Pudney named Big Sky Player of the Week
2/8/2022 10:43:00 AM | Men's Tennis
After leading the Griz to one of the biggest upsets in program history, Montana senior Ed Pudney has been named the Big Sky Men's Tennis Player of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
Pudney was the clincher for Montana in two matches – going undefeated in doubles and singles on the No. 1 court as the Griz defeated Boise State 4-3 on Friday, and Seattle University 4-0 on Saturday in Boise. The win over the Broncos marked the first for the Grizzlies since BSU and UM were both members of the Big Sky Conference in the early 90's.
He shares the honor as co-player of the week with Idaho State's Patrik Trhac, who led the Bengals to a doubles win over Baylor's No. 18-ranked Bass/Lah pair.
This is the second Player of the Week honor of Pudney's career. Almost a year ago to the week he earned the award after going undefeated against Boise State and Grand Canyon in the same city, and same venue, as this week's sweep.
"Ed deserves this recognition, not only for his stellar performances on the court this weekend but for his leadership and ability to thrive under pressure as well. He stepped up and clinched matches back-to-back at the exact time his team needed him the most," said head coach Jason Brown.
"I couldn't be prouder or ask anything more from a senior playing at number one and representing UM with such grit and class."
In singles, the native of Southend-On-Sea, England, sealed the Grizzlies' 4-3 upset over the Broncos on their home court in come-from-behind fashion.
After dropping the first set, he bounced back to beat Pedro Liborio, the two-time defending Mountain West Freshman of the Week, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, to put UM up for good.
He followed that win up with a straight-set win over Seattle's Filip Stipic (6-2, 6-4) that clinched Montana's 4-0 victory over the Redhawks.
In doubles, he and his partner, fellow senior Oisin Shaffrey, went undefeated on the weekend as well, clinching the opening point for UM against Boise with a 6-4 win over the Broncos' Haas/Marquardt pair and a 6-1 win over Seattle's Krause/Frank pair.
Pudney is 3-1 in singles and 4-0 in doubles as an individual so far this spring season on the No. 1 court. He's building on a fall tournament season where he went 11-1 in singles and 8-3 in doubles to give him a 14-2 and 12-3 overall record in the 2021-22 academic year.
This is the second Big Sky Player of the Week for the Grizzlies this season. Junior Lawrence Sciglitano earned the league's weekly award on Jan. 18 after going undefeated in Montana's opening weekend wins over Air Force and Eastern Washington.
The Griz, now 4-0 on the season, return to action this weekend with a pair of home matches at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula. Montana will host Whitman on Friday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. and Whitworth on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 9 a.m. Both matches are free and open to the public.
Pudney was the clincher for Montana in two matches – going undefeated in doubles and singles on the No. 1 court as the Griz defeated Boise State 4-3 on Friday, and Seattle University 4-0 on Saturday in Boise. The win over the Broncos marked the first for the Grizzlies since BSU and UM were both members of the Big Sky Conference in the early 90's.
He shares the honor as co-player of the week with Idaho State's Patrik Trhac, who led the Bengals to a doubles win over Baylor's No. 18-ranked Bass/Lah pair.
This is the second Player of the Week honor of Pudney's career. Almost a year ago to the week he earned the award after going undefeated against Boise State and Grand Canyon in the same city, and same venue, as this week's sweep.
"Ed deserves this recognition, not only for his stellar performances on the court this weekend but for his leadership and ability to thrive under pressure as well. He stepped up and clinched matches back-to-back at the exact time his team needed him the most," said head coach Jason Brown.
"I couldn't be prouder or ask anything more from a senior playing at number one and representing UM with such grit and class."
In singles, the native of Southend-On-Sea, England, sealed the Grizzlies' 4-3 upset over the Broncos on their home court in come-from-behind fashion.
After dropping the first set, he bounced back to beat Pedro Liborio, the two-time defending Mountain West Freshman of the Week, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, to put UM up for good.
He followed that win up with a straight-set win over Seattle's Filip Stipic (6-2, 6-4) that clinched Montana's 4-0 victory over the Redhawks.
In doubles, he and his partner, fellow senior Oisin Shaffrey, went undefeated on the weekend as well, clinching the opening point for UM against Boise with a 6-4 win over the Broncos' Haas/Marquardt pair and a 6-1 win over Seattle's Krause/Frank pair.
Pudney is 3-1 in singles and 4-0 in doubles as an individual so far this spring season on the No. 1 court. He's building on a fall tournament season where he went 11-1 in singles and 8-3 in doubles to give him a 14-2 and 12-3 overall record in the 2021-22 academic year.
This is the second Big Sky Player of the Week for the Grizzlies this season. Junior Lawrence Sciglitano earned the league's weekly award on Jan. 18 after going undefeated in Montana's opening weekend wins over Air Force and Eastern Washington.
The Griz, now 4-0 on the season, return to action this weekend with a pair of home matches at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula. Montana will host Whitman on Friday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. and Whitworth on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 9 a.m. Both matches are free and open to the public.
Players Mentioned
Thursday, August 27
Tuesday, August 25
Tuesday, August 25
Saturday, August 22
