Griz set to play up in Las Vegas

Two weeks ago, the Montana men's tennis team was mired in a seven-match losing streak, having pushed through a tough nonconference schedule before dropping a pair of Big Sky matches to Portland State and Northern Arizona.

A day after the loss to NAU, the Grizzlies took the court against Weber State looking like a brand-new team brimming with confidence in a 5-2 win, and they haven't looked back.

Since the match against NAU, Montana has rattled off three-straight victories, including an upset of the two-time defending conference champion Idaho Vandals over the weekend. In that time the Griz went from being on the outside of the conference championship tournament looking in, to being in control of their own destiny.

At 3-2 in league play (6-8 overall), Montana currently sits fourth in the Big Sky standings, needing to finish in the top six to advance. They'll get the chance to cement their place in the top six on April 4 and 6 when Sacramento State and Idaho State visit Missoula.

Until then, the Grizzlies will prepare for that moment with a pair of nonconference matches against Mountain West Conference opponents when UM travels south to take on UNLV and Boise State in Las Vegas on Wednesday, March 27 and 28, respectively.

"These teams are always good and always competitive, not only in our conference but in the region," said head coach Jason Brown. "We're going to treat this as a bit of a freeroll. Take the "steel sharpens steel" mentality and prepare for the rest of our Big Sky schedule."

Montana opens its spring break trip to Vegas with a dual against the host Rebels (10-4, 0-0 MW) on Wednesday at 4 p.m. (MT), then finishes the tour on Thursday with the Broncos (9-3, 0-0 MW) at Noon (MT).

UNDER THE SUN: Both matches will be played under the desert sun at UNLV's Fertitta Tennis Complex, which will also be a big help for the Griz as they prepare for the heart of the conference season.

After playing indoor tennis since January as Montana endured a brutal winter, the Griz will finally get the chance to play outdoors in Vegas. With the snow melting on UM's outdoor courts at a rapid pace, Brown is hoping to play at least some of the remaining three home matches outdoors. And the heat of the Nevada desert will also help the Griz prepare for the Big Sky tournament, too, held outdoors in Phoenix, Arizona.

"Our conference tournament is outdoors, we're hopefully playing more matches outdoors, so this will be a great lead-in to that. I'm looking forward to it," said Brown.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Doubles play will also be an area of focus for the Griz in Vegas, having only won the crucial match-opening point five times this season, and being swept in the round by the Vandals.

Brown has used eight different pairings so far this spring, looking for the right combinations. Now with two doubles wins in the last three matches, he thinks the Griz are close to finding the right formula.

"We feel pretty good about our doubles, honestly. We're close. It just doesn't feel like the important points have quite gone our way, but I'll take the important points from here on out," said Brown.

NOTABLE: Montana's win at Idaho was the twentieth overall in Brown's two-year career as UM head coach. He earned Big Sky Coach of the Year honors in his first season after leading the Griz to an undefeated home record and a place in the conference title match.

• The Grizzlies 5-2 win at Idaho was only the second win of the year after the Griz had lost the doubles point. The Griz swept singles courts 1-5 to pick up the win over the Vandals.

• Senior Alex Canellopoulos picked up perhaps the biggest win of his career at Idaho, defeating the Vandals' All-Big Sky standout Carlos Neto in straight sets (7-5, 6-3) to help propel Montana to a win. Canellopoulos is now 4-9 on the season and has won two-straight at the top of the order.

• Juniors Ludvig Hallgren and Max Korkh have shuffled places in the lineup during UM's three-match win streak, with Korkh bumping up to court two against LC State, and Hallgren filling at three. No matter the combo, it's been a winner as both are riding a three-match win streak.

• Freshman Ed Pudney was nearly unstoppable on the two-match trip to Idaho, only losing three games the entire time. Pudney blew past LC State's Herman Yue 6-0, 6-1, and keep a similar pace against Idaho's Lucas Coutinho, winning 6-1, 6-1.

• At 10-4 overall and 4-1 in Big Sky play, freshman Oisin Shaffrey continues to carry UM's best singles record this spring. He's now tied for the fifth-best overall win percentage in the Big Sky (.714) and at 9-3 (.750) on court five has the second-best record at that position.

UP NEXT: Montana caps the regular season with three home matches out of its final five. Already holding conference wins over Weber and Idaho, the Griz host perennial contenders Sac State and Idaho State next week before finishing the season at home against a vastly improved Southern Utah team on April 21.

"Sac State and Idaho State are two absolutely key conference matchups. Looking at the way things might break down we've got to take care of our home court advantage," said Brown.

Between home matches, the Griz will travel to face Eastern Washington on April 14 and Montana State in the annual Brawl of the Wild match on April 18.

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Players Mentioned

Alex Canellopoulos

Ludvig Hallgren

Max Korkh

Ed Pudney

Oisin Shaffrey

University of Montana Athletics