The Washburn women’s tennis team goes head to head against William Jewell College at home at 1 p.m. March 19.

Kirby Ronning, a head Men’s and Women’s Tennis coach, talked about what he was expecting about this match.

“It’s been about a week since our team has competed. So I think our kids are excited to get back into match situations and when Jules had a tough team the last couple years, so our players are ready for a competitive match,” Ronning said.

Lara Schmid, a senior majoring in mathematics, talks about her tennis life.

“I actually transferred here. So, I was in Texas the first year, but then because of COVID, my team got cut. And then I came here,” Schmid said.

Schmid says Washburn University is different from her previous school.

“It’s very different, but definitely the tennis team here is better …Teammates are already pretty much my second family,” Schmid said.

She has also had struggles with injuries, but Washburn has been “very helpful” with her return to play.

Schmid has had five surgeries and wasn’t able to play last year, and this year is the second year she has played college tennis. She didn’t play this match, but she talked about what she was excited about.

“[This match is] playing our first outdoor home match. This match is always an indicator that the more ‘important’ conference matches are beginning where we can hopefully achieve some great things,” Schmid said.

Schmid has a clear goal for her team.

“We are really focused on being the best team for each other that we can be. Making sure that when we are out there we are playing for each other and Washburn. Obviously we have high aspirations for this year like going to nationals and winning a conference. However, we know a lot of things are out of our control so we are really focusing on making sure we are the best teammates we can be and working hard for each other,” Schmid said.

Martine Carroll, a freshman business major, was looking forward to the competition.

“It should be pretty comfortable. We’re pretty confident and we’re doing pretty well so far, [so it] should be a good match,” Carroll said.

Although this was not the match that goes toward their ranking, she still took it seriously.

“Every match is pretty important,” Carroll said.

She won her doubles 6-1. Her strokes were pretty consistent as well as her attack at the net. After she won the first set of her singles 6-2, she was still calm and her serves became more steady as the match continued. Caroll won the second set 6-3.

Coach Ronning talked about the team’s goal.

“Our team’s goal this whole year is just to get better every week that we’ve been in season and our team has progressed really well through the first half of the season and now the conference and regional matches are starting. I feel really good about where our teams are for the rest of the year,” Ronning said.

Washburn women’s tennis team is now sixth place by ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) for the second division, and the end of this season for women’s tennis is April 27th. The Ichabod tennis team led by Schmid, Carroll, and Ronning will keep giving Washburn hope with their passion and teamwork.

Edited by Jeremy Ford and Stuti Khadka