Griz host Cats in Brawl of the Wild Tennis

It's been 336 days since the Montana women's tennis team last played in Missoula, dating back nearly a full calendar year to the 2022 season finale on April 9. Since that day, they've played 11 duals on the road this spring and competed in five fall tournaments.

That all changes this week when the Griz return to their home courts at the Peak Racquet Club, and they couldn't ask for a bigger homecoming match.

On Saturday (March 11), Montana will play perhaps its biggest dual of the year when the Montana State Bobcats come to town, with serves going up at high noon.

On top of bragging rights and a Brawl of the Wild point, this year's match carries extra weight, with both teams searching for their first Big Sky win of the season and both looking to make long-awaited returns to the conference championship tournament.

The Griz (3-8, 0-2 BSC) take the court looking for their first D-I win but are coming off a narrow loss to Sacramento State that featured a win in the doubles round.

Likewise, Montana State (3-6, 0-1 BSC) is also coming off a narrow loss at Sac State, having played the Hornets the same day as the Griz in a Sac doubleheader.

On paper, Saturday's match looks to be even - similar scores against common opponents. And with six of the last nine meetings between the two rivals coming down to a 4-3 decision, this year's Brawl looks like it will fit the bill.

Even though Montana holds an 8-4 overall advantage over the Cats in the last decade, the determining factor could come down to UM's home-court advantage at the Peak, with the Griz sitting 4-1 against MSU in the building over the last 10 years.

For redshirt senior Lauren Dunlap, Saturday's match will be the last regular season Griz/Cat match of her career, and she's counting on the friendly confines to help the team.

"I'm really excited. I'm so happy my last time playing them will be at home. We have a lot of people coming to watch, and everyone's really excited to be back home," said Dunlap.

"I think this is the best team we've had since I've been here. We have a lot of skill in the whole lineup. So, I think if everyone just plays their game, we'll be alright. I can't wait. It's going to be fun to play at home."

While Montana holds a comfortable lead in the series over the past decade, the Griz enter Saturday's match looking to avenge a 3-4 loss in Bozeman last year where UM started behind after a loss in the doubles round.

All three Grizzlies to pick up a win in that match return this season, however. Grace Haugen bounced back to beat Marta Garcia-Reboredo in three sets, while Olivia Oosterbaan and Maria Goheen each won in straights.

Following a competitive loss at Sacramento, head coach Steve Ascher believes the Griz are starting to reach their potential.

"I think we just need to keep building that competitive culture all the way through one through six singles. Everyone's effort has been great. We just need to find the next step and get over the finish line. So, that's why we're excited," Ascher said.

"We've been competing really well on the road. So, it's always nice to come back into the home environment and get back in the win column."

COVERAGE: Montana will provide live scoring of the match, with links available on the team schedule page of GoGriz.com. Live updates are also available on Twitter and Instagram @MontanaGrizWTEN.

GRIZ TRACKS: Dunlap and her partner Rosie Sterk have been a bright spot for the Griz in doubles this season. The two enter the match sitting at 8-3 on the season, 3-1 on court one, and 5-2 on court two.

Goheen has tallied Montana's best singles record at 5-4 overall and is coming off a strong 6-0, 6-3, straight sets win over Sacramento State's Grave McSkimming.

SCOUTING THE CATS: Montana State is led by first-year head coach Suzie Woodburn, who moved to Bozeman in August of last year after serving as an assistant at Wisconsin for seven seasons and an assistant at Boise State prior to that.

MSU No. 1 Garcia-Reboredo, the 2022 Big Sky Freshman of the Year comes to Missoula with an 8-7 record in singles and 7-8 in doubles this season.

UP NEXT: The Griz take off for another pair of challenging road matches next week, heading to Utah for a conference dual at Weber State followed by a bonus match at Utah State.

Weber State was picked second in the Big Sky preseason poll this year. With Montana picked fifth, the Griz have a brutal road slate in 2023, having to face all four teams picked ahead of them on the road. UM will be looking for an upset in Ogden, currently sitting 0-2 against higher-ranked teams, having already lost at Idaho State (4th) and Sac State (3rd).

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Players Mentioned

Lauren Dunlap

Maria Goheen

Grace Haugen

Olivia Oosterbaan

Rosie Sterk

University of Montana Athletics