features six returners from a season ago with three new incoming freshmen to round out the roster.  
• The Ichabods are ranked No. 13 in the first ITA rankings of the season. 
• Washburn was picked to finish first in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. 
• The Ichabods are is coming off a 17-4 season where they went 8-1 in the MIAA to win a share of the MIAA Regular Season Championship. They qualified for the NCAA Tournament for a 21st time in program history.
• Last season Washburn went 6-2 at home in Topeka, 9-1 in road matches and 2-1 in neutral court battles. 
• Last season the Ichabods went 4-4 against ITA ranked opponents. They are set to face four opponents ranked in the ITA preseason top-25 in the spring. 

AROUND THE RANKINGS

• Washburn has three players ranked in the ITA singles rankings. 
• Renske Ubachs leads the team with a No. 14 ranking, Riko Konno is ranked No. 40 and Daniela Tijaro was slotted at No. 48.
• On the doubles side Renske Ubachs and Daniela Tijaro are ranked No. 4 in the nation. 

SINGLES SETUP

• So far on the season Washburn has gone 56-14 (80.0%) in singles matches.
• After winning the ITA Central Region Championship, Renske Ubachs leads the team with a 12-2 singles record. 
• Riko Konno has gone 9-1 on the year to begin her freshman season. 
• Saajida Razick is off to a 7-1 start in singles competition. 
• Maddie Shelley has began the season 5-0. 
• Jasel Bailey picked up where she left off to begin the season 6-1.
• Charlotte Bair is 7-2 on the year in singles play through three tournaments. 
• Daniela Tijaro has compiled a 7-3 record in singles play to begin the year.
• Peyton Koper is 3-4 on the singles side to open the season.

DOUBLES DOWNLOAD

• The Ichabods have gone 24-5 (82.8%) on the year in doubles matches this season. 
• Renske Ubachs and Daniela Tijaro have the most victories of any doubles duo on the team going 8-2 to begin the season. 
• Saajida Razick and Riko Konno have teamed up to go 6-1 together. 
• Jasel Bailey and Peyton Koper are 5-1 together on the year. 
• Bailey and Charlotte Bair are 2-0 when playing together, as are Koper and Maddie Shelley. 
• Charlotte Bair and Maddie Shelley have posted a 1-1 record as a duo. 

Last Time Out

Nebraska Kearney 4, Washburn 2 (May 13, 2025)

TOPEKA, Kan. -- The 2024-25 season came to a close for No. 14 Washburn women's tennis on Tuesday afternoon with a 4-2 NCAA Central Regional Finals loss to No. 22 Nebraska Kearney. The Ichabods end the season 17-4 after winning a share of the MIAA Regular Season Championship.  

Doubles play led off on the top court with Renske Ubachs and Daniela Tijaro working a 6-3 ranked win over No. 17 Ranya Midzi and Narindra Ranaivo. Saajida Razick and Isabella Martensson jumped out to an early lead and didn't look back at No. 2, winning 6-2 to secure the first point of the match for the Ichabods (17-4). Leo Floeth and Maddie Shelley had tied things up 4-4 at No. 3 when the point was decided.  

Singles points came stacked close together beginning with the Lopers (20-5) getting on the board as Maddie Shelley fell in two sets at No. 6, 6-3, 6-4 on court six. Saajida Razick battled through a first set tiebreaker, coming away with a 7-6(5) win at No. 5. She carried the momentum into a 5-0 lead in the second set before winning 6-1. Jasel Bailey came up short in the first set, 6-2, but battled in the second to tie it at 4-4 on court four. The next two games went to Nebraska Kearney to tie the match.  

 For the first time all match the Lopers went in front with Leo Floeth falling 7-5 in the second set after a 6-3 loss in the first at No. 3. Shortly after, No. 35 Narindra Ranaivo defeated Daniela Tijaro in two sets, 6-3 and 6-2 on court two, clinching the match. Renske Ubachs had just began a third-set with No. 13 Fabiana Gamboa after splitting the first two sets, 4-6 and 6-3 at No. 1.  

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. 
• Maja Jung also is entering year two on the coaching staff as a graduate assistant for the women's program. 
• Jung was an All-American in both singles and doubles and is 2nd in program history in career victories. 

OPPONENT QUICK SCOUT 

ABOUT THE MCKENDREE BEARCATS

• McKendree is 2-0 on the year after playing a pair of matches in the fall. 
• Last season they went 7-16 overall and 4-1 inside the GLVC. They fell in the quarterfinal round of the GLVC Tournament. 
• This year they are 1-0 on the year at home in O'Fallon, Il., 1-0 on the road and have not played a neutral court match. 

BEARCAT COACHING STAFF

• Chance Joost is in his second season as the head coach at McKendree for the men's and women's tennis programs. 
• Joost spent the previous five seasons as the head coach at William Woods University. 
• He is a Tecumseh, Kan. native and graduate from Washburn in 2015 after playing three seasons for the Ichabods. From 2014-16 he was an assistant coach with the Ichabods to begin his coaching career. 
• Graduate assistant Jacob Williams rounds out the coaching staff.

HISTORY WITH MCKENDREE

• Washburn leads the all-time series over McKendree 5-0.
• The Ichabods are 1-0 against the Bearcats in Topeka. 
• The series began on Feb. 6, 2016 with a 8-1 win for Washburn in Springfield, Mo.
• Last season the Ichabods defeated McKendree 7-0 on the road on Feb. 2, 2025.

MILESTONE MARKERS

• Maddie Shelley is one doubles victory away from reaching 40 career doubles wins. 
• Peyton Koper needs three more wins in doubles to reach 40 in her career.
• Jasel Bailey is one singles victory away from reaching 30 career singles victories. 

SCHEDULE SPRING FORWARD

• Washburn continues a busy weekend on Sunday facing Cowley County CC at 1 p.m. on Sunday in an exhibition match. 
• MIAA play for the Ichabods begins with a March 27 match against Newman in Wichita. 
• Senior day for Washburn takes plan on April 18 with a 2:30 p.m. match against Northwest Missouri. 
• The MIAA Championship Tournament takes place in Springfield, Mo. at the Cooper Tennis Complex from May 1-3.