Saturday, April 4
Missoula, Mont.
2 PM
Montana
vs
Northern Arizona
Photo by: Coral Scoles-Coburn / University of Montana
Women’s tennis returns home for two weekend duals
4/2/2026 5:53:00 PM | Women's Tennis
After a month on the road, the Montana women's tennis team returns home for the first time since February this weekend for a pair of Big Sky Conference duals at the Peak Racquet Club.
The Griz (2-12, 0-4 BSC) open the homestand on Saturday against Northern Arizona (5-5, 4-1 BSC), who were picked to finish second in the conference standings. UM caps the weekend on Easter Sunday against Idaho State (9-7, 3-2 BSC), with both matches getting underway at 2 p.m.
Montana's match against Northern Arizona is set to feature a battle between two of the top individual players in the conference so far this season. Grizzly No. 1 Kelsey Phillips, undefeated in league play at 4-0 and 8-6 overall, will square off against NAU's Patrycja Niewiadomska, also unbeaten in Big Sky play at 5-0 and 8-2 overall in her senior season.
"We're really excited about being home and getting the fans back out to watch. We always have great support when we play at home," said head coach Steve Ascher.
"We're getting a little momentum in doubles, so hoping to see what we can pull off in dubs and go from there. I'm excited for us to get back on the court, compete, grow, and push and see if we can get some wins. I'm also excited to watch Kelsey's match against Niewiadomska, they are two great players."
Admission to the Peak for Griz tennis matches is always free of charge and open to the public. The Peak Racquet Club is located south of Missoula off Blue Mountain Road. Fans unable to make it can find links to live scoring for both matches on the team's schedule page at GoGriz.com/WTEN.
A GLIMPSE AT THE GRIZ: Montana, picked to return to the Big Sky championship tourney at No. 6 in the preseason poll, enters the match needing to stack wins if UM is to book its ticket to Phoenix at the end of the month.
The Grizzlies got a hot start in their last road trip, taking the doubles point off Utah Tech on their home courts in St. George to take a 1-0 lead early before running out of gas in the desert heat in a 2-5 loss to the Blazers.
Phillips has been one of the top singles players in the conference this season at 4-0 in league play after taking down the defending conference tourney MVP in Sacramento State's Reese Walker in three sets in UM's last home match.
The bottom of Montana's lineup has also been contributing as of late, with players on courts three through six each winning at least one match in three of UM's last five outings.
SCOUTING NAU: The Lumberjacks, one of the top teams in the league for the last decade, are again sitting near the top of the table in second place this week. At 4-1 in league play, their only loss was at No. 58 Sacramento State, who tops the table. Led by Niewiadomska, the top of the NAU lineup has carried them this season, winning four of their last six matches on courts one through four to claim team wins each time they hit that mark.
SCOUTING ISU: Picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll, the Bengals have been a surprise this season. They come to Missoula fresh off a 6-1 win over Montana State in Pocatello and have a head turning 7-0 win over Idaho on the road in the Kibbie Dome on their resume as well.
ISU is led by sophomore Milie Day and senior Stefanya Shalakhova who each come to UM with a 9-7 record on courts one and two, respectively. The lower Bengal order has also been held down by sophomore Veronika Zarovna who boasts a 12-4 overall singles record, mostly on court six.
UP NEXT: Montana heads to Bozeman for the Brawl of the Wild match on April 11 before returning home to cap the regular season against Weber State on April 18 in Missoula.
The Griz (2-12, 0-4 BSC) open the homestand on Saturday against Northern Arizona (5-5, 4-1 BSC), who were picked to finish second in the conference standings. UM caps the weekend on Easter Sunday against Idaho State (9-7, 3-2 BSC), with both matches getting underway at 2 p.m.
Montana's match against Northern Arizona is set to feature a battle between two of the top individual players in the conference so far this season. Grizzly No. 1 Kelsey Phillips, undefeated in league play at 4-0 and 8-6 overall, will square off against NAU's Patrycja Niewiadomska, also unbeaten in Big Sky play at 5-0 and 8-2 overall in her senior season.
"We're really excited about being home and getting the fans back out to watch. We always have great support when we play at home," said head coach Steve Ascher.
"We're getting a little momentum in doubles, so hoping to see what we can pull off in dubs and go from there. I'm excited for us to get back on the court, compete, grow, and push and see if we can get some wins. I'm also excited to watch Kelsey's match against Niewiadomska, they are two great players."
Admission to the Peak for Griz tennis matches is always free of charge and open to the public. The Peak Racquet Club is located south of Missoula off Blue Mountain Road. Fans unable to make it can find links to live scoring for both matches on the team's schedule page at GoGriz.com/WTEN.
A GLIMPSE AT THE GRIZ: Montana, picked to return to the Big Sky championship tourney at No. 6 in the preseason poll, enters the match needing to stack wins if UM is to book its ticket to Phoenix at the end of the month.
The Grizzlies got a hot start in their last road trip, taking the doubles point off Utah Tech on their home courts in St. George to take a 1-0 lead early before running out of gas in the desert heat in a 2-5 loss to the Blazers.
Phillips has been one of the top singles players in the conference this season at 4-0 in league play after taking down the defending conference tourney MVP in Sacramento State's Reese Walker in three sets in UM's last home match.
The bottom of Montana's lineup has also been contributing as of late, with players on courts three through six each winning at least one match in three of UM's last five outings.
SCOUTING NAU: The Lumberjacks, one of the top teams in the league for the last decade, are again sitting near the top of the table in second place this week. At 4-1 in league play, their only loss was at No. 58 Sacramento State, who tops the table. Led by Niewiadomska, the top of the NAU lineup has carried them this season, winning four of their last six matches on courts one through four to claim team wins each time they hit that mark.
SCOUTING ISU: Picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll, the Bengals have been a surprise this season. They come to Missoula fresh off a 6-1 win over Montana State in Pocatello and have a head turning 7-0 win over Idaho on the road in the Kibbie Dome on their resume as well.
ISU is led by sophomore Milie Day and senior Stefanya Shalakhova who each come to UM with a 9-7 record on courts one and two, respectively. The lower Bengal order has also been held down by sophomore Veronika Zarovna who boasts a 12-4 overall singles record, mostly on court six.
UP NEXT: Montana heads to Bozeman for the Brawl of the Wild match on April 11 before returning home to cap the regular season against Weber State on April 18 in Missoula.
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/ Women's Tennis
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