Men's Tennis | 4/17/2026 11:56:00 AM

Emporia State Hornet Women (8-8, 2-3 MIAA)
vs. #40 Missouri Western Griffons (14-3, 5-1 MIAA)
Saturday, April 18 | 11:00 a.m. 
Kossover Family Tennis Center | Emporia, Kan.
vs. #42 Northwest Missouri Bearcats (14-3, 5-1 MIAA)
Sunday, April 19 | 10:00 a.m. 
Kossover Family Tennis Center | Emporia, Kan.
Emporia State Hornet Men (8-7, 2-1 MIAA/GAC North)
vs. #50 Northwest Missouri Bearcats (10-7, 2-1 MIAA/GAC North)
Sunday, April 19 | 2:00 p.m. 
Kossover Family Tennis Center | Emporia, Kan.
Live Video: The MIAA Network | Complete Notes in pdf
UP NEXT: Women at Northeastern State
Friday, April 24 | Tahlequah, Okla. | 11:00 a.m. 
Men at Augustana 
Friday, April 24 | Sioux Falls, S.D. | 2:00 p.m.

SENIOR DAY SERIES
The Emporia State tennis teams have their final home matches of the season as the women take on #40 Missouri Western on Saturday and #42 Northwest Missouri on Sunday with the Hornet men playing #50 Northwest after the women. Seniors Sheriden Wichmanill be honored on Saturday and  Anton Sarunic, Duvan Santiago Torres will be recognized on Sunday.

LAST SERVE
Men vs Washburn
Emporia State won a doubles match, one singles match and took two nationally ranked players to a third set before falling 6-1 to #13 Washburn last Saturday at the Kossover Family Tennis Center.
The Washburn duo of Tommy Cecchetti and Pavlos Parson, who are ranked #50, defeated Emporia State's Diego Calvo and Gwendal Mazuay 6-2 at #2 doubles to open the dual.  The Hornets #33 ranked Anton Sarunic and Luke West fell 7-5 to tenth ranked Benjamin Fock and Zino Nahimiak 7-5 at #1 doubles to give Washburn a 1-0 lead.  Emporia State's Mostafa Elbasnaly and Duvan Santiago Torres salvaged the final match with a 7-6 (7-4) win at #3 doubles.
Washburn won the first completed singles match as #66 Yuto Miyagawa defeated Luke West 6-1, 6-0 at the #4 spot.  Anton Sarunic got the Hornets on the board with a 6-4, 6-2 win over #46 Kilian Martinez at #2 singles.  The next two matches went to three sets.  ESU's Diego Calvo fell 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 at #3 before WU clinched the dual with #38 Pavlos Parson's 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Mostafa Elbasnaly.  Duvan Santiago Torres fell 6-2, 6-2 at #5 while Roko Kacer lost 6-3, 6-0 at #6 to wrap up the dual.
Women vs Washburn
Emporia State fell to #18 Washburn 6-1 last Thursday at the Kossover Family Tennis Center. 
The Ichabods won 6-1 and 6-2 at #1 and #2 doubles to secure the first point before Giulia Russu and Erin Cahill fell 7-5 at #3 doubles. 
Washburn won five of six singles matches in straight sets before Carla Paul Piquer picked up a 7-5, 2-6, 1-0 (10-5) at #2 singles for the Hornets.

THE COACHES
John Blackburn is 29-23 in his third season as the head men's coach and Director of Tennis at Emporia State. He spent the previous eight seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division III Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C. He went 117-58 overall with a 54-4 record in conference play, winning three regular season conference championships, two conference tourney championships and made two NCAA Tournament appearances. He was also a head coach at Eastern Illinois, Coker College and Palm Beach Atlantic. 
Former Hornet CyCy Peyroche is 22-30 in her third full season as the permanent coach of the Emporia State women's program. She took over as the interim coach for both teams in December of 2022. She went 6-9 with the men's team and 5-13 in women's action as the interim coach. Peyroche was 23-15 in singles play during her three years as a player for ESU.  

