Sunday, February 3
Missoula, Mont.
Noon
Montana
6
vs
1
Montana State
Canellopoulos rallies to lead Griz past Cats
2/3/2019 7:28:00 PM | Men's Tennis
It may not have been a Big Sky Conference match, but when the Griz face the Cats the intensity always runs high, and it was that intensity that helped the Griz breakthrough for a win at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula Sunday.
The Montana men's tennis team rallied from first-set losses on singles courts one and two to pick up the program's tenth-straight victory over Montana State with a 6-1 team win.
The victory in the nonconference tune-up match moves the Griz to 2-1 on the season after beating Whitman 6-1 on Saturday, giving UM a sweep on its home-opener weekend.
With six players experiencing it for the first time, maybe more importantly the win demonstrated to Montana's ultra-young squad the importance of the in-state rivalry, even though there were no Brawl of the Wild points on the line.
Last year, the Grizzlies graduated a senior class that never suffered a loss to the cross-state rivals, and head coach Jason Brown intends to let more Griz graduate with the same distinction.
"That one felt really good. I can't say enough, especially for all the freshman, how important the Griz/Cat rivalry is. It's an important step for us," said Brown. "The boys showed up across the board."
Despite the lopsided final scoreline, the Grizzlies were forced to play from behind for most of the day, coming up with clutch points when it counted most.
Montana had not claimed a doubles point from the Cats since 2016, and early in the round, it looked as if MSU was headed for another upset in the opening round, picking up a 3-6 win on court one and building leads on two and three.
The freshman duo of Ed Pudney and Oisin Shaffrey got the Griz back in it, bouncing back from a 2-1 deficit to get a 6-2 win. The ever-consistent brother duo of Ludvig and Pontus Hallgren clinched the point for the Griz on court two with another come-from-behind 6-4 win to put UM out to the early 1-0 team lead.
"It feels like we usually spot them the doubles point," added Brown. "They play good doubles and are well coached."
With momentum on their side heading into singles, Montana was once again faced with an early deficit as Alex Canellopoulos, Ludvig Hallgren and Pudney each found themselves trailing in the first set.
As the team's only senior, Canellopoulos took the bull by the horns and turned the tide for Montana, rallying down from 3-5 down to take 10 consecutive games, leading to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over MSU's Alexander Flink.
"That's the best example I could see of senior leadership. He got put in a tough spot - down a break – with his opponent playing really well. Alex hung in there, and hit a crazy one-handed backhand and doesn't lose another game," said Brown. "It doesn't get any better, especially in the rivalry match."
Once Canellopoulos started his charge, the rest of the courts in play stood up and took notice, and the tide had officially swung permanently in Montana's favor.
"I feel like I was always close, but he was winning those important points," said Canellopoulos of Flink. "So, when he served for the set, I stayed focused, thought about the game plan and just executed to break him and come back."
Max Korkh, meanwhile, was the only Grizzly to control his match from start to finish in the early singles round. The junior put in what Brown called a "workman-like performance" that didn't allow his Bobcat opponent a single break point en-route to a 6-3, 6-4 win on court three that put UM up 3-0.
After Pudney dropped his match on court four, Ludvig Hallgren sealed the win for Montana on court two with a come-from-behind, three-set victory over junior college national champion Drew Brown of MSU 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
The Grizzlies' lower order players Oisin Shaffrey and Pontus Hallgren took the momentum from the first four matches helped it snowball on courts five and six, each sweeping their opponents in straight sets to give the Grizzlies a 6-1 win.
Following three weeks of preparation, Montana's quest to return to the Big Sky championship tourney for the 29th-straight year kicks off next week when the Grizzlies travel to face an improved Northern Colorado squad on Feb. 8 in Greeley.
"I feel like this is great momentum heading into the conference season," said Brown
The Montana men's tennis team rallied from first-set losses on singles courts one and two to pick up the program's tenth-straight victory over Montana State with a 6-1 team win.
