Canellopoulos shines once again as Griz fall to Boise State

Thursday, March 28

Las Vegas, Nev.

1 PM (MT)

Montana

Boise State

Canellopoulos shines once again as Griz fall to Boise State

3/28/2019 5:44:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score PDF Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

It was Groundhog Day all over again for the Montana men's tennis team in a neutral site nonconference tune-up against Boise State on Thursday at UNLV's Fertitta Tennis Complex in Las Vegas.

Just like they did the day before against the Rebels, the Griz jumped out to an early lead over the Broncos with a win in the doubles round and yet another dominant performance by UM's Alex Canellopoulos on court one. But just like the day before, the lead wouldn't last as the Griz dropped the second hard-fought match of their spring break trip to the desert 2-4 to BSU.

The Griz, who feature six freshmen on the nine-man squad, now return to Missoula with heads held high as the young team prepares for the business end of the Big Sky Conference schedule.

"Everyone competed hard, and I'm really proud of the way they're representing the Griz. I'm just sad the hard work didn't turn into W's because those would have been monumental wins for our program," said head coach Jason Brown.

"Now our freshmen know we can compete at that level, and that's the real win from this trip."

Canellopoulos was once again the star for Montana against the Broncos. Along with his partner Ludvig Hallgren, the senior swept BSU's DeMulling/Lalovic pair on court one in the doubles round, 6-0.

He followed that up with another straight-set win over a Mountain West opponent, defeating Jack Heslin 6-3, 6-1 in singles that put UM out to a 2-1 lead over the Broncos.

Over the past seven days, Canellopoulos has put together one of the best strings of results in Montana history, with four consecutive straight-set wins, including a pair of victories over Mountain West opponents and a win over Idaho's two-time All-Big Sky performer Carlos Neto.

In the past four matches, Canellopoulos hasn't lost a single set, and his wins have been convincing as well. He's won a total of 50 individual games in that time and given up just 23, including four different sets where he lost two games or less.

Canellopoulos in the last 7 days on court one:
W - LC State - 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
W - Idaho - 7-5, 6-3
W - UNLV - 6-2, 6-0
W - Boise State - 6-3, 6-1

"I don't think he's doing much differently, he's just winning all the key points," said Brown of Canellopoulos, who has done a complete 180 after struggling through eight-straight losses earlier in the year.

"He didn't lose faith when things weren't going his way at the beginning of the season. We knew he was doing the right things and he's just stuck with it. Getting two Mountain West wins on court one is a huge accomplishment."

The Grizzlies will now turn their attention to a pair of pivotal Big Sky home matches next week, with perennial contenders Sacramento State and Idaho State set to visit Missoula on April 4 and 6, respectively.

With the Grizzlies (6-10, 3-2 BSC) currently sitting at No. 4 on the conference table and only the top-six advancing to the championship tourney, UM will seek to unseat the Hornets who now sit at No. 2 (3-1) and Bengals at No. 5 (2-2) to solidify their place in the postseason.

Boise State 4, Montana 2

3/28/2019 at Las Vegas, Nev. (Fertitta Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. CANELLOPOULOS, Alex (UM) def. Jack Heslin (BSU) 6-3, 6-1
2. Luka Soskic (BSU) def. KORKH, Max (UM) 6-1, 6-3
3. HALLGREN, Ludvig (UM) vs. Max Blancaneaux (BSU) 4-6, 6-3, 4-1, unfinished
4. Simon Arca Costas (BSU) def. PUDNEY, Ed (UM) 6-1, 6-4
5. Wyatt DeMulling (BSU) def. SHAFFREY, Oisin (UM) 6-1, 6-0
6. Stefan Lalovic (BSU) def. HALLGREN, Pontus (UM) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. CANELLOPOULOS, Alex/HALLGREN, Ludvig (UM) def. Wyatt DeMulling/Stefan Lalovic (BSU) 6-0
2. PUDNEY, Ed/KORKH, Max (UM) vs. Jack Heslin/Simon Arca Costas (BSU) 6-5, unfinished
3. HALLGREN, Pontus/SHAFFREY, Oisin (UM) def. Luka Soskic/Simon Stenlund (BSU) 6-3

Match Notes
Boise State 10-3 (0-0 MW)
Montana 6-10 (3-2 Big Sky)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (5,1,2,4,6)
Neutral site match played at UNLV