Griz to face Big Sky co-leaders

The two programs sitting atop the Big Sky Conference standings are on the schedule this week for the Montana women's tennis team, which has just two weekends of matches remaining in its season.

The Grizzlies (2-16, 1-6 BSC) will face Montana State (11-3, 7-0 BSC) on Friday at 9 a.m. in Bozeman and host Northern Arizona (14-4, 8-0 BSC) at 9 a.m. on Sunday at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula.

The Bobcats and Lumberjacks will not have unblemished league records after this weekend, and that's not a prediction that the Grizzlies will knock one of them off. They face one another on Saturday in Bozeman.

Montana will wrap up its season next weekend with matches at Idaho and Eastern Washington.

With Sacramento State not eligible to participate in the six-team Big Sky Conference tournament later this month in Phoenix, the Grizzlies are still mathematically alive to make the postseason, but at a minimum it would require finishing the season with four straight wins. Then getting a lot of help.

"Both teams are undefeated, so maybe it's a chance to do something and create some more drama in the standings," said coach Steve Ascher. "Maybe both teams, because of our record, will be focused on their match on Saturday and we can sneak up on them."

Next week Montana will face Idaho on Saturday and Eastern Washington on Sunday. The Vandals, who are 6-1 in league, are the defending Big Sky tournament champions.

"These last four matches will give us opportunities to continue learning, because we're not just finishing this season. We're setting the tone for next year as well," said Ascher.

"With the way it's worked out, the schedule has given us the opportunity to get better these last two weeks and continue to develop."

Friday's match against Montana State in Bozeman is part of the annual Brawl of the Wild series. Already holding an 8-4 advantage, the Bobcats could claim this year's title with a victory in women's tennis. It would give MSU its first Brawl of the Wild win in the four-year history of the series.

Picked fifth in the preseason coaches' poll, Montana State, which has already clinched a tournament spot with four matches remaining, has been the surprise of the league this spring, racing out to a 7-0 record in its Big Sky matches, 11-3 overall.

The Bobcats' only losses this season have come on the road against Washington State, 5-2, Wyoming, 6-1, and Boise State, 4-3. The Grizzlies were swept by the Cougars and Cowgirls, and lost 6-1 to the Broncos.

Montana State, which hasn't beaten Montana since the 2008-09 season, pulled out tight 4-3 wins over both Sacramento State and Portland State. The rest of its league wins have been 5-2 or 6-1 victories.

MSU closes the regular season with the same schedule as Montana: home for Northern Arizona, road matches at Eastern Washington and Idaho.

After opening the season with losses to UC Davis and Arizona, Northern Arizona, which also has clinched a tournament spot, has won 14 of its last 16 matches, with an undefeated run thus far through its Big Sky schedule.

The Lumberjacks' 8-0 start has included 4-3 wins over Sacramento State, Idaho State and Idaho. The victory over the Vandals came on Sunday in Flagstaff.

After facing the Montana schools this weekend, NAU closes its regular season by hosting Weber State next week before making the drive to Phoenix for the Big Sky tournament later this month.

Sunday's match at the Peak will double as Senior Day for Ana Carbo, Stanzi Stuijt and Hannah Sulz.

Carbo, from Tavernes de la Valldigna, Spain, joined the program between semesters in 2013-14. The one-time Academic All-Big Sky selection as a management major has won 16 career singles matches, 17 doubles matches.

Stuijt, from Naaldwijk, Netherlands, is finishing up her second year at Montana after transferring from West Alabama. She has 18 victories in singles, 15 in doubles.

Sulz, three times an ITA Scholar-Athlete and twice an Academic All-Big Sky selection as a marketing major, played one season at Nebraska before transferring to Montana. She has 34 singles victories as a Grizzly, 44 in doubles.

Montana is coming off a single-match week, with a 6-1 loss to Weber State on Saturday at the Peak. Cam Kincaid picked up the Grizzlies' lone victory, winning 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4 singles.

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Players Mentioned

Cam Kincaid

Stanzi Stuijt

Hannah Sulz

University of Montana Athletics