Griz look to keep momentum against Pilots, Vikings

Fresh off a pair of confidence-boosting wins over Idaho State and Montana State, the Montana women's tennis team returns to action Friday as the Griz travel to Oregon to face the University of Portland and Portland State in a pair of weekend duals in the City of Roses.

With limited chances to compete this spring, the Grizzlies (3-3, 1-0 BSC) will get the chance to extend their two-match win streak against two other teams that are equally as eager to compete, with the Pilots entering the weekend at 1-3 and the Vikings sitting at 3-4 on the season.

The Griz will first face Portland on Friday, March 12, at the Louisiana Pacific Tennis Center, with opening serves going up at noon (MT), then cap the weekend against PSU at noon (MT) Sunday, March 14, at the Babette Horenstein Tennis Center in Beaverton. Links to live scoring for both matches can be found at GoGriz.com, with Portland also providing a live video stream of the action.

After defeating the Bobcats 6-1 in the annual Brawl of the Wild match two weeks ago, the Grizzlies now sit atop the Big Sky standings at 1-0 early in the season, with UM's match against ISU considered a nonconference win.

But those wins were, what seems like an eternity ago in the month of February, so the Grizzlies have spent the last two weeks on the practice court trying to hold on to the momentum any win over MSU can provide.

"I think everyone is really excited after those two wins. That was a really great way to start the season, so we've all just been working hard in the two weeks since to keep the momentum going," said junior Alex Walker.

"I think we have a really strong lineup, and the girls have been showing we can get out there and not only compete but win."

The Griz are led by senior Julia Ronney, who enters the weekend with the second-most wins on court one in the Big Sky so far this season at 4-2 in the top position, including a win over Gonzaga No. 1 Kate Ketels that earned her Big Sky Player of the Week honors in February.

Four other Grizzlies, Lauren Dunlap, Maria Goheen, Ivayla Mitkova, and Olivia Oosterbaan, sit at .500 on the season with a 3-3 record in singles, matching Montana's overall team record.

The Pilots bring a young squad into the match against Montana, with six underclassmen on the roster. Sophomore Iva Zelic leads Portland on court one, who sits at 3-1 in singles this season.

With three wins, Portland State enters the weekend looking like an improved squad after being picked to finish ninth in the Big Sky preseason poll. The Vikings will face Montana State Saturday and already count wins over Portland, Linfield, and Seattle University, with a narrow 3-4 loss to the Oregon Ducks on their record.

With two tough matches on tap for UM's trip to Portland, the Grizzlies now must rely on carrying the momentum forward and focus on extending their Big Sky win streak.

"It feels like the Montana State, and Idaho State matches were months ago. We've put in a lot of good work since then, so it will just be really good to get playing again," said head coach Steve Ascher.

"I think more than anything, it's just knowing we're going to go in there and get a battle, so we need to be prepared to compete. It's just getting in that mindset and being ready."

UP NEXT: Big Sky play continues for Montana as the Grizzlies return home to face Weber State on March 27 in Missoula.

University of Montana Athletics

Players Mentioned

Lauren Dunlap

Maria Goheen

Ivayla Mitkova

Olivia Oosterbaan

Julia Ronney

Alex Walker

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