Thunderbirds outlast Griz

Friday, March 29

Missoula, Mont.

10 AM

Montana

Southern Utah

3/29/2019 5:55:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score PDF Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

For the third time this season and the second time this week, a Montana women's tennis team win rested on the shoulders of Lidia Dukic as she battled through yet another three-set marathon at the Peak Racquet Club on Friday.

But unlike earlier this month when she saved a win for her teammates against Idaho State, the senior was unable to grind out another victory as the Grizzlies squandered an early 2-0 lead to fall to Southern Utah 4-3.

Montana looked as though it was headed in the right direction against the Thunderbirds with an easy win in the doubles round and a straight-sets win by Julia Ronney that put UM ahead 2-0.

The Grizzlies then lost three of the next four matches, leaving Dukic to pull out the win on court five. But the power game of SUU's Jessica Stefan proved too much, and the T-birds (10-5, 3-0 BSC) left Missoula with a win.

The margins for Montana - now 3-13 overall (thanks to a brutal nonconference schedule), and 3-2 in the Big Sky - continue to be razor thin, with the loss to SUU marking the fifth 4-3 decision in the Grizzlies' past six matches.

"I think we're really close. We've just got to finish. We keep putting ourselves in this position, and we know we need to finish. People need to keep finding ways to step up. It's sports. It's heartbreaking," said head coach Steve Ascher.

"The doubles were great, and Julia went out and did her thing, but we just need some more value at certain spots."

Montana came out of the gates firing in the doubles round to open the match, taking early leads on all three courts and never looking back.

Grizzlies Nathalie Joanlanne and Alex Walker breezed to a 6-1 win on court three for the first finish of the morning. Ronney and her partner Bianca Bostrom then clinched the point with a 6-3 win on court one, powering through the final three games after SUU tied the match 3-3 with some well-timed and well-placed shots.

In singles, Montana took a 2-0 lead early in the round when Ronney picked up a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over SUU's Ghita Nassik on court one. With the win, Ronney – the reigning Big Sky Player of the Week - remained undefeated in conference play at 5-0 and won her sixth match in her last seven outings.

SUU then took a pair of matches back from UM. Lauren Dunlap was sharp in the first set with a 6-1 win but dropped the final two sets 6-2, 6-2 on court two to lose her sixth match in the last seven outings.

Still recovering from a sprained ankle suffered earlier in the week at Sac State, Bianca Bostrom couldn't find her momentum in a 6-3, 6-4 loss on court three that tied the match 2-2.

Meanwhile, on court four, Joanlanne was locked in a battle with SUU's Daniella Cozzi, the previous Big Sky Player of the Week. Herself recovering from a nagging Achilles injury, Joanlanne picked up a big 7-5 win in the first set but dropped the second 6-1 to set up a crucial third set for the Griz.

Knotted at 6-6 to force a third-set tiebreaker, Joanlanne out-maneuvered Cozzi to win the breaker 7-5, extending Montana's lead 3-2 with two more courts to play.

On court six freshman Claudia Reguant was put in position to clinch a win for the Grizzlies for the first time in her career, rebounding from a first set loss to win the second 6-1, but the Spaniard was unable to hang on in the third set, falling 6-3 and tying the overall match 3-3 with only Dukic's math to finish.

It was not to be for Dukic, however, as the power game of Steffan proved to be too much to handle, and the Griz would fall 4-3.

Montana now sets is sights on finishing the season strong with five conference matches left to play before the top-six teams in the league standings advance on to the Big Sky championship tournament in Phoenix.

Currently sitting tied for sixth in the standings with Sac State, Montana's April 13 home match against No. 4 Weber State is shaping up to be a must-win for the Griz if they are to make the tourney for the first time since 2015.

Southern Utah 4, Montana 3
3/29/2019 at Missoula, Mont. (Peak Racquet Club)

Singles competition
1. RONNEY, Julia (UM) def. NASSIK, Ghita (SUU) 6-2, 6-2
2. TANTI, Zoe (SUU) def. DUNLAP, Lauren (UM) 1-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. SAGIAO, Charity (SUU) def. BOSTROM, Bianca (UM) 6-3, 6-4
4. JOANLANNE, Nathalie (UM) def. COZZI, Daniela (SUU) 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5)
5. STEFAN, Jessica (SUU) def. DUKIC, Lidia (UM) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
6. NGO, Alexandra (SUU) def. REGUANT, Claudia (UM) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. RONNEY, Julia/BOSTROM, Bianca (UM) def. SAGIAO, Charity/NGO, Alexandra (SUU) 6-3
2. DUKIC, Lidia/DUNLAP, Lauren (UM) vs. COZZI, Daniela/NASSIK, Ghita (SUU) 4-4, unfinished
3. WALKER, Alex/JOANLANNE, Nathalie (UM) def. STEFAN, Jessica/TANTI, Zoe (SUU) 6-1

Match Notes
Southern Utah 10-5 (3-0 BSC)
Montana 3-13 (3-2 BSC)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (1,3,2,4,6,5)
Official: Kim Delman T-4:10 A-37