Friday, October 27
Spokane, Wash.
All Day
Montana
at
Bulldog Classic
Griz cap fall season with pair of wins
10/29/2017 7:40:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Montana men's tennis team clinched victory in two different draws at Gonzaga's Bulldog Classic this weekend in Spokane, capping the most successful fall season in program history with a total of six championship wins at four tournaments.
Senior Ignacio Tejerina won five-straight singles matches to win the "B" draw, and sophomore Max Korkh rebounded from a day one loss to win four straight and take the "A" draw consolation championship.
Tejerina and his doubles partner Victor Casadevall also played for a championship in the doubles consolation round, falling just short in the title match against Portland's Sundram/Fisher pair, 6-4.
Five of the six players on Montana's roster have now won a championship during the fall tournament season, highlighted by Casadevall's elite eight appearance in the ITA Mountain Regional tourney; the highest any Grizzly has ever finished.
Grizzly sophomore Ludvig Hallgren was the only Griz to miss out on winning a championship this fall, but interim head coach Jason Brown, and even opposing coaches, describe him as one of the most promising young players in the Big Sky.
"We're all very excited about our progress this season, from top to bottom," said Brown, who concludes his stint as head coach with the end of the season.
"Fall was everything we could have asked for, and the guys want to build on that success. They're all really bought in, and they take the right attitude out on the court every day. I couldn't be more proud."
Tejerina started his road to a bracket championship with a pair of wins over opponents from Gonzaga and Eastern Washington. He advanced to the title match with a come-from-behind win over the defending WCC champion Portland Pilot's Jamie Fisher in the semifinal 2-6, 7-5, 10-5.
He then clinched the title with another come-from-behind win in the championship over Grant Wood from Montana State 6-7, 6-2, 6-2.
"It's something I've been working very hard for these two years here, and I finally got it," said an excited Tejerina, whose parents were able to watch him from his native Spain via web stream.
"I was losing in the semi and the final after the first set, and I had to reset my mind because I knew it wasn't over. I was able to do that and overcome a tough situation. When you're down like that, you just have to find a way to roll with it and keep going."
Korkh rattled off four-straight wins in the consolation "A" bracket to win Montana's second championship of the weekend. He too advanced to the title match with a three-set, come-from-behind win in the semis over Montana State's Rok Sitar, 1-6,6-1, 10-4 before defeating Eastern Washington's Jeremy Field 6-3, 7-6 in the title match.
Casadevall put together a pair of wins over opponents from Boise State and Gonzaga in the opening rounds of the "A" bracket before falling to Mark Kovacs, the No. 1 player from last year's Big Sky Champion Idaho Vandals in the round of eight, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Senior Yannick Schmidl also advanced to the elite eight in the "A" bracket before falling to eventual finalist Sam Feit from Gonzaga 6-4, 6-1.
The Griz now begin their winter hibernation period, feeding off a fall season for the record books, but hungry to return to the conference championship in the spring.
"Despite the success, fall is about figuring out what we want to work on for the spring season. I think each player now knows what they need to do and they're ready to get right back at it," added Brown.
"When you're winning, everything changes. It makes it a lot more fun to get back out on the court and keep working."
The Griz begin the duals championship season on Feb. 10, hosting Lewis-Clark State for a warmup match at the PEAK Racquet Center.
Senior Ignacio Tejerina won five-straight singles matches to win the "B" draw, and sophomore Max Korkh rebounded from a day one loss to win four straight and take the "A" draw consolation championship.
Tejerina and his doubles partner Victor Casadevall also played for a championship in the doubles consolation round, falling just short in the title match against Portland's Sundram/Fisher pair, 6-4.
Five of the six players on Montana's roster have now won a championship during the fall tournament season, highlighted by Casadevall's elite eight appearance in the ITA Mountain Regional tourney; the highest any Grizzly has ever finished.
Grizzly sophomore Ludvig Hallgren was the only Griz to miss out on winning a championship this fall, but interim head coach Jason Brown, and even opposing coaches, describe him as one of the most promising young players in the Big Sky.
"We're all very excited about our progress this season, from top to bottom," said Brown, who concludes his stint as head coach with the end of the season.
"Fall was everything we could have asked for, and the guys want to build on that success. They're all really bought in, and they take the right attitude out on the court every day. I couldn't be more proud."
Tejerina started his road to a bracket championship with a pair of wins over opponents from Gonzaga and Eastern Washington. He advanced to the title match with a come-from-behind win over the defending WCC champion Portland Pilot's Jamie Fisher in the semifinal 2-6, 7-5, 10-5.
He then clinched the title with another come-from-behind win in the championship over Grant Wood from Montana State 6-7, 6-2, 6-2.
"It's something I've been working very hard for these two years here, and I finally got it," said an excited Tejerina, whose parents were able to watch him from his native Spain via web stream.
"I was losing in the semi and the final after the first set, and I had to reset my mind because I knew it wasn't over. I was able to do that and overcome a tough situation. When you're down like that, you just have to find a way to roll with it and keep going."
Korkh rattled off four-straight wins in the consolation "A" bracket to win Montana's second championship of the weekend. He too advanced to the title match with a three-set, come-from-behind win in the semis over Montana State's Rok Sitar, 1-6,6-1, 10-4 before defeating Eastern Washington's Jeremy Field 6-3, 7-6 in the title match.
Casadevall put together a pair of wins over opponents from Boise State and Gonzaga in the opening rounds of the "A" bracket before falling to Mark Kovacs, the No. 1 player from last year's Big Sky Champion Idaho Vandals in the round of eight, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Senior Yannick Schmidl also advanced to the elite eight in the "A" bracket before falling to eventual finalist Sam Feit from Gonzaga 6-4, 6-1.
The Griz now begin their winter hibernation period, feeding off a fall season for the record books, but hungry to return to the conference championship in the spring.
"Despite the success, fall is about figuring out what we want to work on for the spring season. I think each player now knows what they need to do and they're ready to get right back at it," added Brown.
"When you're winning, everything changes. It makes it a lot more fun to get back out on the court and keep working."
The Griz begin the duals championship season on Feb. 10, hosting Lewis-Clark State for a warmup match at the PEAK Racquet Center.
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