Griz look to punch postseason ticket in final two home matches.

The Montana women's tennis team wraps up its regular season this weekend with a pair of matches at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula, and the stakes are high.

The Grizzlies will host Portland State (8-10, 2-2 BSC) Friday at 9:30 a.m., with the Vikings currently sitting fifth in the Big Sky standings.

On Sunday, the Griz face the last place Eastern Washington Eagles (2-10, 0-4 BSC) in an Easter matinee, also at 9:30 a.m.

At 5-11 on the season and 2-4 in conference play, the Griz enter the weekend sitting sixth in the Big Sky Standings.

With only the top six seeds heading to Phoenix for the conference championship, it's do-or-die time for the Griz.

The Griz enter the match on the heels of a 7-0 loss at altitude in Northern Arizona but are undefeated at home this season with a pair of huge wins over rivals Montana State and Idaho.

A pair of wins against PSU and EWU would make Montana a virtual lock for the postseason tourney, a place they haven't been since 2015.

"I'm really excited. I think the week's been going great training-wise, and we've just continued to get better as the season's gone on. We're making progress," said head coach Steve Ascher.

"Plus, we've got a shot now. We've got a shot to earn a spot at the championship. So that just adds a whole other layer of excitement."

Montana has been buoyed by stellar doubles play this season, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead in five of their last six matches.

The catalyst for UM's doubles has been senior Lauren Dunlap and her partner, sophomore Rosie Sterk. The two have combined to pick up the most wins of any pair in the Big Sky so far this season at 12-4 overall and 5-1 in league play, putting them in the conversation for all-region accolades at the end of the season.

Also set to return from injury this week is freshman Hailey Murphy who is 6-4 in her last 10 singles matches. Senior Maria Goheen has also been strong in the singles mid-lineup with a team-high seven wins.

SPRING FESTIVAL: On Friday, April 7, Montana is hosting a Spring Festival, with women's tennis, men's tennis, softball, and football all competing in Missoula, culminating with the spring football game at 6 p.m. inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Fans are encouraged to make April 7 a day full of Griz Athletics, attending as many Griz sporting events as possible. In fact, fans can collect Easter Eggs at each Griz sporting event that day and redeem their eggs at the spring football game for prizes ranging from Griz apparel to signed merchandise and game tickets. The grand-prize winner will take home a pair of suite tickets to the 2023 Griz-Cat football game on Nov. 18.

Griz look to punch postseason ticket in final two home matches.

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Players Mentioned

Lauren Dunlap

Maria Goheen

Hailey Murphy

Rosie Sterk

University of Montana Athletics