Ronney wins as Griz battle with Zags

Sunday, February 21

Spokane, Wash.

11 AM (MT)

Montana

Gonzaga

2/21/2021 6:32:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

Julia Ronney picked up an upset victory in Spokane with a win over Gonzaga No. 1 Kate Ketels on Sunday – the lone victory for the Grizzlies in a 6-1 loss to the Bulldogs at the Stevens Tennis Center.

Ronney - an All-Big Sky selection from a year ago – defeated Ketels in straight sets, winning the first in a tiebreaker 7-6 (4) and completing the win in the second, 6-4.

Montana moves to 1-3 on the season following the rematch with the Zags. GU improves to 5-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of Washington State 4-3. Ronney, meanwhile, improves to 2-2 for the Grizzlies on the No. 1 court.

Olivia Oosterbaan was also a highlight for the Griz, pushing Adrianna Sosnowska – a transfer to GU and former Big Sky champion at Northern Arizona – to three sets, two of which were decided by tiebreakers.

Oosterbaan won the first set 7-6 (5) to take the early lead, but Sosnowska would reply with a 6-3 win in the second. Oosterbaan nearly picked up another upset for Montana in the decider, falling by another razor-thin margin of 7-6 (7) in a marathon battle.

"I felt like we found another level to compete as a team. We really dug deep and pushed Gonzaga to a much greater extent today," said head coach Steve Ascher.

"It was great to see Julia win. Olivia pushed her opponent to the brink, and all the players brought it verbally and physically today. Now we want to get home and put in more work."

In doubles, Montana nearly picked up a win on court three where Maria Goheen and Ivayla Mitkova building a 5-3 lead but then unable to close it out in a 7-5 loss.

In Singles, Alex Walker, Lauren Dunlap, and Mitkova each dropped their matches in single sets while Ronney and Oosterbaan pushed for a win.

Montana now turns its attention to a pair of familiar foes in Idaho State and Montana State. The Griz will host the Bengals on Friday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. at the PEAK Racquet Club in a nonconference match before opening Big Sky play against the Bobcats on Sunday at 10 a.m.

Tennis Match Results
Montana vs Gonzaga
Feb 21, 2021 at Spokane, Wash.
(Steven's Center)

Gonzaga 6, Montana 1

Singles competition
1. RONNEY, Julia (UM) def. KETELS, Kate (GON) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
2. SOSNOWSKA, Adrianna (GON) def. OOSTERBAAN, Olivia (UM) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 7-6 (9-7)
3. BROERMAN, Cate (GON) def. DUNLAP, Lauren (UM) 6-1, 6-2
4. TSURUTA, Haruna (GON) def. GOHEEN, Maria (UM) 6-4, 6-2
5. SLOAN, Jenna (GON) def. MITKOVA, Ivayla (UM) 6-2, 6-3
6. GRUBER, Taylor (GON) def. WALKER, Alex (UM) 6-0, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. SOSNOWSKA, Adrianna/JONES, Hannah (GON) def. RONNEY, Julia/OOSTERBAAN, Olivia (UM) 6-3
2. KETELS, Kate/GRUBER, Taylor (GON) def. DUNLAP, Lauren/WALKER, Alex (UM) 6-3
3. BROERMAN, Cate/TSURUTA, Haruna (GON) def. GOHEEN, Maria/MITKOVA, Ivayla (UM) 7-5

Match Notes:
Montana 1-3
Gonzaga 5-1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,3,5,4,1,2)