Montana
Eastern Washington
Griz remain undefeated in conference play
4/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 6, 2014
The Montana Grizzlies women's tennis team once again dominated a Big Sky Conference opponent, sweeping Eastern Washington 7-0 on Sunday afternoon at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula.
The win was UM's sixth in as many tries against conference opponents, and marked the third time this spring Steve Ascher's team defeated a Big Sky school 7-0.
"It's a sweet feeling," Haley Driver said of the Griz being 6-0. "Our goal is to win conference, and that's what we need to do. It's really nice to get the win at home and continue the trend and hopefully carry this through into Friday against Sacramento State."
UM started off the day by winning all three doubles flights. Ashley Mackey and Anabel Carbo-Estruch won easily 8-1 over Brittney Ellingsen and Malieva Hedberg. Driver and Precious Gbadamosi then won 8-3 against Moira Hedberg and Erin Blessing.
"Today was really nice," Driver said. "We didn't have a lot of unforced errors and we had some sweet volleys. We just kept it simple and kept it light."
In singles play, Grizzly netters won in straight sets in all six matches. At No. 1 singles, Haley Driver defeated Eastern Washington's Hedberg 6-2, 6-3. Last season, Hedberg, who has played nearly three years consistently in the top spot, defeated Heather Davidson at No. 1.
"I've heard a lot about her from past years," Driver said. "She's always been a tough opponent to play for our team, but I'm really happy with how I competed and stayed the course. I stayed focused and was just positive."
Laurence Pelchat was the first Grizzly to claim a singles win, defeating Katrina Domingo 6-3, 6-1. Minutes later, Gbadamosi won at No. 2 after a dominant 6-0 second set. Driver finished up her victory at No. 1, and then Sasha Carter finished off Erin Blessing 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3.
Ashley Mackey won her 70th career singles match, knocking off Brittany Ellingsen in straight sets at No. 5. The senior says a big reason the team has dominated conference teams is the experience gained from playing ranked opponents like Long Beach State and Utah.
"I think experience is a big part of our success," she said. "We're playing bigger teams and seeing what's at the next level, and we're right there. We played Utah, we didn't win, but all of the matches were close. It might not show on paper, but we know it, so that adds to our confidence on the court."
Montana (11-7, 6-0 BSC) has three remaining conference matches, and will play the undefeated Hornets this Friday at the Peak.
"We're at our home court so the crowd can help us out," Driver said of the Sac. State match. "It's going to be a long, tough match. They're going to hit some big shots and we just have to stay positive and move on to the next point. That will be crucial against Sac. State."
Montana 7, Eastern Washington 0
April 4, 2014 at Missoula, Mont. (Peak Racquet Club)
Singles competition
1. Haley Driver (UM) def. Moira Hedberg (EWU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Precious Gbadamosi (UM) def. Dani Young (EWU) 6-3, 6-0
3. Sasha Carter (UM) def. Erin Blessing (EWU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Laurence Pelchat (UM) def. Katrina Domingo (EWU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Ashley Mackey (UM) def. Brittany Ellingsen (EWU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Maddy Murray (UM) def. Malieva Hedberg (EWU) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Haley Driver/Precious Gbadamosi (UM) def. Moira Hedberg/Erin Blessing (EWU) 8-3
2. Sasha Carter/Laurence Pelchat (UM) def. Dani Young/Katrina Domingo (EWU) 8-2
3. Ashley Mackey/Anabel Carbo-Estruch (UM) def. Brittney Ellingsen/Malieva Hedberg (EWU) 8-1
Match Notes
Montana: 11-7, 6-0 BSC
Eastern Washington: 3-15, 1-6 BSC
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,2,1,3,5,6)
Players Mentioned
