TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn Ichabod women's tennis begins the 2026-27 season just down the road at the Kossover Tennis Center at the Washburn Invitational on Friday, Sept. 18 through Saturday. 
 

First Serve

• Washburn women's  tennis begins the 2026-27 season at home at the Washburn Invitational tournament on Sept. 18-19 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 INVITATIONAL

• The tournament consists of the Ichabods, Nebraska Kearney, McKendree, Cowley County CC, Rockhurst and Pratt CC.
• Doubles competition begins the tournament at 9 a.m. on Friday. Singles competition is set to begin at 11:30 a.m. on Friday morning.

Welcome Back - Returners

• Washburn returns six players from the 2025-26 roster. 
• Daniela Tijaro is back with the Ichabods for her junior season after earning All-MIAA second-team honors at both singles and doubles last season. She went 22-11 in singles competition going 14-6 at No. 3. In doubles action she was 25-8 on the year, a team-high in victories, while going 9-3 on court two.
• Saajida Razick is also back for her junior season after being named a first-team All-MIAA selection in doubles a season ago and earning second-team honors in singles. She went 19-6 overall in singles while going 3-0 at No. 3. In doubles action she was 20-8 on the year while going 8-4 on court one.
• Jasel Bailey rounds out the group of juniors, as a sophomore she earned All-MIAA first-team honors in doubles and was an honorable mention selection in singles. Last season she went 23-4 in singles action with a 9-3 record at No. 4. In doubles, she was 21-8 on the year and had an 8-4 record on court one.
• Riko Konno is set to begin her sophomore season after earning All-MIAA honorable mention recognition in singles a season ago. She posted a 24-7 record in singles on the year with a 14-5 mark at No. 2 while going 3-2 against ranked opponents. In doubles she went 18-6 on the year with a 5-1 record on court two.
• Mariana Silva Balsa is back as a sophomore after joining Washburn for the spring and going on to earn All-MIAA second-team honors in doubles. She posted a 8-4 record in singles going 5-3 on the year at No. 6. In doubles action she posted a 14-4 record while going 10-3 at No. 2.
• Peyton Koper is the lone senior on the Ichabod roster. Last season she went 3-4 in singles action, all in tournaments, while going 12-5 in doubles action with a 4-3 record at No. 3.
• Last year the Ichabods went 152-49 (75.6%) in singles action and posted a record of 74-24 (75.5%) in doubles. 

New to Blue 

• Ruriha Miyawaki is the only newcomer to the Ichabod 2026-27 roster. She will begin her collegiate career at Washburn. She comes to Topeka from Japan.

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 216-71 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 up the Ichabods will be back in Topeka for another tournament as the second Washburn Invitational of the season will take place on Oct. 2-3 also at the Kossover Tennis Center.
• 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.