Grizzlies back on the road

It doesn't matter what sport you are involved in, playing on the road is never easy. For the Montana women's tennis team (3-6, 2-1 BSC), it will play not one or two, but five matches on the road in a matter of eight days.

All five of Montana's opponents, Northern Arizona, Arizona State, Richmond, Old Dominion and William & Mary, have winning records.

Preparing for any match is always difficult, but preparing for a match on the road is notably more difficult. "The hardest part of playing on the road is the travel and adjusting to a new environment," freshman Lidia Dukic said.

The Grizzlies will begin playing an hour back against the Lumberjacks and Sun Devils in Arizona before they head to Virginia, which is two hours ahead. Dukic believes she and the team are ready for the challenge.

"I think the team has improved most on the mental piece before road matches," she said. "This is the belief system that we can beat any school with the talented group we have."

The Grizzlies are coming off two hard defeats against UNLV and Southern Utah, but they show no sign of letting previous setbacks dictate their season.

"The team's morale has been focused on learning about each other and bringing our success together," Dukic said. "Each one of us contributes to making this experience exciting and positive."

Montana will play Northern Arizona (10-6, 4-1 BSC) at 2 p.m. (MT) in Flagstaff on Saturday.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lidia Dukic

University of Montana Athletics