QUICK LOOK AT THE HORNETS
The Hornet men are 8-7, 2-1 in the MIAA with six of the losses to nationally ranked teams. They have played 11 of 15 duals on the road. Mostafa Elbasnaly is 10-5 overall with a 5-4 mark at #1 and a 5-1 record at #2 singles. Anton Sarunic is 5-4 overall and 3-0 at the #2 spot. Diego Calvo is 11-4 against four year opponents this spring and is 7-1 at the #3 spot. Luke West and Anton Sarunic are ranked #31 in the nation this week and are 4-4 at #1 doubles.  West has partnered with Duvan Santiago Torres to go 5-0 in doubles play. Sarunic and Calvo are 3-1 in doubles play with a 2-1 mark at the #1 spot. 
The Emporia State women are 8-8, 2-3 in the MIAA this spring season. They have three returners led by all-MIAA performers Giovanna Ferreira and Yuliya Klimova along with MIAA A-Game Scholar Sheriden Wichman. Ferreira is 5-6 overall and 2-0 at #2 singles and 3-6 at #1 this spring while Wichman is 8-7 overall with a 2-1 mark at #3 and 2-0 at #2. Newcomer Erin Cahill is 10-5 this spring, going 4-0 at #5 singles with wins at #3 and #6 as well. Klimova and Carla Paul Piquer are 4-6 at #1 doubles on the year.

KNOW THE FOES
Missouri Western is 14-3, 5-1 headed into their dual with Fort Hays State on Friday and ranked #40 in the nation. Johanna Priedite is 13-2 in dual action this year with a 9-2 mark at #1 singles. Jevrosima Mitic is 11-4 wth a 6-1 mark at #2 while Cristina Granero Boj is 11-4 on the year and 6-0 at #3 singles.  Mitic and Alejandra Ramirez Botella are ranked #48 nationally with a 9-5 overall record in dual play.
The Northwest Missouri women are 13-3, 5-1 in the MIAA headed into Saturday's dual with Washburn and are #42 in the ITA Collegiate National Rankings. Chiharu Ito is 14-2 in dual play with a 13-2 mark at #3 singles. Laura Prieto Sieiro is 11-4 with a 9-4 mark at #4 while Miru Nonaka is 7-10 at the #1 spot. Ito and Nonaka have gone 10-5 overall with a 5-4 mark at #2 doubles while Majra Djokic and Polina Gontaryk are 12-3 overall with a 7-1 record at #3 doubles.
The Bearcats are 10-7, 2-1 in the MIAA and ranked #50 in the nation on the men's side going into Saturday's dual at Washburn. Pavlo Vysotin is 13-3 in dual play with a 12-3 mark at the #2 spot. Jules Subra is 10-2 with a 5-0 mark at #5 and 5-2 record at #6 singles. Dominik Wijntjes has taken all of the matches at #1 and is 3-12 in duals. Wijntjes and Gage Folz are ranked #40 nationally with a 4-5 record at #1 doubles while Bernardo Henriques and Subra are 8-3 at #2 doubles.

NATIONALLY RANKED WINS
The 6-1 win over then #21 Neb.-Kearney on April 6 was the Hornet men's first win against a nationally ranked team since defeating then #31 Rockhurst 6-1 on March 8, 2025 at the Kossover Complex. It is their highest ranked win since beating then #19 Lubbock Christian 4-3 on March 12, 2024 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
The last win over a nationally ranked foe for the Emporia State women was a 4-3 victory over then #38 Rockhurst on March 8, 2025.
 
EMPORIA STATE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Emporia State women have a 5-5 record in five appearances in the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2007. They made their first appearance in 2005 with a 5-1 win over Colorado Mesa before falling 5-1 to Northwest Missouri in the second round.  The Hornets beat Washburn 5-3 in the first round of 2006 and dropped a 5-4 decision to Northwest Missouri in the second round.  In 2007 they picked up a 5-1 win over Colorado Mesa and a 5-2 win over Neb.-Omaha before falling 5-0 to eventual national champion BYU-Hawaii in the round of 16. ESU completed a five year run of appearances with a 5-3 win over Washburn and a 5-2 loss to Northwest Missouri in 2008.  The most recent NCAA tourney was a 5-0 loss to Augustana in 2014. 
The Hornet men have made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. They lost 5-1 in the first round to Washburn in 2007 and to Northwest Missouri 5-1 in the first round in 2008. 

UP NEXT
Emporia State will head in opposite dorections next Friday as the women travel south to Northeastern State and the men travel north to take on Augustana.  The women will begin play at 11:00 a.m. in Tahliquah, Okla. while the men will get started at 2:00 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D.