Fighting Hawks top Grizzlies 5-2

Friday, February 17

Grand Forks, N.D.

Noon (MT)

Montana

North Dakota

2/17/2017 4:03:00 PM | Women's Tennis

By: Montana Sports Information

North Dakota won the doubles point and controlled the bottom two-thirds of the singles matches to improve to 3-1 in Big Sky Conference play with a 5-2 victory over Montana on Friday afternoon at Choice Health and Fitness in Grand Forks.

The Fighting Hawks (3-4, 3-1 BSC), winless in league matches a year ago at 0-11 and picked last in this year's preseason poll, is the first Big Sky team to reach three league wins.

The Grizzlies (1-4, 0-1 BSC) played well in doubles against both Iowa State and Iowa two weeks ago but are still without a doubles victory against Division I competition this season.

Lidia Dukic and Milica Panic fell 6-4 at No. 2, and Ana Carbo and Nathalie Joanlanne lost 6-2 at No. 3 as UND grabbed an early 1-0 lead.

Catherine Orfanos and Hannah Sulz's match at No. 1 went unfinished with Montana trailing 5-4.

The Grizzlies fell behind 3-0 after Joanlanne and Carbo lost their singles matches in straight sets at Nos. 4 and 6.

Hannah Sulz, playing at No. 1, kept Montana in the match with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Ella Hassall to make it 3-1, but Mimi Yunker clinched the match for the Fighting Hawks with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Orfanos at No. 3.

Dukic, playing in the longest match of the day, picked up the other win for Montana with a 5-7, 6-0, 7-5 win at No. 2.

Panic, at No. 5, also went three sets. After opening with a 6-4 win, she dropped the next two sets, 6-2, 6-2.

Montana will play Northern Iowa (2-1) at 8 a.m. (MT) and South Dakota State (0-5) at noon (MT) on Saturday in Grand Forks. The Panthers and Jackrabbits play on Friday evening.

North Dakota 5, Montana 2
Feb 17, 2017 at Grand Forks, N.D.
(Choice Health and Fitness)

Singles competition
1. Sulz, Hannah (UM) def. Hassall, Ella (UND) 7-5, 6-1
2. Dukic, Lidia (UM) def. Allen-Fisher, Sophie (UND) 5-7, 6-0, 7-5
3. Yunker, Mimi (UND) def. Orfanos, Catherine (UM) 7-5, 6-4
4. Kasilingam, Preethi (UND) def. Joanlanne, Nathalie (UM) 6-1, 6-1
5. Lee, Faith (UND) def. Panic, Milica (UM) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Revenig, Alex (UND) def. Carbo, Ana (UM) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. Lee, Faith/Kasilingam, Preethi (UND) vs. Sulz, Hannah/Orfanos, Catherine (UM) 5-4, unfinished
2. Hassall, Ella/Allen-Fisher, Sophie (UND) def. Panic, Milica/Dukic, Lidia (UM) 6-4
3. Yunker, Mimi/Revenig, Alex (UND) def. Joanlanne, Nathalie/Carbo, Ana (UM) 6-2

Match Notes:
Montana: 1-4 (0-1 BSC)
North Dakota: 3-4 (3-1 BSC)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,6,1,3,5,2)