Saturday, January 20
Missoula, Mont.
10:30 AM
Montana
vs
Whitworth
Photo by: Derek Johnson
Men’s tennis opens season with home doubleheader on Saturday
1/19/2024 5:12:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The snow may still be falling but the college tennis season officially gets underway in Missoula on Saturday as Montana's men's team knocks the lid of its 2024 schedule less than a week into the new semester.
The Grizzlies get the luxury of opening the year at home as well, taking on the Whitworth Pirates in a nonconference doubleheader at the Peak Racquet Club south of Missoula on Blue Mountain Road.
The first match of the day gets underway at 10:30 a.m., with the second starting at approximately 2 p.m. Both matches at the Peak are open to the public and admission is free. Links to live scoring for both matches are available at GoGriz.com/MTEN.
The Griz enter the year coming off a 10-12 season that saw them return to the Big Sky Conference championship tournament in Phoenix for the 31st time in 32 years in 2023 – despite it being a rebuilding year with a youthful roster.
The D-III Pirates are in their first season under new head coach Daniel Redfern and are coming off an 8-11 season where they went 3-11 in the Northwest Conference but return nearly the entire roster.
For the Grizzlies, the early matches are a chance to turn their focus inward, however, as they look to shake off the holiday rust and prepare for the Big Sky duals season.
"We just want to get a couple of matches in to assess where we're at. Everybody will get some reps, we'll mix up some doubles teams, and just get our feet under us early in the early in the semester. Then we'll have a nice two-week training block before we play another couple home matches," said head coach Jason Brown.
"I really liked the start of the schedule, and we'll just see where everybody's at. I'm not too concerned about results as much as just making sure everybody's fit, healthy, and competing in the right ways."
Montana returns to the courts for the first time as a team since capping the fall tournament season at Gonzaga's Bulldog Classic in Spokane in early November.
It was one of three fall tournaments last year that saw the young Grizzlies surpass expectations. The bulk of the roster also kept active over winter, playing tournaments in their hometowns.
"The guys all worked really hard over the break, got a lot of quality reps, and have come back really focused," said Brown.
"I think the fall was one of the best we've ever had, culturally speaking. We have a group of guys who just want to work hard together, so I've got high hopes that we're not going to get out-competed this season.
"I'm excited to bring back a little bit of the underdog mentality that served us well my first few years here, where we kind of played with a chip on our shoulder and got overlooked a little. We want to get back to playing like we've got something to prove every match out, which is just part of the evolution of trying to push the program to a higher level."
A GLIMPSE AT THE GRIZ: Back to lead Montana are the senior/redshirt-junior duo of Guillermo Martin and Moritz Stoeger who were an all-conference doubles pair in their freshmen season.
Martin was one of Montana's biggest standouts of the fall season, winning the Eagle singles draw at Air Force's Bedford Cup tourney and beating the No. 1 seed team from BYU en route to a main draw doubles semifinal appearance with his partner, junior Fernando Perez.
Rangy sophomore Tom Bittner, a 6-5 German with a powerful serve, is also a returning all-conference performer, earning a doubles honorable mention after his freshman year with a 10-5 record.
Fellow sophomore Baltazar Wiger-Nordas also returns this season after posting the best singles winning percentage for the Griz as a freshman, finishing the year at 9-3 overall.
FRESH FACES: Brown added a new face to the Montana lineup over the winter break, with true freshman Dragos Bucurescu (Boo-ca-RES-CUE) added to the lineup mid-year. Bucarescu comes to Missoula from Bucharest where he was one of the top-rated youth players in Romania with a 22.1 ITF rating.
"He's a great fit culturally for us and has absolutely hit the ground running, making friends and fans everywhere he goes. He's just a great team guy. In the week he's been here I couldn't be more impressed with his attention to detail, work ethic and just willingness to do what it takes to get better. So, I'm excited about his future here," said Brown.
Montana added another new face to the team in the fall in New Zealander Chris Zhang, who transferred to UM from North Alabama. Zhang made an immediate impact for the Griz as well, winning the West doubles draw with his partner Bittner at Air Force.
