Saturday, April 19
Missoula, Mont.
1:30 PM
Montana
vs
Montana State
Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana
Brawl of the Wild on tap for Men’s Tennis in Missoula
4/18/2025 2:03:00 PM | Men's Tennis
At 5-2 in league play, the Montana men's tennis team returns home this week for its regular season finale against rival Montana State having already claimed a spot at the Big Sky Championship Tournament in Phoenix next week.
All that's left now: Earn some bragging rights.
The Griz and Cats square off at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in the annual Brawl of the Wild match inside the friendly confines of the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula where Montana holds a superb 43-7 record over the last eight seasons under head coach Jason Brown.
They'll look to add to that mark and make a little more history in the process as UM (15-6, 5-2 BSC) seeks to tie 2012's program-record 16 wins in a season.
The Bobcats, meanwhile, come to Missoula at 4-18 on the year and 2-5 in league play. But don't let their record fool you, under first year head coach Mateus Ceolin, MSU has been right there with a chance to win almost all their conference duals this season.
"One of our big goals this year is to go undefeated at home and we can accomplish that on Saturday, which is a huge marker of success for our season. This match is another one of those really important pieces. It's been a pretty magical ride with this group so far, and we want to cap the regular season off in the in the right way," said Brown.
"MSU has competed really hard against everyone. Win, lose, or draw we expect them to bring their very best tennis and we're not overlooking them. We always talk about how everything goes out the window in a rivalry match, so I think it will be some great tennis, and we'll look to build momentum for Phoenix. That's the plan."
Admission to the Peak Racquet Club is open to the public and free of charge. The dual starts with the doubles round at 1:30, followed by six singles matches immediately following.
IMPLICATIONS: Montana enters the match needing some help to clinch the No. 2 seed at the Big Sky tourney next week, with the Griz and Idaho State both currently sitting at 5-2 in league play and the Bengals holding the head-to-head advantage.
To secure the second seed, UM must first beat MSU on Saturday and hope for Portland State (which is winless in conference play) upsets ISU in Portland on Saturday as well. A win for the Bengals will place Montana in one of the three-through-six seeds and have them playing a first-round match in Phoenix.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Montana will look to secure the program's fourth undefeated season at home under Brown while at the same time improving the team's record against Montana State to .500 in the past eight seasons this week.
The Griz are 2-3 against the Cats dating back to 2018, with one match between the two canceled during Covid in 2020 and the 2023 meeting canceled when MSU had to scrap its season due to a rash of injuries within the camp.
SENIOR DAY: Montana will honor a pair of seniors on Saturday that are set to play their final match in Missoula this week and have each provided some magical moments for the Griz.
Team Captain Fernando Perez and Chris Zhang transferred to both Montana from the Univrsity of North Alabama – Perez in the fall of the 2022-23 season and Zhang a year later in the fall of 2023-24 – and they've been models of consistency and toughness ever since.
Perez was named Big Sky Player of the Week twice in his junior season. The first was after going undefeated in a two-match weekend against Eastern Washington and Grand Canyon while clinching the upset over the 'Lopes. The second was perhaps more impressive, battling injury with a limited serve and pushing through the pain to clinch an important 4-3 win at Portland State.
Injuries have continued to hamper Perez this season, but stoic as ever he's persevered. After winning just one of his first 11 singles matches, the Spaniard is finding his form when it's needed most: the heart of Big Sky Conference play. This week he rides a four-match win streak into the dual against the Cats, now sitting at 5-10 on the season but 4-2 in league play.
Zhang earned his first Big Sky Player of the Week award in the season opener back in January, clinching the Grizzlies' win over North Dakota in dramatic fashion by beating the Fighting Hawks' Ethan Terry in three sets 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4 – the first clinch of his UM career.
That win has become more impressive as the season has worn on, with North Dakota set to play for the Summit League tournament title on Saturday at 18-4 on the year (4-1 in league play), and Terry going 13-8 in singles.
GRIZ TRACKS: You're not on track to break the school record for team wins in a season without some standout individual performances, and Montana has had plenty.
Junior Tom Bittner has returned to his dominant form after dealing with post-surgery recovery issues earlier this season. The German has won five-straight singles matches and was named back-to-back Big Sky Player of the Week in the process. He'll lead the Griz on court one against the Cats with an 11-5 overall record and a 5-2 league record, once again putting him in the running for postseason honors.
Junior Eivind Tandberg has also enjoyed a big season for the Griz, piling-up the second-most wins in the Big Sky at 14-6 overall and 5-2 in conference singles. Yet another junior is also playing a major role for UM, with Baltazar Wiger-Nordas holding down court two and posting an 11-5 singles record so far this season.
Tandberg's 14 wins match UM Freshman of the Year candidate Duncan McCall, who enters his first Griz/Cat dual at 14-5 and 5-2, with most of his matches played on court three. McCall has also been a doubles standout with fellow freshman Johnny Wilkinson, compiling a Big Sky-best 14-6 record as a pair and a 4-2 conference record.
