Saturday, February 21
Lewiston, Idaho
11 AM
Montana
at
Lewis-Clark State
Photo by: Ella Palulis/University of Montana
Griz get Big Sky measuring stick with pair of weekend duals
2/20/2026 11:30:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Coming off a bye week, the Montana women's tennis team returns to action this weekend, traveling to the Palouse for a pair of nonconference duals. The Griz first travel to Lewiston, Idaho, on Saturday for a tune-up against Lewis-Clark State before heading to Pullman and a Big Sky litmus test at Washington State on Sunday.
Both matches are scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m. (MT) with links to live streaming and scoring available on the teams' schedule page at GoGriz.com/WTEN.
The Grizzlies (1-4) open the trip at the LCSC Tennis Center looking to get back in the win column against the NAIA Warriors (4-1), who enter the match with only one D-I dual on their record this season – a 1-6 loss to Eastern Washington in Lewiston.
Montana then travels north and takes a step up in competition against regional power Washington State (3-3) at the Hollingbery Fieldhouse in a dual that will give the Griz a uniquely strong indicator of where they stand as UM looks to claim their second Big Sky Championship in the last three seasons.
By the end of the weekend, the Cougars will have played five matches against common Grizzly opponents including four of UM's future Big Sky foes. WSU enters the dual with the Griz listing wins over Idaho (6-1), Fresno State (4-0), and UC Davis (4-0) on their record. Their losses may be more telling, however.
Sacramento State, which travels to Missoula next week for UM's home and conference opener, is on a tear so far this season, currently ranked No. 68 in the nation after beating Wazzu 4-3 and narrowly losing to No. 11 Stanford, 3-4. The Cougs also suffered a 3-4 loss at Utah (where UM dropped a 1-6 decision to the Utes in late January), and a 1-6 loss to BYU in Provo before that.
The Griz will get even more beta for the upcoming Big Sky season after WSU faces Portland State on Friday and Montana State on Sunday afternoon, giving UM a clear set of comparisons with the conference portion of the schedule around the corner.
"Washington State will be a great barometer of where we're at right now and where we can compete. Sac State is looking like the best team in the conference, so to be able to get a marker to show us where we're at is going to be great," said head coach Steve Ascher.
"Continuing to get exposure against players at the upper level gives us a target. Hey, let's get there. Let's keep pushing. Let's keep getting better because we've done a really good job of being competitive and finding a winner or two, so let's keep doing that. Finding one more and finding one more after that. Then all of a sudden, you're reaching your goals. So, this is a chance to build that internal belief system and be competitive against a good squad."
Montana enters the weekend following a week of to train and get healthy after a bout of the flu swept through the program. UM returns to the road this weekend after splitting duals in Sioux Falls, taking a 5-2 win over South Dakota then dropping a 1-6 loss to Nebraska-Omaha in a neutral dual.
The Griz have played up all season, challenging themselves with matches against Gonzaga, Utah State and Utah as well.
Junior Kelsey Phillips, the former Big Sky Freshman of the Year, has led UM on court one this season, entering this week's matches at 2-3. Phillips and freshman Meghna Anand have paired up to become UM's No. 1 doubles pairing as well, currently sitting at 2-3 together.
Junior Kaylin Kielty has also picked up singles wins in her first season of action after a year sitting with injury, entering the weekend at 2-1 including her first career victory at UM against Utah. Sophomore Monkia Fizova has also picked up multiple wins at 2-3 in singles.
UP NEXT: The Big Sky gauntlet begins for Montana next week when Sac State comes to Missoula on Feb. 27, followed by UM's first conference road trip to Idaho on March 7 and Eastern Washington on March 8. The Griz will play four more home matches this season following the Sac State dual, hosting New Mexico State March 30 and key league matchups against Northern Arizona on April 4, Idaho State April 5, and Weber State April 18.
Both matches are scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m. (MT) with links to live streaming and scoring available on the teams' schedule page at GoGriz.com/WTEN.
The Grizzlies (1-4) open the trip at the LCSC Tennis Center looking to get back in the win column against the NAIA Warriors (4-1), who enter the match with only one D-I dual on their record this season – a 1-6 loss to Eastern Washington in Lewiston.
Montana then travels north and takes a step up in competition against regional power Washington State (3-3) at the Hollingbery Fieldhouse in a dual that will give the Griz a uniquely strong indicator of where they stand as UM looks to claim their second Big Sky Championship in the last three seasons.
By the end of the weekend, the Cougars will have played five matches against common Grizzly opponents including four of UM's future Big Sky foes. WSU enters the dual with the Griz listing wins over Idaho (6-1), Fresno State (4-0), and UC Davis (4-0) on their record. Their losses may be more telling, however.
Sacramento State, which travels to Missoula next week for UM's home and conference opener, is on a tear so far this season, currently ranked No. 68 in the nation after beating Wazzu 4-3 and narrowly losing to No. 11 Stanford, 3-4. The Cougs also suffered a 3-4 loss at Utah (where UM dropped a 1-6 decision to the Utes in late January), and a 1-6 loss to BYU in Provo before that.
The Griz will get even more beta for the upcoming Big Sky season after WSU faces Portland State on Friday and Montana State on Sunday afternoon, giving UM a clear set of comparisons with the conference portion of the schedule around the corner.
"Washington State will be a great barometer of where we're at right now and where we can compete. Sac State is looking like the best team in the conference, so to be able to get a marker to show us where we're at is going to be great," said head coach Steve Ascher.
"Continuing to get exposure against players at the upper level gives us a target. Hey, let's get there. Let's keep pushing. Let's keep getting better because we've done a really good job of being competitive and finding a winner or two, so let's keep doing that. Finding one more and finding one more after that. Then all of a sudden, you're reaching your goals. So, this is a chance to build that internal belief system and be competitive against a good squad."
Montana enters the weekend following a week of to train and get healthy after a bout of the flu swept through the program. UM returns to the road this weekend after splitting duals in Sioux Falls, taking a 5-2 win over South Dakota then dropping a 1-6 loss to Nebraska-Omaha in a neutral dual.
The Griz have played up all season, challenging themselves with matches against Gonzaga, Utah State and Utah as well.
Junior Kelsey Phillips, the former Big Sky Freshman of the Year, has led UM on court one this season, entering this week's matches at 2-3. Phillips and freshman Meghna Anand have paired up to become UM's No. 1 doubles pairing as well, currently sitting at 2-3 together.
Junior Kaylin Kielty has also picked up singles wins in her first season of action after a year sitting with injury, entering the weekend at 2-1 including her first career victory at UM against Utah. Sophomore Monkia Fizova has also picked up multiple wins at 2-3 in singles.
UP NEXT: The Big Sky gauntlet begins for Montana next week when Sac State comes to Missoula on Feb. 27, followed by UM's first conference road trip to Idaho on March 7 and Eastern Washington on March 8. The Griz will play four more home matches this season following the Sac State dual, hosting New Mexico State March 30 and key league matchups against Northern Arizona on April 4, Idaho State April 5, and Weber State April 18.
Players Mentioned
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