Griz open season with 7-0 sweep of Eagles

Friday, January 14

Missoula, Mont.

12:30 PM

Montana

Eastern Washington

1/14/2022 4:23:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana Men's tennis team opened up the spring season with a bang Friday afternoon at the PEAK Racquet Club in Missoula, beating the Eastern Washington Eagles in its season opener 7-0 in a nonconference dual.

The Griz (1-0) made quick work of the Eagles (0-1), winning five of the six singles points in straight sets and sweeping the doubles round.

With a mixed lineup of senior experience and new faces, Montana's Lawrence Sciglitano, Gustav Theilgaard, and Sam Baldwin each picked up their first wins in maroon and silver.

"It was a good start to the season. We had some nerves to start out, but everyone played well. It's nice that three guys got their first Grizzly win, which is always a cool experience. The returners played like veterans who've been here and played a lot of matches here inside the PEAK," said head coach Jason Brown.

Gallery: (1-14-2022) MTEN:: vs EWU 1.14.22

The team started the day off strong after clinching the first point in doubles with each pair coming away with a win. Seniors Ed Pudney and Oisin Shaffrey picked up the first victory of the day for UM, beating Eastern's Doumen/Sarlvik pair, 6-3 on court one.

Sciglitano and Moritz Stoeger clinched the doubles point for the Griz, winning 6-3 over EWU's Dillon/Thomas duo. Theilgaard and his partner, senior Pontus Hallgren, wrapped up the doubles matches with a 7-5 win over the Eagles' Mueller/Paz pair for a Grizzly sweep.

"The doubles point is such a key in the college tennis format. I thought the teams played really well. For the two seniors, they've played together a lot over the course of their careers. For the two other teams, they're essentially brand new. It's nice they came out of the gate strong," added Brown.

Montana then carried the momentum of the doubles win into the singles round, not allowing EWU to win more than two games in a set in the first two matches.

Pudney was dominant on court one, starting off singles with a win in straight sets (6-2, 6-2) over Eastern's Wout Doumen.

Sciglitano extended UM's lead to three after defeating EWU's Steven Paz 6-1, 6-1 in straight sets on the third court.

Theilgaard then picked up the first dual singles win of his UM career on court four, beating Erik Sarlvik in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. The freshman's win put the Griz up 4-0 over the Eagles and sealed the win for Montana.

On court two, Shaffrey rebounded to come out on top after dropping the only set of the day for the Griz against EWU's Jeremy Mueller, posting scores of 6-1, 2-6, and 6-1.

Keeping the momentum, Stoeger gave Montana its sixth point of the day, winning in straight sets (6-1, 6-3) over the Eagles' Drew Dillon.

Baldwin allowed for the Griz to shut Eastern out after clinching a win over Brady Thomas in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 on court seven for the final UM win of the day.

Montana returns to action Sunday afternoon, hosting Air Force in Missoula for the first time in program history. The Griz and Falcons match is set to get underway at Noon at the PEAK, with free admission for all fans.