Griz fall short in battle with Vikings at Big Sky Tourney

Thursday, April 27

Phoenix, Ariz.

9 AM (MT)

Montana

Portland State

Griz fall short in battle with Vikings at Big Sky Tourney

4/27/2023 3:03:00 PM | Women's Tennis

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By: Montana Sports Information

Freshman Hailey Murphy picked up a win in her first-ever Big Sky Conference women's tournament appearance to highlight Montana's 4-1 loss to No. 3 Portland State in the quarterfinal round on Thursday at the Phoenix Tennis Center.

The No. 6 seed Griz dropped two narrow sets in the doubles round before sending four of the six singles matches to a third set in a dual played to clinch that was closer than the score line would indicate.

With momentum and a lead in hand in the two matches left unfinished, the Griz might have been knocking on the door for a win had the dual to clinch played out in the team's first tournament appearance in nearly a decade.

"They did so well. Just the way they held themselves and competed, it was a really fun match to be a part of. We played so much better than when we competed against them in the regular season, too," said head coach Steve Ascher.

The Griz cap the season at 6-13 overall and 3-5 in conference play, boasting wins over rivals Montana State, Idaho, and Eastern Washington. Portland State now moves on to face No. 2 seed Weber State in the tournament semifinal on Friday as the highest remaining seed to emerge from the quarterfinal.

In doubles, Montana fought tooth and nail in the opening round but took two narrow losses on courts one and three to give the opening point to the Vikings.

Lauren Dunlap and Rosie Sterk, one of the Big Sky's winningest doubles pairs, were upended for the second time this season by the Viking's Ponomareva/Sanoner pair, falling 6-4 on court one in the first finish of the morning.

The Grizzly duo finishes the season at 13-6 together on the year, tied for the most wins in the league and putting them in contention for all-conference honors.

Olivia Oosterbaan and Hailey Murphy then lost 6-4 to PSU's Ohara/Rees pair on court three to clinch the point for the Vikings.

Meanwhile, on court two, Maria Goheen and Grace Haugen were leading 6-5 in a battle with Portland State's Beukers/Arendt pair on court two when play was stopped.

In singles, PSU picked up two more quick team points with straight-set wins on courts one and two. Viking grad transfer Mariya Ponomareva, who has been making a case for conference MVP at 6-1 in league play, knocked off UM sophomore Grace Haugen 6-1, 6-1 in the top flight to put PSU up 2-0.

Shortly after, Elizabeth Strongina put the Vikings up 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Oosterbaan on court two.

Murphy was the next to finish, rallying from a first set loss to beat Nika Beukers 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on court three to get the Griz on the board in the team score 3-1.

In a marathon dual that lasted nearly three hours, Portland State sealed the win at 4-1 on court four, where Makoto Ohara won her second and third sets to beat Lauren Dunlap in a squeaker, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

In matches left unfinished, Maria Goheen won her second set 7-5 to force a third on court five, while freshman Shivika Agrawal sent her second set to a tiebreaker on court six when the match was called.

With the Grizzlies a former regular at the conference tournament, Ascher reflects on his team's first trip to the tourney since 2015, and with two seniors returning for a fifth season in 2024, he sees the tide turning for the Griz as they look to become regulars once again.

"It's really hard to change things like cultures, relationships, and directions. We talk about a lot in books, but it's hard to put into action. So, getting back to conference was a great step for the program. For them to go there and realize what it's like and know if we continue to grow, learn, and develop, we can win matches here," Ascher added.

"It just planted those seeds in the team and is giving them direction and goals so they know what they have to do to get to this level and push to that next level. So, I'm excited. They're obviously down and bummed, but they also realize how far they've come and how far they still have to go."