Griz men finalize spring tennis schedule
12/15/2022 3:20:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Montana men's tennis team will play six home matches and 23 total duals in 2023, with the season opener set for the second week of January in Missoula, head coach Jason Brown announced Thursday.
After a semifinal appearance in the Big Sky tourney a year ago, the Griz look to return to the conference tournament yet again in 2023 with a young but talented squad without a single senior on the roster.
Montana opens the season at the start of the spring semester at UM, with former conference foe North Dakota coming to Missoula on Saturday, Jan. 14, with serves from the Peak Racquet Club going up at 10:30 AM.
The Griz then head west for a doubleheader at Whitworth in Spokane and a nonconference match at Eastern Washington.
Montana then caps the month of January in Colorado, looking to pick up another upset at Air Force and a neutral site dual against Abilene Christian at the Academy in Colorado Springs. The Griz picked up a rare win over the Falcons 4-3 in Missoula last season en route to a 15-5 year and a 7-1 home record.
UM then travels to Vegas for another twofer, facing UNLV at home on Feb. 10 then UC San Diego the following day.
The Griz then return to Washington for a pair of matches, facing Whitman in Walla Walla on Feb. 17 and Gonzaga in Spokane on Feb. 19. They travel to California a week later to face UC Davis on Feb. 24 before opening conference play at Sacramento State the following day.
Also highlighting the nonconference schedule is a home doubleheader against Lewis-Clark State and a trip to Boise to take on San Francisco and Boise State in early March.
"I really think the nonconference schedule came together nicely," said Brown.
"We're continuing to keep alive some regional rivalries like Boise State and Gonzaga, and we open with a former Big Sky opponent at home with North Dakota in Missoula. I feel like it came together nicely and we'll get good prep for our conference matches."
Montana plays a challenging conference road schedule in '23, opening the year against the Hornets before traveling to play at Weber State and Idaho State in late March.
The Griz then play three of their final four conference matches at home, hosting the defending conference champion Idaho Vandals on April 7 and Portland State the following day. They then travel to face the always-difficult Northern Arizona before capping the regular season at home against Montana State in the Brawl of the Wild match on April 22.
"This is a tough road schedule for us this year. I think NAU and Sac State are both right at the top of the league along with Idaho, and they're both really tough places to play with one being at sea level and one at 7,000 feet. So, yeah, it'll be challenging on the road for sure," added Brown.
"They're all going to be tough outs. Weber and Idaho State are both good too, so all four of those matches on the road are going to be really difficult for us."
The home-court advantage should help Montana build momentum heading into the Big Sky Championship tournament, once again set for April. 27-29 at the Phoenix Tennis Center in Phoenix, Ariz.
Montana has produced a stellar home record under Brown, sitting at 28-3 inside the Peak since he took over in 2018 and going 24-11 in Big Sky play in that same stretch.
With Montana searching for redemption after suffering 2-5 losses to both Idaho and Montana State last season, the Griz will need every ounce of home-court advantage they can muster.
"We've had such a great run here at home. That's essential for us and I think the guys, the returners especially, feel really confident inside The Peak. A lot of them haven't lost a match at home. But we still have our work cut out for us."
Montana Men's Tennis 2022 Schedule
After a semifinal appearance in the Big Sky tourney a year ago, the Griz look to return to the conference tournament yet again in 2023 with a young but talented squad without a single senior on the roster.
Montana opens the season at the start of the spring semester at UM, with former conference foe North Dakota coming to Missoula on Saturday, Jan. 14, with serves from the Peak Racquet Club going up at 10:30 AM.
The Griz then head west for a doubleheader at Whitworth in Spokane and a nonconference match at Eastern Washington.
Montana then caps the month of January in Colorado, looking to pick up another upset at Air Force and a neutral site dual against Abilene Christian at the Academy in Colorado Springs. The Griz picked up a rare win over the Falcons 4-3 in Missoula last season en route to a 15-5 year and a 7-1 home record.
UM then travels to Vegas for another twofer, facing UNLV at home on Feb. 10 then UC San Diego the following day.
