Men's Tennis | 4/8/2026 2:09:00 PM

Emporia State Hornet Women (8-7, 2-2 MIAA)
 vs. #18 Washburn Ichabods (11-3, 2-1 MIAA)
Thursday, April 9 | 11:00 a.m. 
Kossover Family Tennis Center | Emporia, Kan.
Emporia State Hornet Men (8-6, 2-0 MIAA/GAC North)
 vs. #13 Washburn Ichabods (12-5, 3-0 MIAA/GAC North)
Friday, April 10 | 2:00 p.m. 
Kossover Family Tennis Center | Emporia, Kan.
Video: The MIAA Network
Complete Notes in pdf
UP NEXT: Women vs. #34 Northwest Missouri
Friday, April 17 | Emporia, Kan. 
Men vs. #47 Northwest Missouri 
Friday, April 17 | Emporia, Kan.

TURNPIKE TUSSLE TIME
The Emporia State tennis teams play host to nationally ranked Washburn this week with the women playing on Thursday and the men on Friday.

LAST SERVE
Emporia State split with Neb.-Kearney on Monday at the Kossover Family Tennis Complex.
ESU Men 6, #21 UNK 1
After dropping the doubles point Emporia State came back to sweep singles to clinch their first win over a nationally ranked team this year.
In a battle of top 30 doubles teams, the Lopers #19 duo of Ivan Melnik and Andy Brisbon defeated #27 Anton Sarunic and Luke West 3-0 at #1 doubles.  UNK then took the doubles point with a 6-3 win at #2 and completed the sweep with a 7-5 win at #3.
West got things started for the Hornets with a 6-2, 6-4 win at #4 singles to even the dual at 1-1.  Mostafa Elbasnaly gave Emporia State the lead with a 6-4, 6-3 win over the 75th ranked Brisdon. Diego Calvo dropped his first set at #3 but came back to post a 3-6, 7-6(7-2), 6-1 win to give the Hornets a 3-1 lead.  Sarunic  clinched the dual win for Emporia State with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win over #58 Melnik. Emporia State closed out the dual with a pair of super tiebreaker wins.  Duvan Santiago Torres won 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-8) at #6 before Rolo Kacer finished the day with a come from behind 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 1-0 (10-2) win at #5 singles.
UNK Women 5, ESU 2
The Hornets started the dual with a 6-0 win by Sheriden Wichman and Yuliya Klimova at #2 doubles before the Lopers picked up the equalizer with a 6-3 win at #1. Erin Cahill and Giulia Russu led 4-3 at #3 but Valentina Zamora and Julia Wartecka came back to win 7-5 to give Neb.-Kearney a 1-0 lead.
Cahill evened the dual at 1-1 with a 6-4, 6-0 win at #6 for Emporia State but UNK would pick up wins at 5, 4, and 2 to clinch the dual. Giovanna Ferreira went to a third set at #1 before falling 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 and Carla Paul Piquer ended singles with a 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 1-0 (10-7) win at #3 singles for the Hornets.
   
THE COACHES
John Blackburn is 29-22 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 22-29 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 8-6, 2-0 in the MIAA with five of the losses to nationally ranked teams. They have played 11 of 14 duals on the road. Mostafa Elbasnaly is 10-4 overall with a 5-3 mark at #1 and a 5-1record at #2 singles  Diego Calvo is 11-3 against four year opponents this spring and is 7-0 at the #3 spot. Roko Kacer is 9-3 in singles play at with a 5-1 mark at #5. Luke West and Anton Sarunic are ranked #33 in the nation this week and are 4-3 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 8-7, 2-2 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 5-5 overall and 2-0 at #2 singles this spring while Wichman is 8-6 overall with a 2-1 mark at #3. Newcomer Erin Cahill is 10-4 this spring, going 4-0 at #5 singles with wins at #3 and #6 as well. Giulia Russu is 7-5 in doubles play while Cahill is 4-2 this spring. Combined they are 2-2 at #3 doubles.

KNOW THE FOES
The Washburn women are 11-3, 2-1 in the MIAA and are #18 in the ITA Collegiate National Rankings. Renske Ubachs is ranked #23 in the nation with an 8-3 mark in dual play all at the #1 spot. Riko Konno is ranked #55 nationally with a 9-4 mark overall and 8-3 record at #2 singles. Ubachs and Daniela Tijaro have gone 3-2 at #1 doubles and are ranked #10 in the nation. 
The Ichabods are 12-5, 3-0 in the MIAA and ranked #13 in the nation on the men's side. Tommaso Cecchetti is ranked #33 in the nation with a 9-7 mark in dual play and 6-5 at #2 singles. Pavlos Parson is ranked #38 nationally despite a 6-9 overall record while going 5-8 at the #1 spot. Killan Martinez is ranked #46 with an 11-1 record, 10-1 at #2 singles. Yuto Miyagawa is the final nationally ranked Ichabod in singles with a #66 national mark while going 10-4 overall, 8-3 at the #5 and #6 spots. Zinovii Nahirniak and Benjamin Fock are 5-2 at #1 doubles and ranked #10 in the nation. Ceccheti and Parson are 5-2 at #2 doubles and ranked #50 nationally.

NATIONALLY RANKED WINS
The 6-1 win over then #21 Neb.-Kearney on Monday 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 play host to nationally ranked squads from Northwest Missouri at the Kossover Family Tennis Center on Friday, April 17. The women will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the men scheduled to start one hour after the conclusion of the women's dual.