Montana
Weber State
Montana sweeps past Weber State 7-0
4/6/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 6, 2013
The Montana women's tennis team won its third straight match and improved to 6-1 in the Big Sky Conference with a 7-0 sweep of Weber State Saturday morning at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula.
It was the Grizzlies' first home match of the spring duals season after opening with 17 matches away from Missoula.
The win kept Montana (11-7, 6-1 BSC) in a second-place tie with Northern Arizona (14-8, 6-1 BSC), which won 6-1 at Montana State Saturday. The Grizzlies host the Lumberjacks, who have won eight straight matches, Sunday morning at the Peak Racquet Club.
The Grizzlies swept the Wildcats (5-13, 1-4 BSC), but it did not come without its challenges. Laurence Pelchat faced a 5-4 deficit in the second set at No. 2 before pulling out a two-set win, Haley Driver was forced to a third set at No. 3 singles, and Sasha Carter won her second set at No. 4 in a tiebreaker.
"You want some close matches. That's why we play. It's not strictly for the result," UM coach Steve Ascher said. "You want to win, but you want to get in some quality matches.
"I thought Weber competed really well today and made some sets difficult, but our players continue to show discipline. It shows the resolve we have as a team to pull out those tiebreakers and three-setters."
Sasha Carter and Maddy Murray made quick work of their Wildcat opponents at No. 2 doubles with an 8-3 win, and Driver and Precious Gbadamosi won 8-2 at No. 3 moments later to clinch the doubles point for Montana, the 14th time in 18 dual matches the Grizzlies have claimed the doubles point.
With their win, Driver and Gbadamosi improved to 12-0 together since Ascher paired them up in late February. Eight of those dozen wins have been by scores of 8-4 or better.
"The chemistry Haley and I have together on the court is awesome. We just work really well together," Gbadamosi said. "Before these last 12 matches, we had never played together at all. Steve put us out there, and we just clicked. It's really been working."
Pelchat and Heather Davidson won 8-5 at No. 1 to give the Grizzlies their sixth doubles sweep of the season.
Doubles action Sunday when Montana faces Northern Arizona is certain to be tighter and likely to be one of the keys to the match's outcome.
Not only are both teams used to jumping out to a 1-0 lead with the doubles point -- the Lumberjacks have gone up 1-0 in their last 23 matches -- but the teams have a recent history of playing the type of tight 4-3 matches where the doubles point can swing the decision.
Montana still led just 1-0 Saturday when Pelchat, who won her opening set at No. 2 6-2, fell behind Ashley Tanner 5-4 in the second.
With the Wildcats on the verge of evening the score, Pelchat rallied to win the final three games, and victories at Nos. 4 and 1 followed soon after to clinch the victory for the Grizzlies.
"I was maybe thinking about the end of my match too much," Pelchat said about her lead slipping away. "I was playing super far away, and my balls were landing way too short, and (Tanner) kept attacking me.
"Steve told me to keep it deep and keep it heavy, and that made it easier for me to get a short ball that I could finish off for a point."
After Carter won 6-1 in her opening set at No. 4, she was forced to a tiebreaker in the second by Weber's Thais Kurer. Carter quickly made it 3-0 with a 7-1 win in the tiebreaker.
Davidson clinched the match when she defeated WSU's Kristi Elmer 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1.
Driver, at No. 3, was the only player forced to three sets in her match against Nittaya Phonharath. Driver won 6-4 in the first set, lost 6-4 in the second, then won a 10-3 super-tiebreaker in the third.
In the second session of singles matches at the five-court facility, Gbadamosi won for the 12th straight time to improve to a team-best 14-3 with a 6-4, 6-2 victory, and Ashley Mackey won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6 to finish off the sweep.
Sunday's match against Northern Arizona begins at 9 a.m. at the Peak Racquet Club.
Montana 7, Weber State 0
Apr 6, 2013 at Missoula, Mont. (Peak Racquet Club)
Singles Results
1. Heather Davidson (UM) def. Kristi Elmer (WSU), 6-2, 6-3
2. Laurence Pelchat (UM) def. Ashley Tanner (WSU), 6-2, 7-5
3. Haley Driver (UM) def. Nittaya Phonharath (WSU), 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-3)
4. Sasha Carter (UM) def. Thais Kurer (WSU), 6-1, 7-6 (1)
5. Precious Gbadamosi (UM) def. Michelle Warwick (WSU), 6-4, 6-2
6. Ashley Mackey (UM) def. Annika Karlsen (WSU), 6-2, 6-1
Doubles Results
1. Heather Davidson/Laurence Pelchat (UM) def. Kristi Elmer/Thais Kurer (WSU), 8-5
2. Sasha Carter/Maddy Murray (UM) def. Ashley Tanner/Michelle Warwick (WSU), 8-3
3. Haley Driver/Precious Gbadamosi (UM) def. Carly Lloyd/Nittaya Phonharath (WSU), 8-2
Match Notes:
Weber State: 5-13, 1-4 BSC
Montana: 11-7, 6-1 BSC
Order of Finish:
Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,4,1,3,5,6)
Players Mentioned