GRIZ IN THE POLLS: After bowing out of the conference tourney in the first round a year ago, coaches around the Big Sky have tabbed the Griz to finish in a tie for fifth on the league table with Weber State in 2024.
Montana will have a leg up on the top half of the table, however, with four of the five teams ahead of, or tied with in the preseason poll having to travel to Missoula to face the Griz.
NAU, Sacramento State, Idaho State, and Weber State will all have to face UM at the Peak, a place where Brown and the Griz hold an immaculate 32-5 record since 2018. Montana will play a total of eight home matches this season.
For the fifth time in six seasons, Northern Arizona was picked to win the Big Sky title.
2024 Big Sky Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Northern Arizona (6) – 62
2. Sacramento State (3) – 59
3. Idaho State – 45
4. Idaho – 40
T5. Montana – 35
T5. Weber State – 35
7. Montana State – 21
8. Portland State – 19
9. Eastern Washington – 8
* - First-Place Votes in Parentheses
COACH BROWN EXTENDED: Brown received recognition for the success his Grizzlies have had on the court and in the classroom since taking the reins of the program in 2018, signing a new three-year contract to led the Griz through the 2026 season in October. Under Brown, Montana has amassed a 64-50 overall record in dual matches, gone 26-16 in conference play, and won 86 percent of its home matches.
His teams have notched several program firsts, including an ITA national doubles pair ranking and an ITA team ranking as high as No. 62 in the nation. Individuals have also found extraordinary success like Big Sky MVP in Ed Pudney, who finished his career ranked No. 14 in the Mountain Region (another team best), and Oisin Shaffrey, who won the Grizzly Cup for UM's top overall student-athlete.
In the classroom, men's tennis has now won five-straight Dusten Hollist Awards for the best team grades in Grizzly Athletics and claimed the first-ever Big Sky Academic Championship in July with an astounding 3.81 cumulative GPA for the 2022-23 school year.
UP NEXT: Montana returns to the friendly confines of the Peak Racquet Club the first weekend of February for a pair on nonconference duals against Eastern Washington and the visiting Grand Canyon Antelopes. GCU and the Eagles will play a neutral site match while in Missoula as well.
The Grizzlies get the luxury of opening the year at home as well, taking on the Whitworth Pirates in a nonconference doubleheader at the Peak Racquet Club south of Missoula on Blue Mountain Road.
The first match of the day gets underway at 10:30 a.m., with the second starting at approximately 2 p.m. Both matches at the Peak are open to the public and admission is free. Links to live scoring for both matches are available at GoGriz.com/MTEN.
The Griz enter the year coming off a 10-12 season that saw them return to the Big Sky Conference championship tournament in Phoenix for the 31st time in 32 years in 2023 – despite it being a rebuilding year with a youthful roster.
The D-III Pirates are in their first season under new head coach Daniel Redfern and are coming off an 8-11 season where they went 3-11 in the Northwest Conference but return nearly the entire roster.
For the Grizzlies, the early matches are a chance to turn their focus inward, however, as they look to shake off the holiday rust and prepare for the Big Sky duals season.
"We just want to get a couple of matches in to assess where we're at. Everybody will get some reps, we'll mix up some doubles teams, and just get our feet under us early in the early in the semester. Then we'll have a nice two-week training block before we play another couple home matches," said head coach Jason Brown.
"I really liked the start of the schedule, and we'll just see where everybody's at. I'm not too concerned about results as much as just making sure everybody's fit, healthy, and competing in the right ways."
Montana returns to the courts for the first time as a team since capping the fall tournament season at Gonzaga's Bulldog Classic in Spokane in early November.
It was one of three fall tournaments last year that saw the young Grizzlies surpass expectations. The bulk of the roster also kept active over winter, playing tournaments in their hometowns.
"The guys all worked really hard over the break, got a lot of quality reps, and have come back really focused," said Brown.
"I think the fall was one of the best we've ever had, culturally speaking. We have a group of guys who just want to work hard together, so I've got high hopes that we're not going to get out-competed this season.
