The Montana girls’s tennis group fell to 0-5 in twin meet motion with a pair of losses this weekend in Salt Lake Metropolis.
On Saturday the group was swept by Pac-12 foe Utah, 4-0. Montana’s solely win got here at No. 2 doubles the place Rosie Sterk and Lauren Dunlap posted a 7-5 victory. Nonetheless, Utah gained the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles matches, incomes the group level and paving the way in which for the sweep with three singles wins.
On Sunday, Montana misplaced to Cincinnati, 4-1. The Grizzlies’ solely win got here at No. 3 singles the place Hailey Murphy topped Maria Santilli, 6-3, 6-4.
“We continued to develop and confirmed battle and dedication towards two sturdy groups,” UM coach Steve Ascher stated.
“The gamers are placing in all-out effort and studying to stretch themselves. I can not stress how vital it’s to play these nice groups and take trustworthy evaluations of the place we’re at and the place we have to go.”
Persons are additionally studying…
Montana began the weekend sturdy towards the Utes, with Murphy and Grace Haugen simply two video games shy of main the Griz to an upset in doubles.
Sterk and Dunlap got here by means of with their 7-5 victory over Utah’s Townsend/Horwood pair on courtroom two to place UM inside hanging distance. The Utes clinched the opening level on courtroom one, nevertheless, when Murphy and Haugen dropped a slender 4-6 determination to Utah’s Goncharova/Tattini pair.
Haugen carried the momentum into singles, profitable her first set on courtroom one 6-2 over Katya Townsend to pressure a 3rd body. In the meantime, on courtroom two, Olivia Oosterbaan was additionally pushing her match towards Madison Tattini into a 3rd set, main 4-1 within the second body.
Each matches would stay unfinished, nevertheless, with the Utes choosing up fast bottom-of-the-lineup wins on courts six, 5, and 4 to seal the 4-0 group win.
Within the Sunday matinee towards the Bearcats, Murphy and Haugen, UM’s freshman/sophomore combo from Canada, as soon as once more led the Griz in doubles, falling 6-4 on courtroom one to UC’s Flanagan/McLay pair in probably the most aggressive match of the opening spherical.
Haugen was scrappy in her courtroom one singles match towards Elizabeth Pendergast, narrowly falling within the first set 5-7 earlier than operating out of fuel within the second 0-6, placing the Bearcats up 2-0 within the group depend.
Murphy, a local of Calgary taking part in her first yr of school tennis, received the Griz on the board subsequent, overpowering Santilli 6-3, 6-4 on courtroom three for UM’s first win of the weekend.
“Hailey stepped up and performed nice all weekend. In opposition to Cincinnati, she was in a position to management the match and put her opponent towards the ropes. It was an excellent win,” added Ascher.
Straight-set wins from the Bearcats on courts six and 5 would put them up for good, nevertheless, because the Griz return dwelling following the 1-4 group loss.
Montana now will get set to face Lewis-Clark State in a pair of matches and a one-off twin towards Whitman in Lewiston, Idaho, subsequent week because the Griz search to select up their first group wins of the season heading into convention play.