Walker wins as Griz fall to Portland 6-1

Friday, March 6

Missoula, Mont.

12:30 PM

Montana

Portland

3/6/2020 6:34:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana women's tennis team made its way back to Missoula on Friday, playing at home for the first time in a month, but were unable to pull off another upset at the Peak Racquet Club, falling 6-1 in a competitive nonconference match against the Portland Pilots.

The loss in the Grizzlies' penultimate nonconference match of the season drops them to 1-11 on the season as they prepare to enter Big Sky Conference play on Sunday with the Brawl of the Wild match against Montana State.

"It feels good to sleep in your own bed and get some fans out there while you compete," said head coach Steve Ascher. "We just have to keep inching closer, pushing, and pushing. Then pretty soon you figure out how to win, and it will open up the flood gates."

The junior/freshman doubles duo of Julia Ronney and Olivia Oosterbaan moved to 4-6 as a pair this season with a 6-4 win over Portland's Sunjic/Lukic pair on court one, but the Pilots ran away with wins on courts two and three to clinch the opening point.

In singles, sophomore Alex Walker picked up the first win for the Grizzlies in over a month with a three-set victory on court six – her first in a dual this season. Walker picked up a win in the first set against the Pilot's Marija Elenova and held on for a 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (6) win in a superbreaker for Montana's only team point of the day.

Walker's win was one of four three-set matches for the Griz, with Ooseterbaan and fellow freshman Maria Goheen, each forcing an extra set and sophomore Claudia Reguant picking up a first set win.

In a well-fought overall match for the Grizzlies, the Pilots were too strong for Montana, with the visitors taking straight-sets wins on courts one and three to extend their lead from doubles to 3-0 before clinching the match on court three in Goheen's three-set,6-3, 1-6, 7-5 loss.

The Griz will return to action on Sunday morning at home in the Brawl of the Wild match against Montana State starting at 9 a.m. at the Peak Racquet Club.