Griz women picked fourth in preseason poll

The defending Big Sky regular season co-champion Montana women's tennis team was picked to return to the conference tournament in 2025, coming in fourth in the annual preseason coaches poll, the league announced Monday.

Montana picked up 41 points in the voting ahead of Idaho in fifth place with 34 points. Sacramento State, which advanced to the NCAA tournament last year after winning the Big Sky tourney, was the runaway favorite to repeat as conference champs, earning 64 voting points and eight first place votes. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.

"The best part about preseason rankings coming out is knowing the season is about to kick off," said Steve Ascher, the defending Big Sky Coach of the Year.

"We are excited to get going and start preparing to work to see what we can achieve in the final rankings."

Montana beat the odds in 2024, finishing at 8-11 overall and 6-2 in league play to win a three-way share of the title after being picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll. The Griz earned several upsets, beating six-time preseason favorite Northern Arizona, then-first place and co-league champion Sacramento State, defending champion Weber State, and finishing the year off with a dominant win over rival Montana State in Bozeman to earn a share of the title.

Back to lead the team in 2025 is defending Big Sky Freshman of the Year Kelsey Phillips, who won eight of her last nine singles matches, with four coming in three sets and two being pulled out by a tiebreaker to earn second team all-conference honors. She finished her first year in maroon and silver 9-9 overall and 6-2 in conference play while going 8-3 overall on court two.

She also helped lead Montana's charge in doubles on court one, with UM's top pair winning six of their last 10 opening round points and capping the regular season at 7-11 overall and 4-4 in league play to earn second team honors.

The Griz also return all-conference seniors Rosie Sterk and Grace Haugen to the 2025 lineup along with five new additions to the squad including two transfers and three prep standouts.

Montana is one of the first teams in the Big Sky to start the spring duals season this year. The Griz get underway on Friday, Jan. 17, with a tough test at Oregon before capping the trip with a nonconference dual against Big Sky foe Portland State in Eugene on Jan. 18.

The Griz will host the Vikings on March 16 in a league match in Missoula as one of four home duals this year. Montana will also host Idaho, Montana State, and Eastern Washington at the Peak Racquet Club in April.

The 2025 Big Sky Conference Women's Tennis Championship will take place April 24-26 in Phoenix, Arizona. The single-elimination tournament will feature six teams, with the top two seeds receiving a bye into the semifinal round. The winner of the championship will receive the Big Sky's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Women's Tennis Tournament.

2025 Big Sky Women's Tennis Preseason Poll
1. Sacramento State (8) – 64
2. Northern Arizona – 54
3. Montana State (1) – 50
4. Montana – 41
5. Idaho – 34
6. Idaho State – 28
7. Portland State – 22
8. Weber State – 20
9. Eastern Washington – 11

Parenthesis denotes first-place vote

University of Montana Athletics

Players Mentioned

Grace Haugen

Kelsey Phillips

Rosie Sterk

Related Videos