"I'm excited to bring back a little bit of the underdog mentality that served us well my first few years here, where we kind of played with a chip on our shoulder and got overlooked a little. We want to get back to playing like we've got something to prove every match out, which is just part of the evolution of trying to push the program to a higher level."
A GLIMPSE AT THE GRIZ: Back to lead Montana are the senior/redshirt-junior duo of Guillermo Martin and Moritz Stoeger who were an all-conference doubles pair in their freshmen season.
Martin was one of Montana's biggest standouts of the fall season, winning the Eagle singles draw at Air Force's Bedford Cup tourney and beating the No. 1 seed team from BYU en route to a main draw doubles semifinal appearance with his partner, junior Fernando Perez.
Rangy sophomore Tom Bittner, a 6-5 German with a powerful serve, is also a returning all-conference performer, earning a doubles honorable mention after his freshman year with a 10-5 record.
Fellow sophomore Baltazar Wiger-Nordas also returns this season after posting the best singles winning percentage for the Griz as a freshman, finishing the year at 9-3 overall.
FRESH FACES: Brown added a new face to the Montana lineup over the winter break, with true freshman Dragos Bucurescu (Boo-ca-RES-CUE) added to the lineup mid-year. Bucarescu comes to Missoula from Bucharest where he was one of the top-rated youth players in Romania with a 22.1 ITF rating.
"He's a great fit culturally for us and has absolutely hit the ground running, making friends and fans everywhere he goes. He's just a great team guy. In the week he's been here I couldn't be more impressed with his attention to detail, work ethic and just willingness to do what it takes to get better. So, I'm excited about his future here," said Brown.
Montana added another new face to the team in the fall in New Zealander Chris Zhang, who transferred to UM from North Alabama. Zhang made an immediate impact for the Griz as well, winning the West doubles draw with his partner Bittner at Air Force.
GRIZ IN THE POLLS: After bowing out of the conference tourney in the first round a year ago, coaches around the Big Sky have tabbed the Griz to finish in a tie for fifth on the league table with Weber State in 2024.
Montana will have a leg up on the top half of the table, however, with four of the five teams ahead of, or tied with in the preseason poll having to travel to Missoula to face the Griz.
NAU, Sacramento State, Idaho State, and Weber State will all have to face UM at the Peak, a place where Brown and the Griz hold an immaculate 32-5 record since 2018. Montana will play a total of eight home matches this season.
For the fifth time in six seasons, Northern Arizona was picked to win the Big Sky title.
2024 Big Sky Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Northern Arizona (6) – 62
2. Sacramento State (3) – 59
3. Idaho State – 45
4. Idaho – 40
T5. Montana – 35
T5. Weber State – 35
7. Montana State – 21
8. Portland State – 19
9. Eastern Washington – 8
* - First-Place Votes in Parentheses
COACH BROWN EXTENDED: Brown received recognition for the success his Grizzlies have had on the court and in the classroom since taking the reins of the program in 2018, signing a new three-year contract to led the Griz through the 2026 season in October. Under Brown, Montana has amassed a 64-50 overall record in dual matches, gone 26-16 in conference play, and won 86 percent of its home matches.
His teams have notched several program firsts, including an ITA national doubles pair ranking and an ITA team ranking as high as No. 62 in the nation. Individuals have also found extraordinary success like Big Sky MVP in Ed Pudney, who finished his career ranked No. 14 in the Mountain Region (another team best), and Oisin Shaffrey, who won the Grizzly Cup for UM's top overall student-athlete.
In the classroom, men's tennis has now won five-straight Dusten Hollist Awards for the best team grades in Grizzly Athletics and claimed the first-ever Big Sky Academic Championship in July with an astounding 3.81 cumulative GPA for the 2022-23 school year.
UP NEXT: Montana returns to the friendly confines of the Peak Racquet Club the first weekend of February for a pair on nonconference duals against Eastern Washington and the visiting Grand Canyon Antelopes. GCU and the Eagles will play a neutral site match while in Missoula as well.
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