Griz cap busy weekend with home opener Sunday

Fresh off an eye-opening and confidence-boosting upset win over Nevada, the Montana men's tennis team returns to action this weekend with a three-match slate split between Spokane and Missoula against some of the region's top competition.

The Griz (1-1) head over Lookout Pass to Spokane on Friday to take on Gonzaga (3-2) at the Stevens Tennis Center at 6 p.m. (MT), and will stay for a Saturday afternoon neutral-site match against Boise State (4-1) starting at 2 p.m. (MT).

UM then completes the busy weekend at home with a nonconference dual against Seattle University (0-4) on Sunday at the Peak Racquet Club south of Missoula just off Blue Mountain Road, with opening serves to start at 10:30 a.m.

Links to live scoring and video from matches in both Spokane and Missoula can be found at GoGriz.com.

It's one of the few times the Griz will be tasked with three matches in one weekend during the season. But in just the team's second week of action, the point for head coach Jason Brown is to give the squad an early test of endurance in preparation for when it really matters. The Big Sky Conference Tournament.

"I think it's good training for matches we'll have to play in the future. At the Big Sky tourney, if you don't have the one or the two seed, you have to be able to compete hard and win three matches in a row to win the championship," said Brown.

"Hopefully we stay tuned-in until Sunday afternoon when the job's done, and not think it's done on Friday, Saturday, or the drive home like it usually is. It presents its own challenge, but I think it's a good one for the guys to see early on."

After dropping a 7-0 loss to the Pac-12's Utah Utes, then rebounding for a 4-3 win over Nevada, the Griz enter the weekend looking to claim more upsets against the Bulldogs and Broncos, before heading home to take on the winless Redhawks.

Winning at the Stevens Tennis Center is never an easy task, and this year's matchup is no different. UM opened the 2019 season at Gonzaga and dropped a competitive 5-2 decision to the home team.

This year, the Griz will have their hands full with Gonzaga fielding the No. 33 doubles pairing in the country this week in the senior/freshman duo of Sam Feit and Matthew Hollingsworth.

Likewise, the Broncos look to be a challenge, having claimed 7-0 wins over Montana State, Idaho State, Seattle, and Whitman already this season.

"I like the early challenge. We need match play, so I like that we're getting that in spades. Gonzaga is the best team on schedule. They're really good at home too. I'm excited by that challenge, followed by an unbelievably well-coached Boise State team. We know them fairly well, but they present a challenge," said Brown.

UM will then lean on the home-court advantage on Sunday to cap the weekend against Seattle.

They're always a gritty squad. It will be nice to play at home, but I think there are some real challenges in playing three days in a row," Brown added.

Doubles has been an area of focus for UM in the early stages of the season, and that focus paid off against Nevada last week with Ed Pudney and Cameron Isbell combining for a 6-1 win on court two, and the sophomore pair of Oisin Shaffrey and Pontus Hallgren clinching the point on court three in a tiebreaker 7-6 (5).

Pudney and Ludvig Hallgren then each picked up wins in singles to tie the match against the Wolf Pack 3-3 before sophomore Milo Benn clinched the win for UM on court five with a thrilling three-set finish 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Benn has been a revelation for Montana this season after not seeing much in the way of action as a sophomore. He's currently the only Grizzly with a double-figure win total through the fall tournament season at 11-5 overall.

Brown says after last week's drama, he's excited about the team's trajectory but knows the steep road ahead in this pivotal three-match stretch.

"I like a little adversity. I like that it seasons these young guys even more. I thought they responded really well last weekend after losing a match, and I think it showed how much character and grit these guys have. I'm excited to watch them compete again and to build for the rapidly approaching conference season," said Brown.

Following Sunday's home opener against Seattle, the Griz return to the road over the next two weeks before their next home match on March 7 against Northern Colorado in the conference opener.

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Players Mentioned

Milo Benn

Ludvig Hallgren

Pontus Hallgren

Cameron Isbell

Ed Pudney

Oisin Shaffrey

University of Montana Athletics