Griz host NAU and Sac State in heart of conference play

On the heels of a momentum-boosting win over New Mexico State, the Montana women's tennis team returns to action this week with a big opportunity to make waves in the Big Sky.

On Thursday and Friday, the Griz dive in the deep end of conference play with perennial powerhouses Northern Arizona and Sacramento State - two teams that have won 14 of the last 17 conference championships – in Missoula for a pair of duals.

Montana, which enters the weekend sitting third in the league standings at 2-1 (4-10 overall), starts the weekend against Northern Arizona on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at the Peak Racquet Club.

The six-time defending conference champion Lumberjacks come to town in the midst of an uncharacteristic slump at 2-3 in league play (5-10 overall) and sitting sixth in the standings.

A day later UM hosts the first-place Hornets on Friday at 9:30 a.m., who come to town looking every bit the potential conference champs at 14-4 on the year and undefeated at 3-0 in Big Sky play.

The visitors will have to deal with a team on the rise in the Grizzlies, however. Montana has won three of its last five and missed out on five match win streak by just two sets in the last month.

A pair of young stars in the making have been leading the Griz in their recent string of success.

Sophomore Hailey Murphy enters the week as one of the top-three winningest players in the Big Sky at 11-3 in singles, a winner in nine of her last ten duals and five straight on court No. 1.

Freshman Kelsey Phillips has also been making an impact in recent weeks. After moving to court two from one, she's won four on the trot in singles, and along with her doubles partner Murphy, is 3-0 in conference play.

Doubles has been a strong suit for the Griz in Big Sky action, with Grace Haugen and Rosie Sterk pairing up to go undefeated in league play and 6-2 overall on court three, helping Montana to win three of their last five doubles points.

It all adds up to the potential for the Grizzlies to do some giant killing this week with just five more regular season matches left to play.

"The team has been bringing the energy during training over the last two weeks and preparing well. We are excited to compete and get after both matches, and we've really fed off the support and energy of the fans at our home matches," said head coach Steve Ascher.

LAST TIME OUT: Montana started its five-match home stand with a big nonconference win at the Peak, knocking off New Mexico State 4-1 for the Grizzlies' first home win of the season.

Montana recovered from a doubles loss but won four of the top five singles matches to take down the visiting Aggies, who hold a win over Weber State on their resume.

Murphy and Phillips rolled to straight set wins on courts one and two to shift the momentum at the Peak.

Montana's super seniors Olivia Oosterbaan and Maria Goheen then brought the Grizzlies home, with Goheen bouncing back from a winless first set to win in three. That set up Oosterbaan to clinch the dual on court five in straight sets.

SCOUTING NAU: The Lumberjacks, unequivocally a powerhouse in the Big Sky, find themselves in the unusual position of being .500 on the season and not at the top of the league standings. That doesn't make them any less dangerous, however.

While NAU has played a tough nonconference slate at 5-10, the Jacks do hold a win over nationally ranked UNLV in Las Vegas on their resume. They also have comparable wins over Eastern Washington and Portland State (both 6-1) on their record, teams the Grizzlies have also beaten. But losses to Weber State, Idaho State, and Sac State have NAU hungry for two more wins as they begin their tour of Montana in Missoula.

SCOUTING SAC: Only two players in the Big Sky Conference have as many or more wins that Hailey Murphy, and they both play for Sac State.

The Hornets have been outstanding under second year head coach Sophie Breault at 14-4 this season, earning some big nonconference wins over the likes of Nevada and Utah State and knocking-off Weber, ISU and NAU in league play as well. Those conference matches were all played at sea level in the cozy confines of Sacramento, where they are 10-2 this year. They'll be forced to deal with altitude this week when they come to Missoula and Bozeman.

Sac State is led by Irene Riva, the winningest player in the Big Sky at 13-2, and Lou Boudouin at 11-2, both of whom hold down the middle to bottom half of the lineup. They don't lose much at the top of the lineup either, with all-conference pick Mayya Gorbunova coming to UM at 10-2 this year.

UP NEXT: Montana caps its home stand with two more crucial conference matches as the Griz try to finish among the top six in the league standings to punch their ticket to the postseason tournament.

UM hosts Weber State on Saturday, April 13, followed by Idaho State a day later on April 14 at the Peak.

Griz host NAU and Sac State in heart of conference play

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Players Mentioned

Maria Goheen

Grace Haugen

Hailey Murphy

Olivia Oosterbaan

Kelsey Phillips

Rosie Sterk

University of Montana Athletics