Women's tennis hosts Washington State, Minnesota this weekend
1/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Jan. 29, 2014
You'd be hard pressed to find better entertainment in the Garden City this weekend.
Oh, and admission is free.
The Montana Grizzly women's tennis team is set to open its 2014 season against Washington State and Minnesota at the Peak Racquet Club. The Griz host the Cougars at 1 p.m. on Friday and the Golden Gophers at 9 a.m. Sunday.
"The players train really hard to have this kind of experience and exposure in Missoula, and I think it's really special," Head coach Steve Ascher said. "We appreciate people taking the time out of their busy lives to come watch the team. It's gonna be fun."
After impressive fall outings against major tennis programs, the Grizzlies are roaring its way into opening weekend, set to follow up last season's 15-8 record. One of those eight losses came last February in a 0-7 defeat at the claws of the Washington State Cougars.
"They are schools that international students want to go to," Ascher said. "There's a lot of things you're fighting against, but for me, that's one of the fun things about being here in Montana. That's the challenge: being a David vs. Goliath type of story."
Meet Goliath No. 1: Washington State. The Cougars, whose only American born player is senior Emily Funabiki, is in a reloading year after losing four vital seniors to graduation last May. WSU finished 14-12 overall in 2012-13 -- a season in which they played 12 nationally ranked opponents. Ascher says there are many players on the Cougars' roster this year his team isn't overly familiar with, but that's not a bad thing. It's a beautiful thing.
"It's not like Washington State is sending us a bunch of game film," Ascher said. "And that's one of the beauties of our game -- the processing of information on the fly. You're going in with a game plan more about yourself, but you have to be ready to make adjustments as the match plays out."
The Cougars, under the direction of Lisa Hart for the eleventh year, come into Missoula with a 3-1 overall record after splitting matches with Hawai'i and Hawaii Pacific. On Jan. 17, WSU defeated Montana State 7-0 and Idaho 5-0.
Goliath No. 2 comes all the way from the Twin Cities to battle Washington State on Saturday, and then the Griz Sunday morning. Minnesota started its season on Jan. 19 with two wins -- a 6-1 win vs. Eastern Michigan and a 7-0 sweep of Northern Iowa. Last week, the Golden Gophers swept North Dakota and South Dakota State to bring its record to 4-0.
Minnesota's roster boasts three seniors, but the team's most impressive player is only in her second season. Sophomore Jessika Mozia lead her team in singles wins last season with a 22-18 record. Mozia's signature 2013 win came against then No. 14 Nebraska, and she's won every match in straight sets to kick off 2014.
Ascher says there will be a lot of high-caliber talent on display this weekend at the Peak, and his team couldn't be more pumped up for the challenge.
"We take pride in these moments," Ascher said. "We understand how fortunate we are to have these types of experiences and play in these types of matches. We're really ready to engage in the battle."
