Griz head south for a pair of duals at Air Force

A year ago, almost to the week, the Montana men's tennis team opened the season with one of the biggest upsets in program history, beating Air Force 4-3 for the first time since 2008 in a rare win over a Mountain West opponent.

One upset would lead to another, with the Griz going on to beat Boise State soon after to start a historic season that saw UM enter the national rankings for the first time and go on to win multiple regional and conference accolades.

That win over the Falcons, however, came in the friendly confines of the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula. Now this year's Grizzlies face the tall task of upsetting Air Force for a second-straight year, but this time they have to do it at altitude and on the road at nearly 7,000 feet in Colorado Springs.

After a big momentum-building week, Montana (3-1) returns to the road for a pair of challenging nonconference matches at the Academy. The Griz open the weekend on Friday evening at 5 p.m. against an improved Air Force squad (1-0), followed by a neutral site dual against a surging Abilene Christian (2-1) on Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

Montana heads to the springs on the heels of three straight shut-outs, defeating Whitworth 7-0 in a doubleheader and Eastern Washington 7-0 in a nonconference friendly. That's three matches, 21 wins, and hardly a set dropped between them.

It's also a momentum booster. Proof for the young team without a senior on the roster that good things can happen with preparation and confidence. Now they just have to go prove another upset is possible.

"I think we have nothing to lose. It's just about going out enjoying it," said sophomore Gustav Theilgaard, already one of the team's veteran leaders.

"I feel like we've been improving a lot already. We're such a young team, but improving with every match. So, it's just about keeping that momentum going. And I think we have a good chance against both of these teams."

Head coach Jason Brown has also seen the growth and improvement in a short time out of his young squad as the Griz gear up to make a return to the Big Sky tournament in April. That growth will be put to the test in Colorado Springs as UM takes on the always physical and competitive Falcons and the defending WAC champion Wildcats.

"I think that this team is maturing, on not only a weekly basis but a daily basis. They've now played two matches on the road, they've played a home college duel, and I just think they're embracing what this is all about. That showed up in the results last weekend, and we're really hoping it happens again this weekend with two tougher tests," said Brown.

COVERAGE:  Both of Montana's matches this week will be available to watch via Air Force's court-by-court streaming service. The Falcons will also provide live scoring in the match against UM. No live scoring will be available in the match against the Wildcats, however. Links can be found on Montana's schedule page at GoGriz.com.

WHAT A WEEK FOR SAMMY B: Montana sophomore Sam Baldwin is coming off arguably the best week ever for a Grizzly netter. The native of Brisbane, Australia, cleaned up last week in UM's three wins, going 4-0 overall and 3-0 in singles while playing on the No. 1 court for the first time in his career.

Not only that, maybe the Griz highlight of the year – smashing a between-the-legs winner against Whitworth to land him on ESPN's SportsCenter Top-10 plays of the day.

A day later, Baldwin was named the Big Sky men's tennis Player of the Week for his undefeated efforts against the Pirates and Eagles, the first Player of the Week award of his career.

Baldwin's was the second weekly accolade for Montana in as many weeks this season, with Guillermo Martin taking home the prize after week one when he made a triumphant return to play after a year-long battle with injury to beat his opponent from North Dakota in straight sets.

REPS, REPS, REPS:  Two weeks into the season and five Grizzlies - exactly half of Montana's roster – have played their first-ever college dual matches in maroon and silver, throwing UM's youngsters in the deep end of competitive tennis.

Freshmen Tom Bittner (who carries the team's highest UTR at 12.32), George Russell, Jake Watkins, and Baltazar Wiger-Nordas, and sophomore transfer Fernando Perez have each played in their first dual for the Griz over the last two weeks.

The entire roster got a belly full of tennis last week in the doubleheader at Whitworth and EWU.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS: Air Force enters the weekend having played just one match to date this season, and it was a big one. The Falcons defended their nest, beating the Rice Owls, a Conference USA quarterfinalist a year ago, 4-3 in their season opener.

Led by senior Jonathan Mascagni, the Zoomies return five of the six players that faced Montana in the singles lineup.

"Air Force is incredibly well coached. They're veteran coaches who really get the most out of their players. Obviously, when you're playing Academy kids, you know they're great competitors, high achievers, they're never backing down, they're going to give you all they can on the court and make you work to beat them," Brown added.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: Montana and Abilene Christian have only met once previously in the modern history of the programs, with the Wildcats beating UM 5-2 on the same Academy-neutral court as this week's match back in 2019.

The Griz face another stiff challenge this season, with the Wildcats heading to Colorado Springs as the defending WAC champions, beating No. 1 seed Lamar 4-1 in the conference title match a year ago before falling to the No. 1 ranked Baylor Bears in the NCAA tourney.

This year ACU enters the week with a 2-1 record, having come off a similar weekend of depth-building, beating Lubbock Christian (D-II) and Hardin-Simmons (D-III) 7-0 each and not losing a set along the way.

The Wildcats' one loss was in their season opener against No. 3 Texas Christian. ACU did get one win, however, with Jose Maria Rastrojo taking an upset over TCU's Luke Swan on court six in a 6-1 loss to the Horned Frogs.

"I think on paper Abilene Christian might be better than Air Force. Hopefully they'll struggle to deal with the altitude, and we'll have a little time to settle in before we play them, but we're going to have two really tough matches. And when the schedule came together, that's what we were looking to do. We're going to get tested, figure out where we need to get better, and hopefully get some W's in the process. But if not, we're definitely going to be learning. So, I'm just excited about the challenge," said Brown.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Griz head south again in two weeks, this time to Las Vegas, where UM will pick up another pair of duals against tough competition as Brown looks to increase the level in the leadup to Big Sky play. Montana will take on UNLV on Feb. 10 followed by a neutral site match against UC San Diego the following day.

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Players Mentioned

Sam Baldwin

Tom Bittner

Guillermo Martin

Fernando Perez

George Russell

Gustav Theilgaard

Jake Watkins

Baltazar Wiger-Nordas

University of Montana Athletics