Bods win; Blues fall in championship

Nicole Stejskal

With perfect conference records in the regular season, the Ichabod and Lady Blues tennis teams competed as the top seeds in the MIAA tournament this weekend.

The men’s team faced Truman State in the tournament’s semifinal round and went 3-0 in singles play and 2-1 in doubles for a 5-1 win over the Bulldogs.

In the championship match, Washburn took on conference rival Southwest Baptist. After a 3-3 tie in singles matches, the Ichabods pulled off a 2-1 win in doubles play, taking the MIAA championship title. The victory gave the team its third title in the last four years.

The women’s team opened tournament play with a match against Missouri Southern. The Lady Blues swept the Lions 5-0, finishing 3-0 in doubles and 2-0 in singles.

The team continued with a match versus Nebraska-Omaha in the semifinal round. After finishing 1-2 in doubles matches, Washburn pulled off a 4-2 record in singles play to secure the 5-4 victory.

For the title match, the Lady Blues faced the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State. The team went 1-2 in doubles and 2-3 in singles, falling to the Bearcats 5-3 and suffering its first conference loss of the season.

The Ichabods and Lady Blues will begin regional competition on May 6. The teams will face universities from Oklahoma and Texas as part of their new regional competition.