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Montana women’s tennis secures Big Sky Conference co-title for 1st time in 10 years

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Montana women’s tennis secures Big Sky Conference co-title for 1st time in 10 years


MISSOULA — Picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky Conference’s preseason poll after a decade mired in the depths of the league standings, no one predicted the Montana women’s tennis team would do what it did on Saturday.

The Griz handed rival Montana State its only dual loss of the year in Bozeman, beating the Bobcats 5-2 to clinch a share of the program’s first Big Sky regular season championship since 2014. 

To get the win and take home a trophy, Montana pulled out a nailbiter in doubles that saw two of the three matches go to a tiebreaker. In singles, the top of the Grizzly lineup came through big with wins at Nos. 1-3.

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“They were able to step up and make shots, make a volley, it was just really fun,” Montana coach Steve Ascher said. “That’s one for the ages.”

Montana heads to the postseason tournament as the No. 2 seed after capping the regular season at 6-2 in conference play and 8-11 overall.

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Sophomore Hailey Murphy solidified her case for Big Sky MVP with a straight set win at No. 1 to improve her singles record to 16-3 and stay undefeated at 8-0 in league play at No. 1, having won 10 straight matches.

Kelsey Phillips is also a strong contender for Freshman of the Year after winning yet another come-from-behind thriller against MSU, down a set and rallying from down 4-1 in a third set tiebreaker for UM’s second win.

Phillips, a native of Minnesota, is now 6-2 in conference play and 9-8 overall, having won eight of her last nine matches and having to pull four of those out in three sets with two tiebreakers thrown in for good measure.

Montana State fell to 13-6 and at 4-4 in conference play will take the No. 4 seed at the tourney in Phoenix.

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“MSU is very consistent,” Ascher said. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes and they don’t give you free points. So, we were able to take a little more risk and we had to win some points on our own because they didn’t give it to us.

“We talked about not waiting back for someone to make a mistake. You’re not going to be given a Big Sky title. We did that a little bit last week against ISU and today I think we went out and we got the win ourselves.”

Montana broke through with an early 1-0 lead after winning the doubles round in about as narrow of fashion is as possible in college tennis. 

Grace Haugen and Rosie Sterk dominated at No. 2 to start the round, blowing past MSU’s Cuquerella/Doughrty pair 6-0 to improve to 9-7 (6-2 BSC) as a pair this year and put the momentum firmly with Montana.

Murphy and Phillips held a brief lead over MSU’s Garcia-Reboredo/Hawkins pair at No. 1, but the Bobcats caught fire in the breaker and won the set 7-6 (1), leaving No. 3 as the decider.

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It was the opposite for Maria Goheen and Olivia Oosterbaan, who found themselves trailing 5-3 but got a break to force a tiebreaker. The Grizzly seniors then found themselves tied 3-3 in the extra frame, but took control when their team need it most, winning the set 7-6 (4) and clinching the point for UM.

Murphy beat Maria Garcia-Reboredo at No. 1 singles, powering her way to a 6-2, 6-4 win. 

Phillips was the next to finish at No. 2 , having to rebound from a first set loss to do it. The Grizzly freshman lost the first set to MSU’s Paula Dougherty in convincing fashion, but found a new gear in the second set to win and force a third. From there it was neck and neck until the two eventually played a tiebreaker for the third.

Phillips found herself trailing 4-1 in the extra frame, but stormed back to beat Dougherty 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to put UM up, 3-0, and put the championship within sight.

At No. 3, Haugen fed off that shift in momentum, coming back from a first set loss of her own to beat Meg McCarty in three sets, and she didn’t need a tiebreaker to do it. The UM junior won the last two sets convincingly, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, to clinch the win for the Grizzlies.

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Oosterbaan then added the last win for the Griz at No. 5, beating MSU’s Felicia Jayasaputra in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 to give UM its fifth and final win.



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French Montana Shares Rare Insight into Khloe Kardashian Relationship

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French Montana Shares Rare Insight into Khloe Kardashian Relationship


Where Khloe Kardashian Stands With Ex French Montana More Than 10 Years After Breakup

French Montana is done keeping up with reality TV.

In fact, he only agreed to appear on Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Kourtney & Khloé Take the Hamptons over a decade ago as a favor to then-girlfriend Khloe Kardashian.

“She said to get on the show,” he exclusively told E! News at the BET Awards on June 28. “And I got on the show. Shout out to Khloe.”

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The “Ever Since U Left Me” rapper, who split with Kardashian in December 2014 after eight months of dating, said the experience was “fun” because her family kept it real. 

“They filmed their real life,” he continued. “And we were part of something together that one time. So it felt great. It didn’t feel like work because they film what they do everyday.”

As for his future in reality TV, the 41-year-old said those days are over, shutting down any prospective offers with a simple, “Negative.” 

Although the “Unforgettable” artist—whose real name is Karim Kharbouch—may not be returning to television anytime soon, he has no problem hanging out with his ex-girlfriend these days. 



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French Montana, Rick Ross & Max B Turn the BET Awards Into “ – BET Awards 2026 | BET

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French Montana, Rick Ross & Max B Turn the BET Awards Into “ – BET Awards 2026 | BET


French Montana, Rick Ross & Max B Turn the BET Awards Into “

06/28/2026

French Montana, Rick Ross and Max B hit the BET Awards stage draped in furs for “Ever Since U Left Me” and “Minks in Miami.”
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Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition

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Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition


GREAT FALLS — For Staff Sgt. Brianna St. Lawrence-Brody, service does not only happen in uniform.

Outside the gates of the base, she works at Benefis as a nurse, Great Falls Public Schools as a school nurse, and comes home as a wife and mom of four. For the Montana Air National Guard, she serves as a command post controller with the 120th Airlift Wing in Great Falls.

(WATCH: Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition)

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Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition

This year, St. Lawrence-Brody was named the U.S. Air National Guard’s Outstanding Airman of the Year in the Non-Commissioned Officer category.

She said the recognition came as a surprise, especially because her path into the Guard started later than others.

“I joined very late in life,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I joined the Guard right before I turned 40. So for me, every opportunity that’s presented, I want to take the bull by the horns and just run with it and do the best of my ability.”

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, she joined the Guard after finishing nursing school. She said she went straight from nursing school into helping open a COVID unit, while also working at Benefis.

She said that experience was the start of one journey, but not the whole of what she wanted to accomplish.

St. Lawrence-Brody joined the Guard for the opportunities, the challenge and to help build a future for her four children.

“It’s a little bit of a competition for myself,” she said. “Like, if I can do it, why not try my best to achieve it?”

120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

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As a command post controller, she assists in helping move information during emergencies and major events.

“Outside, obviously, I’m a nurse. Inside the Guard, I have nothing to do with the medical field, which is kind of amazing,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “It keeps me on my toes.”

She explained balancing the Guard, two civilian jobs and four children takes support from her family, her employers and her unit. She said Benefis and GFPS have been supportive of her military service.

Her nomination included her deployment experience, training work overseas and involvement across the wing. St. Lawrence-Brody said she deployed to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where she worked with an operations center supporting entities connected to Africa.

But, she says this recognition is not the finish line.

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“This award, it’s not necessarily a landing pad for me,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I want to use it as a springboard.”

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120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

St. Lawrence-Brody hopes her story encourages others to keep taking on new opportunities, even when they feel uncertain.

“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and be okay with doing things afraid,” she said. “I think when you get to be okay with doing things afraid, that’s where you’re going to find the growth.”

She has already won at the Air National Guard level, but she recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the broader Air Force Outstanding Airman of the Year process, which includes nominees from the Guard, Reserve and major commands across the Air Force.

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