The No. 40-ranked Emporia State men lost to No. 7 Washburn last Wednesday in Topeka as the Ichabods won three singles matches in three sets.
Washburn took a 1-0 lead early on by winning all three doubles matches before heading into singles. Freshmen Roko Kacer and Alex Mattenberger fell to Washburn in their singles matches, leading the Ichabods to take a 3-0 lead. Junior Duvan Santiago Torres brought the Hornets up 3-1 with his own win for ESU at No. 6. Senior Hachem Fahem fell at No. 5 singles.
The last two singles matches both went to three sets. Hornet sophomore Mostafa Elbasnaly was defeated 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 at the No. 2 spot. Senior Anton Sarunic, who ranks No. 19 in the NCAA as of April 17, fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to now No. 5-ranked Ichabod Tim Hammes.
The Hornets went on to play against Augustana on April 13 and claimed a 6-1 victory. They will take the courts again on Friday, April 18 at Northwest Missouri State for their final MIAA conference dual. First serve is set for 1 p.m.
Following the men’s loss on Wednesday, the Hornet women fell 5-2 to Washburn after a doubles tiebreaker and four third-set singles matches.
Sophomore Giovanna Ferreira and freshman Yuliya Klimova suffered a 6-1 defeat against Washburn at No. 1 doubles giving the Ichabods an early advantage for the doubles point. However, sophomores Perla Conde and Lilie Bizourene broke even with a 6-4 win at No. 2.
Seniors Paige Stranghoner and Anrea Santiago played to a tiebreaker at No. 3 doubles where Washburn ultimately earned the doubles point 7-6, (7-5), giving them a 1-0 lead as lead singles matches commenced. Washburn added another win at No. 5 singles against freshman Sheridan Wichman to bring the score up 2-0.
Bizouerne’s win for the Hornets at No. 4 singles put the Hornets on the board. Bizouerne fell behind in the first set 0-6, but railed ahead in the second and third. Conde fell in No. 3 singles 6-3, 6-4 before the final three matches also ventured into a third set.
Ferreira and Stranghoner both took losses to the Ichabods at No. 1 and No. 6 respectively to make the score 5-1. Klimova won at No. 2 to bring the final score within 5-2, but the game ultimately ended with a loss for the Hornets.