Friday, February 21
Pocatello, ID
12 noon
Montana State University
at
Idaho State
Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
Bobcats Visit Idaho State, Weber State for Men's Tennis Matches
2/21/2025 8:16:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Bill Lamberty
BOZEMAN, Montana – During a time of year when many things are irregular, Montana State men's tennis head coach Mateus Ceolin is focusing on constants.
"Our training shifted a little bit this week," Ceolin said of his team transitioning from a sporadic series of non-conference matches into a more normal rhythm of conference opponents. "That's one of the things that's unique about tennis. You go through periods where you may have three matches back-to-back-to-back to a week like this where we have a short week of practice, then two matches, then 10 days off."
Ceolin said the focus has remained the same since the team convened in early January. "We're trying to keep the same mentality no matter what our schedule looks like or who we're playing," he said. "We're just trying to go 1-0 and stay consistent."
The two opponents MSU attempts to go 1-0 against this weekend are Idaho State, who the Cats play on Friday at noon, and Weber State, who Montana State visits on Saturday at 1 pm. The Idaho State match counts as a non-league affair, while the Weber State match is each school's Big Sky opener. The Bengals enter weekend play 4-5 on the season with wins over Eastern Washington and UNLV, while Weber State's 2-4 includes wins over UC Riverside and New Mexico State.
Each team impresses Ceolin. "Idaho State is well-coached and has gotten better since (head coach) Oliver Good has bene there," he said. "They are really good in doubles, they have a team ranked 86th in the country. It's a good opponent for our guys to face. Weber State is similar, really good doubles, very well coached.
Although the Bobcats had less time on the practice courts than normal, Ceolin liked what he saw. "I was impressed by the guys on Tuesday this week," he said. "It was our first day back (after three weekend matches on the road) and usually that first day guys are dragging a little. But this week on Tuesday the guys were dialed in and working hard. It was a good three days of practice. The week was shorter, just three days of practice, but it was three really good days."
As the team's performance continues to incrementally escalate, Ceolin praises his team's most established veteran and a pair of new freshmen. "Dima (Bezborodov) keeps impressing me," he said of the team's No. 1 singles and doubles player. "He is very steady. Two freshmen, Camille (Chantron) and Yassin (Elaroussy, both of whom arrived at MSU in January) are really figuring things out, they're finding themselves on the tennis court. They did a fantastic job this week in practice."
The Bobcats stand 1-8 on the young season, but Ceolin said his team's confidence and faith isn't wavering. ""I do think these guys have a lot of belief in the group," he said, "and I feel like regardless of our record they're getting better, they're figuring it out, and at some point things are going to go our way. They keep working."
Ceolin looks forward to his team testing itself against a pair of Big Sky squads. "Both matches, we'll just try to go 1-0, but we also have the underdog mentality. We know we're not expected to win against these teams, so let's do something unexpected. It's always fun to do something unexpected."
#GoCatsGo
"Our training shifted a little bit this week," Ceolin said of his team transitioning from a sporadic series of non-conference matches into a more normal rhythm of conference opponents. "That's one of the things that's unique about tennis. You go through periods where you may have three matches back-to-back-to-back to a week like this where we have a short week of practice, then two matches, then 10 days off."
Ceolin said the focus has remained the same since the team convened in early January. "We're trying to keep the same mentality no matter what our schedule looks like or who we're playing," he said. "We're just trying to go 1-0 and stay consistent."
The two opponents MSU attempts to go 1-0 against this weekend are Idaho State, who the Cats play on Friday at noon, and Weber State, who Montana State visits on Saturday at 1 pm. The Idaho State match counts as a non-league affair, while the Weber State match is each school's Big Sky opener. The Bengals enter weekend play 4-5 on the season with wins over Eastern Washington and UNLV, while Weber State's 2-4 includes wins over UC Riverside and New Mexico State.
Each team impresses Ceolin. "Idaho State is well-coached and has gotten better since (head coach) Oliver Good has bene there," he said. "They are really good in doubles, they have a team ranked 86th in the country. It's a good opponent for our guys to face. Weber State is similar, really good doubles, very well coached.
Although the Bobcats had less time on the practice courts than normal, Ceolin liked what he saw. "I was impressed by the guys on Tuesday this week," he said. "It was our first day back (after three weekend matches on the road) and usually that first day guys are dragging a little. But this week on Tuesday the guys were dialed in and working hard. It was a good three days of practice. The week was shorter, just three days of practice, but it was three really good days."
As the team's performance continues to incrementally escalate, Ceolin praises his team's most established veteran and a pair of new freshmen. "Dima (Bezborodov) keeps impressing me," he said of the team's No. 1 singles and doubles player. "He is very steady. Two freshmen, Camille (Chantron) and Yassin (Elaroussy, both of whom arrived at MSU in January) are really figuring things out, they're finding themselves on the tennis court. They did a fantastic job this week in practice."
The Bobcats stand 1-8 on the young season, but Ceolin said his team's confidence and faith isn't wavering. ""I do think these guys have a lot of belief in the group," he said, "and I feel like regardless of our record they're getting better, they're figuring it out, and at some point things are going to go our way. They keep working."
Ceolin looks forward to his team testing itself against a pair of Big Sky squads. "Both matches, we'll just try to go 1-0, but we also have the underdog mentality. We know we're not expected to win against these teams, so let's do something unexpected. It's always fun to do something unexpected."
#GoCatsGo
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