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By KYLE MANTHE

Special to TopSports.news

No. 29 Washburn women's tennis (10-5, 4-1) secured a Senior Day sweep Thursday afternoon, taking down conference rival Emporia State (3-9, 1-3) 7-0. The Ichabods get a week off before heading to Edmond to take on No. 28 Central Oklahoma next Friday.

Sonia Smagina won a pair of Senior Day matches against Emporia State on Thursday as Washburn swept the Hornets, 7-0. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]  

Casie Curry was honored on Senior Day and then helped Washburn's women to a 7-0 sweep over Emporia State on Thursday. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Senior Day for Washburn began with recognizing Sonia Smagina and Casie Curry who each joined the team as graduate transfers for the 2022-23 season.  

Once the action on the court began it started in the Ichabods favor and did not sway, first with a 6-1 win at No. 1 singles for the No. 18 ranked partnership of Smagina and Maja Jung. Curry and Marta Torres secured the doubles point for Washburn, winning 6-2 at No. 3. Isabella Martensson and Issabella Pensavalle secured the double sweep with a 6-3 No. 2 victory. 

Only two matches in singles play went into a third set. At No. 3 Torres' was not one of them as she began singles action with a 6-1, 6-2 win. No. 24-ranked Jung followed with a 6-2, 6-3 victory on court two. Smagina, ranked No. 2 nationally, won a 6-4, 6-1 match at No. 1 to clinch the match for Washburn.  

In the second round of singles Martensson claimed a two-set victory from No. 4 by scores of 6-4, 6-2. Pensavalle won her first set swiftly, 6-1, but fell in the second 6-3. In the third set super tiebreaker she rallied to win 10-4. Curry won her opening set 6-4 but fell in the second by the same score. In her super tiebreaker she also came away with a 10-4 win to complete the sweep on senior day.

Washburn wins its second straight conference match in as many days, moving to 4-1 in the MIAA and 4-1 at home as well. The Ichabods match against Southeastern Oklahoma State scheduled for Sunday April 2 was cancelled, leaving Washburn with over a week off before taking on the Bronchos.

Ichabod men roll past Hornets

No. 32 Washburn men's tennis (10-5, 2-1) bounced back from a close conference loss last time out with a 7-0 win over Emporia State (5-6, 1-1) on Thursday afternoon. The Ichabods head down to Oklahoma next week to face Southeastern Oklahoma State on Sunday at 2 p.m.  

Tim Hammes helped Washburn post a 7-0 sweep over Emporia State on Thursday with singles and doubles victories. {Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Manhattan product Daniel Harkin helped Washburn post a 7-0 win over Emporia State, winning his No. 6 singles match. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Washburn started the match with a sweep of doubles play. No. 12 Tim Hammes and Santiago Rendon kicked off the action with a 6-2 win from No. 2. Sebastian Pjontek and Miquel Perez, ranked No. 18, secured the doubles point for Washburn winning 6-2 at No. 1. Yoshinobu Nakatsuji and Daniel Bird completed the sweep with a 6-4 win on court three.  

Bird continued his winning ways with a swift 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 3 to kick off singles play. No. 34 Hammes followed with a pair of 6-4 set wins at No. 1. Pjontek, ranked No. 47 nationally, won his opening set 6-3 but dropped the next set 6-3. He responded with a strong 6-2 victory in the third set to clinch the match for the Ichabods.  

In the second wave of singles Rendon finished quickly, winning in two sets at No. 4 both by a 6-1 score. Perez followed at No. 5 with another two-set victory 6-4, 6-2. Daniel Harkin closed out the sweep winning 6-1, 6-2 from No. 6 to make it a 7-0 match.  

The Ichabods move to 5-1 at home with the win and 2-1 in MIAA/GAC North Division play with one more match to go in conference play.