Seniors up as fall season continues

After going with a senior-less top five at his team's first three tournaments of the fall, Montana women's golf coach Matt Higgins will use both of his final-year players next week when the Grizzlies compete at the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational in Tacoma, Wash.

Alexa Schendelman will play No. 4, Amanda Kahn No. 5 when Montana plays 36 holes on Monday, 18 on Tuesday at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club.

Schendelman and Kahn both competed as individuals last month when the Grizzlies opened their fall schedule at the Cougar Cup in Pullman, Wash. Neither made the five-player cut when Montana played the Rose City Collegiate or Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate.

"I'm looking for the seniors to step up at this tournament," said Higgins. "They've both been striking the ball really well and have been playing well in practice, so I'm looking for big things from them.

"Even though they're new to the lineup this fall, I expect them to be leaders at this tournament."

Junior Kari Opatz will play No. 1, junior Hailey Hoagland, who has the team's best fall scoring average of 76.1, will play No. 2, and freshman Teigan Avery will play No. 3. Freshman Caitlyn Villatora will also make the trip and compete as an individual.

Montana competed at the same tournament last fall, shooting rounds of 321, 313 and 312 on the 6,086-yard course to tie for 13th out of 16 teams.

"It's a lot like the Missoula Country Club, so we've been preparing out there," said Higgins. "It's a traditional country club, with fast greens and tight fairways with tall trees.

"You have to be able to place your shots. Hitting the fairway is a must to have any chance of getting to the greens."

Among the loaded field of 15 teams will be defending national champion Washington, plus Oregon State and Washington State of the Pac-12, as well as Gonzaga and BYU. Montana will be one of four Big Sky Conference teams competing, along with Eastern Washington, Sacramento State and Weber State.

"Even though we won't play directly with Washington, there are a lot of benefits to playing in the same tournament as the national champions," said Higgins. "You get to observe them, see how they warm up and how they prepare before a round."

After opening the fall with four straight scores of 307 or better, Montana went 312, 315, 321 and 317 in rounds spread across the Rose City Collegiate and Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate before closing their most recent tournament in Palm Desert, Calif., with a 304.

Hoagland shot a 73 on Sunday at The Classic Club, Opatz a 75 and Avery and Villatora 78s.

"On Saturday night I told them they have to believe in themselves and commit to the shots they decide to take," said Higgins. "And then forget about the bad swings.

"Golf is such a mental game. It's truly shot-by-shot, and they were dwelling on their last shots longer than they should have and really got into their heads. On Sunday they did a really good job of staying focused, staying in the present and focusing on the next shot."

The Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational will wrap up a stretch of four tournaments in 23 days for the Grizzlies, who will have just one tournament remaining this fall after returning to Missoula on Tuesday.

Montana will compete at the Little Rock Golf Classic at Hot Springs Village, Ark., Oct. 30 through Nov. 1, then be off until opening its spring schedule at the Battle at the Rock in Riverside, Calif., in mid-February.

"Everyone is ready for a break and some rest next week," said Higgins. "We'll take a few days off next week. It will be good for everyone to get back into the student life."

University of Montana Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Teigan Avery

Hailey Hoagland

Amanda Kahn

Kari Opatz

Alexa Schendelman

Caitlyn Villatora

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