Montana to host Bengals and Bobcats in weekend homestand

"It's go time."

With only four matches under its belt, the Montana women's tennis team may not have been able to complete much of a non-conference season, but the Grizzlies appear to be rising at just the right time.

The Griz (1-3) return home this week after a hard-fought loss at Gonzaga that earned senior Julia Ronney Big Sky Player of the Week honors and boosted the rest of the team's confidence with improved performances across the board.

Now UM will look to carry that momentum into a two-match homestand, starting with Idaho State on Friday and culminating with the annual Brawl of the Wild match against Montana State on Sunday.

Due to the Big Sky Conference splitting into north and south division for the tennis season, the Griz and Bengals will square off in a non-conference matinee set to start at 11 a.m. at the PEAK Racquet Club south of Missoula.

Montana will then take on MSU in a Brawl of the Wild and Big Sky match Sunday morning, with opening serves going up at 1:30 p.m.

"It's go time, and it's exciting to be able to finally play at home and play the Brawl of the Wild on Sunday," said head coach Steve Ascher.

"I think we're ready to go. We've put in the work, so it's time."

COVERAGE & ATTENDANCE: With the Missoula County Health Department relaxing gathering size limitations, a limited number of fans will be welcome to attend this weekend's matches, with masks and a temperature check required for entry into the PEAK.

Links to live scoring are available at GoGriz.com for those unable to attend, and live updates will also be available on the team's Twitter feed @MontanaGrizWTEN.

THE BREAKDOWN

Montana and Idaho State have played in some epic battles in recent years, and just because this one won't count in the Big Sky standings won't make it any less intense.

In 2018 the Griz built a 3-1 lead before the Bengals stormed back to win the match on court five in a tiebreaker to take a 4-3 victory in Pocatello. A year later, it was Montana that ground out the win in another thriller, bouncing back after a doubles round loss to win 4-3 in a marathon match that lasted nearly five hours.

With their match canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, Montana and Idaho State will face off for the first time in nearly two years, and it's shaping up to be another classic.

Idaho State comes to Missoula on a hot streak, sitting at 4-2 on the season with three-straight wins, a 4-3 upset over Utah State, and a narrow loss to Boise State under its belt.

Sisters Angela and Alex Walker will line up on opposite team benches adding a family element to the rivalry, while Bengal freshman Hana Cho enters the match with one of the top overall singles records in the Big Sky at 5-1.

But the Grizzlies are ready. With Ronney taking the upset of the year less than a week ago, Olivia Oosterbaan holding match point before falling in a tiebreaker on court two, and an improved performance overall from the Griz against a one-loss Gonzaga team, Montana sees itself in a position to compete for a pair of wins this weekend.

"I think we have a little more confidence knowing that we pushed Gonzaga hard last week, and we're going to carry that confidence into this week," said Ronney.

"I think having such a competitive match really helped. So, we're all really excited to get into conference and be playing at home."

Montana and Montana State have also battled to some equally intense results in recent years – no surprise when the Brawl of the Wild trophy is on the line.

The Griz and Cats square off Sunday with home-court advantage not really being a thing as of late in the rivalry.

The last two team wins have come down to the day's final match, each ending 4-3. Montana pulled out a come-from-behind win in Bozeman in 2019, and the Cats spoiled the UM comeback in Missoula in 2020 for the win.

In fact, the home team hasn't won the Brawl of the Wild counter match since 2017, when Montana State defended its home court in a 6-1 win. Since then, Montana is 1-3 in Brawl battles that have each come down to the thinnest of margins at 4-3.

Despite that, Ascher believes his team's time to shine is now and is ready to keep the trophy on the western side of the divide.

"If they put in the effort and focus they did against Gonzaga, they're going to put themselves in a really good position. That's what we're constantly talking about. They've been focused on it for a while, and they understand it," he said.

Like Montana, Montana State has also been hampered in completing a non-conference schedule with only two matches played so far this season. The Cats come to Missoula at 0-2 on the year, picking up one win in a 6-1 loss at Gonzaga on Feb. 13 before taking a 7-0 straight-set loss at Washington State on Valentine's Day.

The Bengals and Cats will face each other on Saturday in Bozeman before MSU drives to Missoula the next day to face the Griz. Montana is next set to compete on March 12 and 13 against Portland and Portland State.

Montana to host Bengals and Bobcats in weekend homestand

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Olivia Oosterbaan

Julia Ronney

Alex Walker

University of Montana Athletics