TOPEKA, Kan. -- Ichabod women's tennis is set for the final home tournament of the fall with the Washburn Invite kicking off Friday, Oct. 2 and running through Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Kossover Tennis Center.
 

First Serve

• Washburn women's  tennis stays at home for the final fall tournament in the capitol city with the Washburn Invite. 
• The second tournament of the fall will begin Friday, Oct. 2 and run through Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Kossover Tennis Center.
• The Ichabods are coming off a 20-5 season overall in 2025-26 while going 8-1 inside the MIAA, sharing a part of the MIAA Regular Season Championship. They advanced to the NCAA National Round of 16.
• Washburn's 2026-27 roster features seven players with one senior, three juniors, a pair of sophomores and a freshman.
• Six of seven players on the roster will compete, Peyton Koper will not compete in the tournament.

ABOUT THE WASHBURN INVITE

• The tournament field is made up of Washburn, Southwest Baptist, Northwest Missouri, Emporia State, Colorado Mesa, Missouri State, Central Oklahoma and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
• Doubles competition begins the tournament at 9 a.m. on Friday. Singles competition will begin the tournament on Saturday.

SINGLES SITUATION

• Washburn is 12-2 (85.7%) on the year in singles action after one tournament.
• Both Jasel Bailey and Daniela Tijaro have posted 3-0 records to begin the season on the singles side.
• Saajida Razick is 2-0 on the year in singles play through one weekend of action.
• Riko Konno and Ruriha Miyawaki are both 2-1 to begin the season in singles action.

DOUBLES DOWNLOAD

• Through one weekend the Ichabods have posted a 6-3 (66.7%) doubles record. 
• Jasel Bailey and Saajida Razick picked up where they left off last season and are 2-1 together.
• Daniela Tijaro and Ruriha Miyawaki also have started the season with a 2-1 mark in doubles action.
• Riko Konno and Mariana Silva Balsa posted a 2-1 record in the opening weekend of play.

LAST TIME OUT 

WASHBURN INVITATIONAL - SEPTEMBER 19, 2026

TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn women's tennis squad wrapped up the Washburn Invitational all day Saturday to finish out the opening weekend of the new season. They will have a week off before being back at home for the Washburn Invite on Oct. 2-3.  

Singles action began the day with Daniela Tijaro finishing her run through the Blue Flight winning a two-set championship round dual. Ruriha Miyawaki took her match to three sets in the Green Flight but fell just short in the tiebreaker. Jasel Bailey claimed a two-set victory in an extra match dual to round out singles action. 

In the Blue Flight of doubles competition Saajida Razick and Jasel Bailey won 6-2 in the semifinal round but came up just short, falling 4-6 in the championship match for the flight. Riko Konno and Mariana Silva Balsa claimed a 7-5 semifinal round victory in the Red Flight before falling 6-3 in the championship round dual, wrapping up flight play for the tournament. 

Head Coach Kirby Ronning

• Ronning is in year seven 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 217-71 combined record with Washburn.
• Has been named the ITA Central Region Coach of the Year six times, MIAA Coach of the Year four times and was the ITA/Dunlop Women's Coach of the Year once in 2026. 
• 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 eight 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. 
• Assistant coach Santiago Rendon begins year three as a coach with the Ichabods and his first as a full-time assistant after being elevated from a graduate assistant before the 2026-27 season.
• He moved from playing to the sidelines after wrapping up a three season career with the Ichabods headlined by an ITA Cup Doubles National Championship in fall of 2023. 

FALLING FORWARD

• Next time out Washburn will be on the road heading to the Midwestern State Invitational in Wichita Falls, Tex. beginning Oct. 9.
• The ITA Central Region Championships will begin the final leg of the fall season. They will be hosted in Edmond, Okla. at Edmond Center Court from Oct. 23-26.