Cats/Vandals on tap for Griz this weekend

For longtime Montana sports fans, just the thought of the Griz taking on both Montana State AND Idaho in the same week is enough to get the blood pumping, and the UM men's tennis team is no different.

The Griz netters will get that opportunity this weekend as UM heads to Bozeman to take on the Bobcats Friday before returning home for a showdown against the league-leading Vandals on Sunday in a rematch of last year's Big Sky title match.

For Montana, whose season is still in its infancy at 1-1, the two rivalry matches represent an opportunity to set the expectation for the rest of the year as the Griz aim to return to the conference championship.

"I think we're all really eager and hungry to play, especially against MSU. We always want to beat the Cats," said UM sophomore Max Korkh. "Getting a big win over Idaho is crucial for us to start the season, set the tone, and keep raising the bar from there."

THE DETAILS:
Friday's match at Montana State (2-5, 2-0 BSC) gets underway at noon at MSU's Bobcat Anderson Tennis Center. The dual will be Montana's final tune-up for conference play, with the outcome not counting toward league standings or Brawl of the Wild standings.

On Sunday, the defending conference champ Idaho Vandals (3-3, 3-0 BSC) visit Missoula sitting on top of the league table. First serves against Idaho go up at 1 p.m. at the Peak Racquet Club south of Missoula on Blue Mountain Road. Admission and parking are free. If you can't make the match, follow @MontanaGrizTEN on Twitter for pairings and live updates.

FREE T's:
The first 25 fans through the door on Sunday when UM faces Idaho will get outfitted with a free Griz tennis t-shirt. With big rematch implications on the line, Interim Head Coach Jason Brown is hoping fans turn out to support his squad.

"We're hoping for a big crowd to cement the home court advantage. I think it would be great to get Griz nation to come out in force for a match," said Brown.

GRIZ/CAT
Despite being a nonconference tune-up, Friday's match against the Bobcats is shaping up to carry some early-season weight for the Griz.

Picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll, MSU has been an early upstart so far in Big Sky play, entering Friday's match fresh off a weekend road sweep over Weber State and Idaho State. Both the Wildcats and Bengals were picked ahead of the Cats in the preseason poll at fifth and sixth, respectively, giving them momentum as they prepare to host the Griz.

At 1-1, the Griz have seen both ends of the tennis spectrum so far this season, sweeping NAIA Lewis-Clark State 7-0, then dropping a tough 0-7 loss to the Pac-12's Utah Utes a week later.

After an early bye week and the cancellation of a previous tussle with the Cats, the Griz head to Bozeman thirsty for competition, and there is nothing like a Griz/Cat match to quench that thirst.

"It's very important for momentum early in the season considering we haven't had a lot of match play," said Brown. "We're excited. We've put in a lot of good practice hours, and I think the boys are ready to go. It will be a good match. MSU will compete hard, they always do."

Even though Montana has only played two matches this spring, Korkh doesn't see that as an issue for his team.

"In the first couple weeks, we focused on drilling, getting a lot of volume, and hitting a lot of balls. Now we've changed over to match play to get us into that mindset of competing," Korkh said. "Practices have been hard, but I think we've gotten a lot better in the last couple weeks."

The Griz have had the upper hand over the Cats in recent years. Last season, UM recovered from a loss in the doubles round to clinch a spot in the Big Sky Tournament with a come-from-behind 4-3 win in Bozeman.

During Montana's record-breaking tournament season last fall, the Griz and Cats came across each other seven different times, with UM taking seven different wins.

Highlights of those seven wins include UM's Ignacio Tejerina rebounding to defeat MSU's Grant Wood in the B draw final of Gonzaga's Bulldog Classic (6-7, 6-2, 6-2). Korkh also picked up a comeback win over MSU at the Gonzaga tourney, beating Rok Sitar in third set tiebreaker (1-6, 6-2, 10-4)

LITTLE BROWN TENNIS STEIN
In last year's Big Sky Championship Tournament, Montana pulled off the upset of the year in the semifinal, defeating No. 1 ranked Northern Arizona to advance to the final against Idaho. That upset in the desert heat drained the Grizzlies of their energy, and in the championship match, they fell to a rested Vandal team, who went on to represent the league in the NCAA tourney.

Earlier that season, the Griz traveled to Idaho to take on the Vandals in regular season play. UM came out firing that day, winning the doubles point and taking two singles wins on courts four and six while forcing third-set tiebreakers on two other courts.

The Griz enter Sunday's match knowing that they are right there with the Vandals, meaning the home court advantage could give the Griz the edge they need to get the win and set the tone for the rest of the year.

"We're excited to have Idaho at home. Our season goals aren't decided this weekend no matter what, but we're definitely looking forward to getting conference started the right way," said Brown.

"They're like us, where they have some depth. Their bottom order is very good, which will make for a great matchup. They're well-coached and senior-led."

Idaho's depth is bolstered by senior Felipe Fonseca, who has lost a paltry five matches in Big Sky play over the course of his career, one of those being a 2015 win by UM's Semi Branzburg (6-4, 6-2). Fonseca has played most of his tennis on court four this season, solidifying the lower half of the Vandal lineup.

The Griz will also have their hands full with Idaho's nationally ranked doubles pair of Mark Kovacs and Carlos Longhi Neto, who check in as the No. 36 duo in the nation. Montana has their experience with the star pair, however, with Korkh and Peter Mimnagh-Fleming defeating them in a tiebreaker last year at Idaho 7-6 (10-8).

In the fall season, Yannick Schmidl and Alexander Canellopoulos also picked up a win over the pair at in the main draw semifinal of Idaho State's tournament, 8-6.

Grizzly standout Victor Casadevall picked up two singles win over the pair at the Dar Walters Classic at Boise State en route to the championship match – the highest ever finish at the tourney in UM history. Casadevall defeated Neto in the round of eight 6-1, 6-2 and Kovacs in the semifinal 7-5, 6-7, 6-1. He also defeated Neto in the round of 16 at the ITA Mountain Regional tourney in three sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Following this week's matches, the Griz head to Vegas to take on UNLV and Ball State in nonconference action, before returning home to take on North Dakota in Big Sky play on March 10.

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Players Mentioned

Alex Canellopoulos

Victor Casadevall

Max Korkh

Yannick Schmidl

Ignacio Tejerina

University of Montana Athletics