The victory in the nonconference tune-up match moves the Griz to 2-1 on the season after beating Whitman 6-1 on Saturday, giving UM a sweep on its home-opener weekend.
With six players experiencing it for the first time, maybe more importantly the win demonstrated to Montana's ultra-young squad the importance of the in-state rivalry, even though there were no Brawl of the Wild points on the line.
Last year, the Grizzlies graduated a senior class that never suffered a loss to the cross-state rivals, and head coach Jason Brown intends to let more Griz graduate with the same distinction.
"That one felt really good. I can't say enough, especially for all the freshman, how important the Griz/Cat rivalry is. It's an important step for us," said Brown. "The boys showed up across the board."
Despite the lopsided final scoreline, the Grizzlies were forced to play from behind for most of the day, coming up with clutch points when it counted most.
Montana had not claimed a doubles point from the Cats since 2016, and early in the round, it looked as if MSU was headed for another upset in the opening round, picking up a 3-6 win on court one and building leads on two and three.
The freshman duo of Ed Pudney and Oisin Shaffrey got the Griz back in it, bouncing back from a 2-1 deficit to get a 6-2 win. The ever-consistent brother duo of Ludvig and Pontus Hallgren clinched the point for the Griz on court two with another come-from-behind 6-4 win to put UM out to the early 1-0 team lead.
"It feels like we usually spot them the doubles point," added Brown. "They play good doubles and are well coached."
With momentum on their side heading into singles, Montana was once again faced with an early deficit as Alex Canellopoulos, Ludvig Hallgren and Pudney each found themselves trailing in the first set.
As the team's only senior, Canellopoulos took the bull by the horns and turned the tide for Montana, rallying down from 3-5 down to take 10 consecutive games, leading to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over MSU's Alexander Flink.
"That's the best example I could see of senior leadership. He got put in a tough spot - down a break – with his opponent playing really well. Alex hung in there, and hit a crazy one-handed backhand and doesn't lose another game," said Brown. "It doesn't get any better, especially in the rivalry match."
Once Canellopoulos started his charge, the rest of the courts in play stood up and took notice, and the tide had officially swung permanently in Montana's favor.
"I feel like I was always close, but he was winning those important points," said Canellopoulos of Flink. "So, when he served for the set, I stayed focused, thought about the game plan and just executed to break him and come back."
Max Korkh, meanwhile, was the only Grizzly to control his match from start to finish in the early singles round. The junior put in what Brown called a "workman-like performance" that didn't allow his Bobcat opponent a single break point en-route to a 6-3, 6-4 win on court three that put UM up 3-0.
After Pudney dropped his match on court four, Ludvig Hallgren sealed the win for Montana on court two with a come-from-behind, three-set victory over junior college national champion Drew Brown of MSU 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
The Grizzlies' lower order players Oisin Shaffrey and Pontus Hallgren took the momentum from the first four matches helped it snowball on courts five and six, each sweeping their opponents in straight sets to give the Grizzlies a 6-1 win.
Following three weeks of preparation, Montana's quest to return to the Big Sky championship tourney for the 29th-straight year kicks off next week when the Grizzlies travel to face an improved Northern Colorado squad on Feb. 8 in Greeley.
"I feel like this is great momentum heading into the conference season," said Brown
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
FLINK, Alexander / 0 [MSU]
50
76
#2 Singles Match
123
BROWN, Drew / 0 [MSU]
614
366
#3 Singles Match
12
DAMGAARD QVIST, C. / 0 [MSU]
34
66
#4 Singles Match
12
ESPINOZA, Joaquin / 0 [MSU]
67
45
#5 Singles Match
12
CEOLIN, Mateus / 0 [MSU]
20
66
#6 Singles Match
12
WOOD, Grant / 0 [MSU]
11
66
Order of Finish:
1,3,4,2,5,6
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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