
Photo by: UM Photo / Ridley Hudson
Griz fall just short in doubles as NAU sweeps
3/29/2025 6:05:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Montana women's tennis team gave perennial Big Sky power Northern Arizona all it could handle in doubles before the Lumberjacks pulled away in singles to win a conference dual 7-0 at altitude in Flagstaff on Saturday.
The Griz pushed NAU to a tiebreaker in the deciding doubles match on court two after splitting the matches on courts one and three. In the extra frame, the Lumberjack duo of Laura Duhl and Patric Niewiadomska snuck away with an 7-6 (6) win after UM's Olivia Moir and Kelsey Phillips had their serve broke up 6-5 to send it to a breaker.
Seniors Grace Haugen and Rosie Sterk picked up Montana's only win of the day on court one doubles, improving to 10-4 on the season and further cementing their status as one of the top pairs in the Big Sky with a 6-4 win over NAU's Jantacova/Shoshyna pair.
The Lumberjacks went on to win five of the six singles matches in straight sets after that, however, with Haugen earning a first set win on court one before losing a superbreaker to make it a 7-0 final score.
"I was proud of how the team came out and got after the doubles. Grace and Rosie came back from a break down to earn a hard-fought win and Kelsey and Olivia put together a well played match at two coming up just short in a tiebreaker," said head coach Steve Ascher.
"We competed much better overall as a team today in singles. I thought NAU came out strong after being pushed in the doubles and we continued to battle and problem-solve until the very end. We are excited to head back home and compete hard in front of a home crowd."
The Griz slide to 3-12 overall and 1-4 in Big Sky play in the midst of a six-match slide. NAU, meanwhile, extended its win streak to nine as the Lumberjacks improve to 12-3 and stay unbeaten in league play at 6-0.
Montana now prepares to return home for its final three matches of the regular season over the next three weeks, hosting Idaho April 6, Montana State April 12, and Eastern Washington on April 20.
The Griz pushed NAU to a tiebreaker in the deciding doubles match on court two after splitting the matches on courts one and three. In the extra frame, the Lumberjack duo of Laura Duhl and Patric Niewiadomska snuck away with an 7-6 (6) win after UM's Olivia Moir and Kelsey Phillips had their serve broke up 6-5 to send it to a breaker.
Seniors Grace Haugen and Rosie Sterk picked up Montana's only win of the day on court one doubles, improving to 10-4 on the season and further cementing their status as one of the top pairs in the Big Sky with a 6-4 win over NAU's Jantacova/Shoshyna pair.
The Lumberjacks went on to win five of the six singles matches in straight sets after that, however, with Haugen earning a first set win on court one before losing a superbreaker to make it a 7-0 final score.
"I was proud of how the team came out and got after the doubles. Grace and Rosie came back from a break down to earn a hard-fought win and Kelsey and Olivia put together a well played match at two coming up just short in a tiebreaker," said head coach Steve Ascher.
"We competed much better overall as a team today in singles. I thought NAU came out strong after being pushed in the doubles and we continued to battle and problem-solve until the very end. We are excited to head back home and compete hard in front of a home crowd."
The Griz slide to 3-12 overall and 1-4 in Big Sky play in the midst of a six-match slide. NAU, meanwhile, extended its win streak to nine as the Lumberjacks improve to 12-3 and stay unbeaten in league play at 6-0.
Montana now prepares to return home for its final three matches of the regular season over the next three weeks, hosting Idaho April 6, Montana State April 12, and Eastern Washington on April 20.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2,3
Order of Finish:
3,4,6,2,5,1
Players Mentioned
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