Griz netters set to open season in Boise

The Montana men's tennis team officially returns to the courts for the first time in roughly 10 months this week with a two-match nonconference trip to Idaho to face Boise State and Grand Canyon University on a neutral court in Boise.

Montana will face the host Broncos at 5 p.m. on Friday before facing the Antelopes after a quick turnaround at 11 a.m. Saturday morning, with both matches scheduled to be played at the Boas Indoor Tennis Center. Boise State will also provide live scoring updates for their match against the Grizzlies, with links available at GoGriz.com.

UM enters the season picked to finish first in the Big Sky Conference title race following a hot start to the 2020 season but will first seek to avenge close losses to the Broncos in each of the last two years.

For head coach Jason Brown though, on this trip, wins would be ideal, but after a 10-month hiatus, this weekend is more about getting back into competition mode.

"I think everyone is overjoyed with the excitement of just getting to compete. It's that simple. That's what these guys came here to do and what I'm here to coach. So, we're excited," said Brown.

"We just want to test our level and see where we're at. Wins are always great, but I don't think anything good or bad can come out of this trip other than figuring out where we're at as a team."

On paper, it would seem easy to figure out the team's status with only two seniors lost to graduation. After all, the Griz return a host of talent from the squad that started 8-3 a year ago with seven-straight wins and became the first UM team in modern history to win nine of 10 doubles points.

But one of the reasons Brown's Grizzlies were picked to finish top of the league are the offseason additions who will be playing their first matches in maroon and silver.

Set to make debuts are grad transfer and D-II All-American Chase Bartlett, along with freshmen Guillermo Martin and Moritz Stoeger – each pushing to earn a spot in the lineup. Freshman Sam Nicholson, a top-10 age-grade player from the U.K., is also a new arrival set to make waves for the Griz.

With returners like juniors Oisin Shaffrey, who went 9-2 last season with nine-straight wins, and Pontus Hallgren, who stayed undefeated at 8-0, returning for Montana, the Griz are rolling out one of the most talented teams in recent memory. Now they just have to go put the talk into action.

"I think everyone is dialed in and motivated. Practices have been the best they've been all year leading up to this weekend," said Hallgren.

"I just feel like we're in a place this year where we're a strong and deep team, so there's no reason to believe we can't win. I feel confident."

Last year, the Grizzlies lost a close one to Boise State on a neutral court in Spokane, 3-4. Montana won the doubles point to take a 1-0 advantage thanks to tiebreaker wins from seniors Max Korkh and Ludvig Hallgren on court two and Milo Benn with Pontus Hallgren on court three. Shaffrey and Hallgren both earned wins in the singles round, but a tiebreaker loss from Ludvig Hallgren sealed the win for the Broncos.

The Griz also won the doubles point against BSU in 2019 but only managed one win in singles in a 2-5 loss.

Montana last faced Grand Canyon in March of 2017, with the 'Lopes taking a 6-1 win over the Griz in Phoenix.

But no matter the history on the court, the Griz are just happy to play in these unprecedented times, thanks to an adherence to rigorous COVID testing protocols.

"Considering the state of the world, we feel so much gratitude getting to play tennis right now," said Brown.

"We're so grateful that admin, the training room, and all the pieces of the puzzle we've had to put together to allow us to travel and train and get to this point. We're appreciative of all those efforts. It takes a village."

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Players Mentioned

Chase Bartlett

Milo Benn

Ludvig Hallgren

Pontus Hallgren

Max Korkh

Guillermo Martin

Sam Nicholson

Oisin Shaffrey

Moritz Stoeger

University of Montana Athletics