Griz host Cats in men’s tennis action

The Griz/Cat rivalry extends from the hardwood to the hardcourt this weekend, as the Montana men's tennis team plays host to Montana State at the PEAK Racquet Club in Missoula at noon on Saturday.

This week's UM/MSU match is, in soccer parlance, a "friendly," meaning the result does not count toward the Big Sky standings and does not impact the Brawl of the Wild series.

But whenever the Griz and Cats square off in any sport, there is nothing friendly about it.

"It's always the Brawl of the Wild," said Montana head coach Kris Nord, who has been doing battle with MSU for over three decades.

"It's not the counter for our conference match, but it's still Griz/Cat, so it means a lot to the guys, and to me."

The timing is right for a rivalry showdown for Montana (3-2, 1-1 BSC), who dropped a disappointing conference match to Northern Colorado two weeks ago, but has rebounded with solid performances at North Dakota and Utah.

"We've been focusing on some things that were exposed in Utah, and that really helped, it felt like we're making some progress. We just have to keep going that direction and be ready for a pretty salty MSU squad on Saturday," added Nord.

"We need some momentum and to get some confidence going. This is a good matchup for us. They're a good team. We'll have our hands full."

Montana State comes to Missoula at 2-6 on the season and 1-0 in Big Sky Conference play, with their lone league win coming over the same Northern Colorado team that beat the Griz 2-5 in Greeley on Feb. 10.

But Montana has fed off the loss, and taken strides toward making a run at the Big Sky tournament as a top-six finisher with conference action resuming next week.

"We've been working on the serve and some specific areas of singles that I think are hurting us, and I think we're making progress. So that's all I can ask for," said Nord.

"There's a real competition for us in the top six right now, and that's the way I want it. But we need everybody to start moving forward and get over their rough spots."

One of Montana's most improved players this spring has been UM's Big Sky Player of the Week nominee Max Korkh, a true freshman who learned the ropes of college tennis the hard way in the fall, and added power to his game in the offseason to become one of Nord's most consistent performers.

Korkh has played as high as the No. 3 court in singles, and was the only Grizzly to take a set from Utah in last week's conference tune-up in Salt Lake. So far this year, he's 3-2 but has pushed his last three matches to extra sets.

In doubles, Korkh has partnered up with senior Peter Mimnagh-Fleming to go undefeated at 4-0, with one match against the Utes going unfinished, called when it was tied at five.

"Max has been a pleasant surprise so far. He had a tough fall, and he's really rebounded from it. He's got a lot of potential," said Nord.

Montana and Montana State get underway at Noon on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the PEAK and admission is free.

The Griz continue their homestand on March 3 and 4, hosting Southern Utah and Northern Arizona in Big Sky play, followed by a nonconference match against a touring Radford University team from Virginia on March 6.

The Griz and Cats will meet again on April 21 in Bozeman for the official Big Sky and Brawl of the Wild match at 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Max Korkh

Peter Mimnagh-Fleming

University of Montana Athletics