Griz looking for another upset over Hornets in home opener

In 2024, the Montana women's tennis team picked up one of its biggest wins of the last decade when the upstart Griz knocked off first place Sacramento State in Missoula.

It was a win that catapulted UM to the top of the Big Sky standings where they stayed for the remainder of the season, eventually clinching a share of their first conference championship since 2014.

On Friday, the Grizzlies will get another chance to jumpstart a potential title run against the Hornets when Sac State visits Missoula for both teams' conference opener, and once again UM will be searching for an upset.

On paper, Montana (2-5) has its work cut out for it as the Hornets (6-4) come to town as one of the top 50 ranked teams in the country this week, and once again sitting on top of the conference table.

The Hornets have been on a tear to start the season, logging wins over Saint Mary's, Washington State, Fresno State, Pacific, and No. 52 Long Beach State. Their losses have been perhaps more telling, however, narrowly falling 3-4 at No. 11 Stanford and 2-5 at No. 22 San Diego State.

But the Grizzlies have been preparing for a challenge like this. Montana enters the match having already competed against some of the best teams in the region, including Gonzaga, Utah State, No. 35 Utah, and common opponent in Washington State. They now enter Friday's dual looking for some of that home court magic as the Big Sky season arrives at the Peak.

"It's exciting. I think it's really good for the conference to have a team ranked in the top 50 in the nation. I just think it gives us a little more validity as a conference, and It's exciting to have them at home. They're an outdoor team coming up from sea level in California. So, hopefully they'll have to make an adjustment coming up to altitude here in Missoula," said head coach Steve Ascher.

"Our team knows the level. We've been playing hard teams and we've competed well. We've had enough challenges and preparation in terms of playing good teams, and now we just have to go out and compete, bring some intensity, and build resistance against them. If we can do that, get it close, get some nerves involved and some drama, we'll see what happens. It's all about putting your opponent in difficult positions, pressing them and seeing how they respond."

The dual – the last of the regular season between the Big Sky opponents – gets underway at 9:30 a.m. at the Peak Racquet Club south of Missoula off Blue Mountain Road. Admission to the Peak is open to the public and free of charge for all Griz tennis matches. Links to live scoring are available on the team's schedule page at GoGriz.com/WTEN for those unable to attend.

Montana enters the match coming off a two-match trip to the Palouse last week that saw the Griz roll over Lewis-Clark State then go down swinging against Washington State.

Led by Kelsey Phillips and Meghna Anand, the Griz were a game away from winning the doubles round against the Cougars thanks to a win from the UM No. 1 duo. They enter the Sac State match now at 4-3 together at the top of the lineup, tied for the third-most wins of any doubles pair in the league to date.

Phillips has been cementing herself at No. 1 singles as well, entering the week at 3-4 in her first season at the top of lineup. She's gone 1-1 in her previous two meetings with Sac State in singles, falling to Reese Walker (the reigning Big Sky Player of the Week) last season, but beating Maddy Ferreros as a freshman in 2024 when Phillips was named Big Sky Freshman of the Year.

UP NEXT: Big Sky play continues for the Griz as Montana returns to the road to take on Idaho in Moscow on March 7 followed by Eastern Washington in Cheney on March 8. UM next plays at home at the end of the month, taking on New Mexico State in the final nonconference dual of the year on March 30.

Griz looking for another upset over Hornets in home opener

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Players Mentioned

Meghna Anand

Kelsey Phillips

University of Montana Athletics