Griz return home seeking postseason bid

A year-long mission to return to the Big Sky Conference championship tournament reaches its zenith this weekend for the Montana Women's tennis team, with a pair of do-or-die home matches that will determine its postseason fate.

The Grizzlies take the court against the perennial powerhouse Idaho Vandals (2-7, 0-2 BSC) on Friday, followed by the league's No. 2-ranked Eastern Washington Eagles (6-8, 2-0 BSC) on Sunday looking to keep their 3-0 home record intact.

With the league split into north and south divisions this season, the Griz (6-4, 1-1 BSC) will need to finish the year undefeated at home if they are to punch their ticket to Phoenix in May to compete for a league title.

The good news: Montana enters the weekend sitting No. 3 in the north division but playing some of its best tennis of the season as winners of five of their last six matches, with their only loss occurring at Portland State.

The bad news: With the Vikings leading the north division at 3-1 and their only loss coming to EWU, the Griz must go two-for-two this weekend if they are to have a chance at claiming that second ticket to Phoenix.

The other good news: Grizzly head coach Steve Ascher, who has been seeking a return to the conference tourney for the last five years, thinks this year's team is up for the challenge.

"I think we're excited. We've had great energy at practice, and we know you can't play for a Big Sky Championship unless you're there. It's impossible," said Ascher.

"I think they've grasped that and taken in the idea of what it takes to get there. They understand that, and they want it."

Like their coach, Montana's players are also full of confidence heading into the weekend, as the team looks to finish above .500 for the first time since 2015.

"We've been building up to this point, and it's coming together. We've all been putting in the work. It's been a good season, we've had some good results, but now we have to put it together this weekend," said sophomore Maria Goheen.

"We've all pushed ourselves, and I think winning this weekend would prove how far we've come as a team."

Montana opens the homestand at the Peak Racquet Club against the Vandals on Friday, April 16, at 1 p.m., and faces the Eagles on Sunday, April 18, at 1:30 p.m. Links to live scoring for both matches can be found at GoGriz.com, and live updates can be found on Twitter and Instagram @MontanaGrizWTEN.

GRIZ TRACKS: Senior ace Julia Ronney will play her final matches in Missoula this week as the Griz celebrate senior day on Sunday against EWU.

• At 8-2 in singles this season, Ronney enters the weekend with the second-best win percentage in the league at 80-percent.

• The San Diego native is the only player in the league to receive the Big Sky Player of the Week award three times this season. The first came in February after she upset Gonzaga No. 1 Kate Ketels 7-6(4), 6-4. The second came after sweeping opponents from Portland and Portland State, and the third came after going undefeated in singles and doubles while clinching a win over Weber State.

• Goheen and freshman Ivayla Mitkova enter the match carrying the second-best records on the team, with Goheen at 6-4 on court four this year and Mitkova 5-4 on five, and 1-0 on six to sit above .500 in her first season.

• Montana enters the weekend's matches coming off a 4-3 win at Montana State to complete a season sweep of the Bobcats, winning over their cross-state rival once in April and once in February to claim this season's Brawl of the Wild point.

• The "cardiac Griz" have won the last two matches 4-3, with Ronney clinching a one-point win over Weber State two weeks before the MSU match.

• Montana won the crucial doubles point in both of those 4-3 wins and swept the doubles round in the win over MSU in February put UM at 4-6 in doubles this season.

SCOUTING THE VANDALS: Idaho comes to Missoula at 2-7 this season and 0-1 in league play, just two years after facing Northern Arizona in the Big Sky title match.

Katherine Jhang leads the Vandals in wins this season with a 6-3 overall singles record. She ranks first in the Big Sky in No. 5 singles win percentage with a 2-0 record. In addition, Jhang is 4-2 on the No. 3 court and 0-1 on the No. 4 court. Her four wins in No. 3 singles is tied for the third-most in the Big Sky.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES: Eastern Washington comes to Missoula Sunday after facing Montana State on Saturday in Bozeman. EWU is riding a three-match win streak, with wins over Idaho (4-3) and a 4-3 upset over Portland State in Cheney to make the race for the top-two seeds in the north an interesting one.

The Eagles are led by Jennifer Kida and Yasmin Mansouri, who are both 7-3 on the season in singles. Kida is 3-0 on court one and 4-3 on two, while Mansouri has played all her matches on six, solidifying the bottom of the Eagle lineup.

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Players Mentioned

Maria Goheen

Ivayla Mitkova

Julia Ronney

University of Montana Athletics