The Griz then return to Washington for a pair of matches, facing Whitman in Walla Walla on Feb. 17 and Gonzaga in Spokane on Feb. 19. They travel to California a week later to face UC Davis on Feb. 24 before opening conference play at Sacramento State the following day.
Also highlighting the nonconference schedule is a home doubleheader against Lewis-Clark State and a trip to Boise to take on San Francisco and Boise State in early March.
"I really think the nonconference schedule came together nicely," said Brown.
"We're continuing to keep alive some regional rivalries like Boise State and Gonzaga, and we open with a former Big Sky opponent at home with North Dakota in Missoula. I feel like it came together nicely and we'll get good prep for our conference matches."
Montana plays a challenging conference road schedule in '23, opening the year against the Hornets before traveling to play at Weber State and Idaho State in late March.
The Griz then play three of their final four conference matches at home, hosting the defending conference champion Idaho Vandals on April 7 and Portland State the following day. They then travel to face the always-difficult Northern Arizona before capping the regular season at home against Montana State in the Brawl of the Wild match on April 22.
"This is a tough road schedule for us this year. I think NAU and Sac State are both right at the top of the league along with Idaho, and they're both really tough places to play with one being at sea level and one at 7,000 feet. So, yeah, it'll be challenging on the road for sure," added Brown.
"They're all going to be tough outs. Weber and Idaho State are both good too, so all four of those matches on the road are going to be really difficult for us."
The home-court advantage should help Montana build momentum heading into the Big Sky Championship tournament, once again set for April. 27-29 at the Phoenix Tennis Center in Phoenix, Ariz.
Montana has produced a stellar home record under Brown, sitting at 28-3 inside the Peak since he took over in 2018 and going 24-11 in Big Sky play in that same stretch.
With Montana searching for redemption after suffering 2-5 losses to both Idaho and Montana State last season, the Griz will need every ounce of home-court advantage they can muster.
"We've had such a great run here at home. That's essential for us and I think the guys, the returners especially, feel really confident inside The Peak. A lot of them haven't lost a match at home. But we still have our work cut out for us."
Montana Men's Tennis 2022 Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
| 1.14 | North Dakota | Missoula, Mont. | 10:30 AM |
| 1.21 | @ Whitworth (DH) | Spokane, Wash. | 11 AM & 3 PM (MT) |
| 1.22 | @ Eastern Washington | Cheney, Wash. | 1 PM (MT) |
| 1.27 | @ Air Force | USAF Academy, Colo. | 5 PM |
| 1.28 | vs Abilene Christian | USAF Academy, Colo. | Noon |
| 2.10 | @ UNLV | Las Vegas, Nev. | 2 PM (MT) |
| 2.11 | vs UC San Diego | Las Vegas, Nev. | 1 PM (MT) |
| 2.17 | @ Whitman | Walla Walla, Wash. | 3 PM (MT) |
| 2.19 | @ Gonzaga | Spokane, Wash. | 1 PM (MT) |
| 2.24 | @ UC Davis | Davis, Calif. | 3 PM (MT) |
| 2.25 | @ Sacramento State* | Sacramento, Calif. | 2 PM (MT) |
| 3.5 | Eastern Washington* | Missoula, Mont. | Noon |
| 3.12 | Lewis-Clark State (DH) | Missoula, Mont. | 9:30 AM & 1 PM |
| 3.18 | vs San Francisco | Boise, Idaho | Noon |
| 3.19 | @ Boise State | Boise, Idaho | 10 AM |
| 3.24 | @ Weber State* | Ogden, Utah | 11:30 AM |
| 3.26 | @ Idaho State* | Pocatello, Idaho | 11 AM |
| 4.7 | Idaho* | Missoula, Mont. | 11 AM |
| 4.8 | Portland State* | Missoula, Mont. | Noon |
| 4.16 | @ Northern Arizona* | Flagstaff, Ariz. | Noon |
| 4.22 | Montana State* | Missoula, Mont. | 2 PM |
| 4.27-29 | Big Sky Championship | Phoenix, Airz. | All Day |
Monday, August 10
Monday, August 03
Friday, June 19
Thursday, June 04
