Griz/Cats for a chance at the postseason on tap Saturday

Montana men's tennis grad transfer Chase Bartlett remembers playing in the "Battle of the Saints" for his former school of St. Edward's in Texas when his Hilltoppers would square off against their rival, the St. Mary's Rattlers.

And even though any rivalry in any sport brings out the best in its competitors, he says it never really had that FEELING of a rivalry.

You know that feeling. It's the feeling you get when Bobcats come to Missoula with a trip to the postseason on the line. The kind of rivalry feeling that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

In his short time at UM, Bartlett hasn't yet experienced a Griz/Cat rivalry on the football field or basketball court, but this week, he's getting that feeling, and this rivalry scenario has everything you could want.

The Montana men's tennis team (8-10, 2-1 BSC) caps its regular season at home against Montana State (4-8, 1-2 BSC) on senior day this week, with the Grizzlies needing a win to have a chance at advancing to the Big Sky Championship tournament in Phoenix.

Griz versus Cats for a trip to the postseason, with the added emotion of senior day thrown in. Now that feels like a rivalry.

"A win would mean the world to me. This is the one thing you play for the whole season, finishing on a great note against a rival," says Bartlett.

"I'm just really grateful to have the chance to go out and play with a group of guys that I love against a big rival on senior day. It's extremely exciting for me, and I couldn't be happier."

Bartlett isn't the only Grizzly raring to go against the Bobcats too. Even with several internationals on the squad, the emphasis placed on this match from head coach Jason Brown is loud and clear.

"We don't have to give any motivational speeches on Griz/Cat week. Even the freshman understand," says Brown.

"These guys all love sports. They understand rivalries and what it means for us to get after the Bobcats."

THE MATCH: Montana will look to keep its two-year home win streak alive as the Griz and Cats square off on the indoor courts at the PEAK Racquet Club on Saturday, April 24, at 3 p.m. with an all-important Brawl of the Wild series point on the line.

IMPLICATIONS: At 2-1 in league play, the Grizzlies will need a win over the Bobcats for a chance to advance to the Big Sky tourney. With a win, UM will join Portland State and Idaho at 3-1, with a tiebreaker over Idaho in their back pocket.

LAST TIME OUT: Montana took care of business at home once again last week with a clean 6-1 win over last-place Eastern Washington on April 17. The week before that, the Griz picked up one of their biggest wins of the year, bouncing back to beat Idaho 4-3 to enter this week's match with MSU on a two-match win streak.

As winners of five of their last seven, including an upset over #62 Gonzaga, Brown thinks the Griz are playing their best tennis of the year, right when it counts.

"I think the level we've been playing at the last few weeks has honestly been one of the highest in the conference," Brown added.

"I think we're peaking at the right time. In what's been a bit of an up and down season where maybe not all the guys have played their best at the same time, it's coming together right when it's supposed to at the end of April. So, I'm excited about our prospects."

LAST MEETING: Adding to the spiciness of this rivalry battle is an underlying revenge factor as well.

Montana and Montana State didn't get the chance to play in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the pandemic.

But the last time the match was played, Montana State defended its home court in Bozeman with a 4-3 win over the Grizzlies in April of 2019.

UM has had the best of its cross-state rival in recent years, however, with the Griz holding a 10-2 series advantage dating back to the beginning of the 2014 season.

"I think this is probably the most confident we've been all season. We had a really tough year, a lot of challenges that came and went, and we had some results that weren't that great. But the past couple of weeks, we've definitely turned it around. We've got that feeling that the whole team can win on any given day, and I think Saturday can be that day," said Bartlett.

GRIZ TRACKS: Junior Oisin Shaffrey earned Montana's Big Sky Player of the Week nomination last week after going undefeated in singles and doubles against EWU.

Shaffrey moved up to court No. 1 against the Eagles after playing the last eight matches on court two or three. He didn't miss a beat, either, defeating EWU's Manuel Balce in straight sets 6-5, 6-2 in singles, and cruising to a 6-1 win in doubles with his partner Ed Pudney.

Now at 9-6 in singles, Shaffrey enters Saturday's match with Montana's most wins overall and is undefeated in Big Sky play at 3-0. It's also now the third-straight season he's racked up nine singles wins or more.

HOME COOKIN': Montana enters the match at 4-0 at home this season, 8-0 in Missoula over the past two seasons, and 13-2 since the start of the 2019 season. The Griz are riding a 10-match undefeated streak at home, with their last home loss coming at the hands of Sacramento State in April of 2019.

DREAM DOUBLES: As a team, the Grizzlies have won just eight doubles points this season but are getting veteran performances from some of the team's youngest players.

Freshmen Guillermo Martin and Moritz Stoeger are 3-1 as a doubles pair this season and 14-6 combined in the opening point. Martin carries the best doubles win percentage as an individual, winning five of his six matches.

As a whole, the bottom of UM's doubles lineup has been its strongest, with UM sitting at 11-5 on court number three.

Griz/Cats for a chance at the postseason on tap Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Chase Bartlett

Guillermo Martin

Ed Pudney

Oisin Shaffrey

Moritz Stoeger

University of Montana Athletics