UP NEXT: Montana heads for the desert looking to claim the program's second Big Sky tournament victory to punch its ticket to the NCAA tourney. The Big Sky Championship is held at the Phoenix Tennis Center and gets underway the morning of Thursday, April 24, with a champion crowned on Saturday, April 26.
All that's left now: Earn some bragging rights.
The Griz and Cats square off at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in the annual Brawl of the Wild match inside the friendly confines of the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula where Montana holds a superb 43-7 record over the last eight seasons under head coach Jason Brown.
They'll look to add to that mark and make a little more history in the process as UM (15-6, 5-2 BSC) seeks to tie 2012's program-record 16 wins in a season.
The Bobcats, meanwhile, come to Missoula at 4-18 on the year and 2-5 in league play. But don't let their record fool you, under first year head coach Mateus Ceolin, MSU has been right there with a chance to win almost all their conference duals this season.
"One of our big goals this year is to go undefeated at home and we can accomplish that on Saturday, which is a huge marker of success for our season. This match is another one of those really important pieces. It's been a pretty magical ride with this group so far, and we want to cap the regular season off in the in the right way," said Brown.
"MSU has competed really hard against everyone. Win, lose, or draw we expect them to bring their very best tennis and we're not overlooking them. We always talk about how everything goes out the window in a rivalry match, so I think it will be some great tennis, and we'll look to build momentum for Phoenix. That's the plan."
Admission to the Peak Racquet Club is open to the public and free of charge. The dual starts with the doubles round at 1:30, followed by six singles matches immediately following.
IMPLICATIONS: Montana enters the match needing some help to clinch the No. 2 seed at the Big Sky tourney next week, with the Griz and Idaho State both currently sitting at 5-2 in league play and the Bengals holding the head-to-head advantage.
To secure the second seed, UM must first beat MSU on Saturday and hope for Portland State (which is winless in conference play) upsets ISU in Portland on Saturday as well. A win for the Bengals will place Montana in one of the three-through-six seeds and have them playing a first-round match in Phoenix.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Montana will look to secure the program's fourth undefeated season at home under Brown while at the same time improving the team's record against Montana State to .500 in the past eight seasons this week.
The Griz are 2-3 against the Cats dating back to 2018, with one match between the two canceled during Covid in 2020 and the 2023 meeting canceled when MSU had to scrap its season due to a rash of injuries within the camp.
SENIOR DAY: Montana will honor a pair of seniors on Saturday that are set to play their final match in Missoula this week and have each provided some magical moments for the Griz.
Team Captain Fernando Perez and Chris Zhang transferred to both Montana from the Univrsity of North Alabama – Perez in the fall of the 2022-23 season and Zhang a year later in the fall of 2023-24 – and they've been models of consistency and toughness ever since.
Perez was named Big Sky Player of the Week twice in his junior season. The first was after going undefeated in a two-match weekend against Eastern Washington and Grand Canyon while clinching the upset over the 'Lopes. The second was perhaps more impressive, battling injury with a limited serve and pushing through the pain to clinch an important 4-3 win at Portland State.
Injuries have continued to hamper Perez this season, but stoic as ever he's persevered. After winning just one of his first 11 singles matches, the Spaniard is finding his form when it's needed most: the heart of Big Sky Conference play. This week he rides a four-match win streak into the dual against the Cats, now sitting at 5-10 on the season but 4-2 in league play.
Zhang earned his first Big Sky Player of the Week award in the season opener back in January, clinching the Grizzlies' win over North Dakota in dramatic fashion by beating the Fighting Hawks' Ethan Terry in three sets 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4 – the first clinch of his UM career.
That win has become more impressive as the season has worn on, with North Dakota set to play for the Summit League tournament title on Saturday at 18-4 on the year (4-1 in league play), and Terry going 13-8 in singles.
GRIZ TRACKS: You're not on track to break the school record for team wins in a season without some standout individual performances, and Montana has had plenty.
Junior Tom Bittner has returned to his dominant form after dealing with post-surgery recovery issues earlier this season. The German has won five-straight singles matches and was named back-to-back Big Sky Player of the Week in the process. He'll lead the Griz on court one against the Cats with an 11-5 overall record and a 5-2 league record, once again putting him in the running for postseason honors.
Junior Eivind Tandberg has also enjoyed a big season for the Griz, piling-up the second-most wins in the Big Sky at 14-6 overall and 5-2 in conference singles. Yet another junior is also playing a major role for UM, with Baltazar Wiger-Nordas holding down court two and posting an 11-5 singles record so far this season.
Tandberg's 14 wins match UM Freshman of the Year candidate Duncan McCall, who enters his first Griz/Cat dual at 14-5 and 5-2, with most of his matches played on court three. McCall has also been a doubles standout with fellow freshman Johnny Wilkinson, compiling a Big Sky-best 14-6 record as a pair and a 4-2 conference record.
UP NEXT: Montana heads for the desert looking to claim the program's second Big Sky tournament victory to punch its ticket to the NCAA tourney. The Big Sky Championship is held at the Phoenix Tennis Center and gets underway the morning of Thursday, April 24, with a champion crowned on Saturday, April 26.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
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/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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