Friday, April 21
BOZEMAN
1 pm
Montana State University
vs
Montana
Senior Kellen Bates from Kalispell
Photo by: Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez
MSU Hosts Cat-Griz Men's Tennis Dual with Post-Season Implications
4/20/2017 5:23:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MSU-UM match begins at 1 pm Sunday in Bozeman
The post-season fate of the Bobcat men's tennis team boils down to a 24-hour period beginning Friday at 1 pm.
That's when the Montana State (5-4 in Big Sky play, 6-13 overall) hosts Montana (6-3, 11-7) to begin a weekend that decides the still-up-in-the-air Big Sky Men's Championship Tournament, which begins next week. The Cats host Weber State on Saturday at 10 am. All the action is in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center.
"It's a big weekend, to say the least," said MSU coach Jared Burnham. "There are so many possibilities that I get dizzy just thinking about it."
That begins with Friday's Cat-Griz showdown. Montana beat the Bobcats 6-1 earlier in a non-conference match, and the Treasure State schools are among four teams trying to lock down the tourney's final two spots. NAU has won the league regular season title, and Idaho, Sacramento State and Idaho State have all clinched spots in the six-team event.
The high stakes, Burnham said, heightens the sense of competition. "These matches are big for everyone involved," he said. "This is as fun as it gets."
Burnham said that the pressure of the weekend could affect play. "(Cat-Griz) will be an interesting match," he said. "It might be all over the place. There will be some good tennis, some tight tennis, some ugly tennis. It will be fun to watch."
The Bobcats "had a good week of practice," Burnham said, and he hopes his team can rely on a season-long strength to get off to a good start. "We've played well in doubles all season," he said. "We've competed better at singles lately. We just need to keep our focus and compete hard."
The Grizzlies hold a huge advantage entering the weekend, leading the Cats by one game in the standings and Weber State by two. Montana is the only team of the three with an off day, as well. Weber State visits UM on Sunday, giving the Grizzlies a day of recovery. Weber State needs two wins to gain a tourney berth. Both the Cats and Grizzlies gain entry into the tournament by beating Weber State. Two losses ends MSU's season. Eastern Washington's regular season is over at 6-5 in league play, but both Montana and Montana hold wins over EWU.
"It might be a hard weekend to figure out," Burnham said, "but it will be a fun one to watch."
That's when the Montana State (5-4 in Big Sky play, 6-13 overall) hosts Montana (6-3, 11-7) to begin a weekend that decides the still-up-in-the-air Big Sky Men's Championship Tournament, which begins next week. The Cats host Weber State on Saturday at 10 am. All the action is in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center.
"It's a big weekend, to say the least," said MSU coach Jared Burnham. "There are so many possibilities that I get dizzy just thinking about it."
That begins with Friday's Cat-Griz showdown. Montana beat the Bobcats 6-1 earlier in a non-conference match, and the Treasure State schools are among four teams trying to lock down the tourney's final two spots. NAU has won the league regular season title, and Idaho, Sacramento State and Idaho State have all clinched spots in the six-team event.
The high stakes, Burnham said, heightens the sense of competition. "These matches are big for everyone involved," he said. "This is as fun as it gets."
Burnham said that the pressure of the weekend could affect play. "(Cat-Griz) will be an interesting match," he said. "It might be all over the place. There will be some good tennis, some tight tennis, some ugly tennis. It will be fun to watch."
The Bobcats "had a good week of practice," Burnham said, and he hopes his team can rely on a season-long strength to get off to a good start. "We've played well in doubles all season," he said. "We've competed better at singles lately. We just need to keep our focus and compete hard."
The Grizzlies hold a huge advantage entering the weekend, leading the Cats by one game in the standings and Weber State by two. Montana is the only team of the three with an off day, as well. Weber State visits UM on Sunday, giving the Grizzlies a day of recovery. Weber State needs two wins to gain a tourney berth. Both the Cats and Grizzlies gain entry into the tournament by beating Weber State. Two losses ends MSU's season. Eastern Washington's regular season is over at 6-5 in league play, but both Montana and Montana hold wins over EWU.
"It might be a hard weekend to figure out," Burnham said, "but it will be a fun one to watch."
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