Montana
UC Davis
Griz show improvements in final match of California trip
3/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
The road trip to California may not have finished with the results Montana wanted, but Sunday's 4-3 loss to UC-Davis (8-10) showed that the Grizzlies had learned and improved a lot, even in the span of the three-day swing.
The Grizzlies (5-9/4-1 BSC) started off by dropping the opening two matches to give up the doubles point, but Sasha Carter and Catherine Orfanos earned a 7-5 win after the point had been decided to get their first win of the weekend.
In singles, it looked like the luck might change for the Griz, as its three seniors all earned victories in the top half of the line-up. The youth of Montana showed, however, as UC-Davis defeated Montana's younger bottom half to win the match 4-3.
The match was played outdoors, and coach Steve Ascher said the teams had to deal with record temperatures and gusty conditions.
"It was a good match," Ascher said. "I think it was like 89 degrees and had a good amount of wind, so I loved how the team really worked within the elements to put together a really good match."
Ascher was thrilled that his seniors were able to all play good tennis on their way to victories.
"It was nice to see Laurence get a win, I thought she played excellent," he said. "Obviously Sasha and Precious are both cruising along."
And while some of Montana's younger players weren't able to get wins, Ascher was pleased with the improvements shown since the trip started on Friday.
"I thought both Hannah and Cam put in some really good showings as well," Ascher said. "It was much, much better and much closer. It just shows that they are continuing to learn and try to apply everything they're learning from matches against solid opponents."
The Grizzlies schedule this season has been a gauntlet, intentionally so. The Grizzlies are learning lessons from playing against some of the better teams in the west.
"I think just to have that opportunity," Ascher said. "You could build a schedule where you could get all sorts of wins and try to get confidence that way, and that's a great way to go in terms of scheduling, or you can do what we're trying to do and build as hard of a schedule as you can, and this is probably the hardest schedule we've ever had, and learn through the process instead of just looking for outcomes."
The schedule is difficult, and Montana's record reflects that, but they are making progress as the season heads towards its close.
"I just like the ability to watch them improve and watch them grow," Ascher said. "I feel like today there was a couple more light bulbs that went off, and if we can keep putting those light bulbs and powering them up, then I think we're going in the right direction."
UC Davis 4, Montana 3
03/29/15 at Davis, Calif. (Marya Welch Tennis Center)
Singles Competition
1. Gbadamosi, Precious (UM) def. Jorgensen, Kristy (UCD) 7-6 (10-8), 6-4
2. Carter, Sasha (UM) def. Pham, Tiffany (UCD) 6-3, 6-2
3. Pelchat, Laurence (UM) def. Green, Lani-Rae (UCD) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Sleiffer, Frederique (UCD) def. Sulz, Hannah (UM) 4-6, 6-1, 6-0
5. Lee, Jessie (UCD) def. Kincaid, Cam (UM) 6-2, 7-5
6. Kecki, Kamila (UCD) def. Orfanos, Catherine (UM) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Sanders, Layla/Jorgensen, Kristy (UCD) def. Gbadamosi, Precious/Pelchat, Laurence (UM) 6-2
2. Carter, Sasha/Orfanos, Catherine (UM) def. Pham, Tiffany/Green, Lani-Rae (UCD) 7-5
3. Kecki, Kamila/Sleiffer, Frederique (UCD) def. Sulz, Hannah/Kincaid, Cam (UM) 6-0
Match Notes
Montana 5-9
UC Davis 8-10
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,2,1,5,3,4)
Players Mentioned
