Friday, April 3
Bozeman, Mont.
10 a.m.
Montana State University
4
vs
3
Northern Arizona
Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
Bobcats Earn 'Tough' 4-3 Women's Tennis Win Over Northern Arizona on Friday
4/3/2026 8:15:00 PM | Women's Tennis
MSU relies on Angel Bean, Lola Bean in league victory
BOZEMAN, Mont. (April 3, 2026) – With Montana State and Northern Arizona tied 3-3 in Friday's Big Sky Conference women's tennis match, and Bobcat freshman Lola Bean locked in an intense battle with NAU's Leontina Stojanovic, she had an important conversation.
With herself.
"I was trying to play in the present and focus on the moment and give myself some positive talk to try and make myself believe it," she said. "I was saying, 'Believe in yourself and stay calm and everything's gonna be OK."
It turned out she was right. Bean closed her match in straight sets to clinch Montana State's 4-3 win over NAU in Bozeman's Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center. The win raised MSU's record to 2-4 in Big Sky play while the Lumberjacks fell to 4-2, giving the Bobcats a potentially-important tie-breaker in the fight for entry into the Big Sky Championships.
Lola Bean and her older sister Angel Bean combined on two of MSU's three singles wins, and each had a hand in winning the two doubles matches that secured that point. The Cats jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the doubles victory and Angel Bean's triumph at No. 2 singles.
The doubles win and Angel Bean's singles victory came in quick succession, and helped the MSU junior fulfill her primary goal for the day. "My goal for today's match was to enjoy the competition and embrace the pressure," the elder Bean said. "And I think it was like dominoes. When I was having fun everything else just came to vision and worked out."
The match began with an epic doubles point decided in dramatic fashion. Jantacova and Rainke took a 6-4 decision on court one for Northern Arizona. On courts two and three, the Bobcats broke serve midway through each contest, but NAU erased the advantage in each match.
Unfazed, the Cats battled back. Angel Bean and Nia Gelashvili regained the advantage almost immediately, and captured a 6-4 win. At No. 3, Lola Ben and Kavya Khirwar took a bit longer. The duo held serve at 6-5, then won all four points to break NAU's serve and grab a point-clinching 7-5 win.
"It was so important," Bobcat head coach Hailey Barrett said of the doubles win. "So important. And that's why you stay out there, that's why you keep fighting. I'm so proud of them for sticking to what they now how to do in the big moments. And we were the ones that came out on top in those."
Angel Bean said the mood on the court during that crucial doubles match ran counter to the moment's intensity. "Me and Nia, we play our best doubles when we're having fun," she said. "We're just able to laugh off the mistakes and then bounce back from there. Obviously winning the doubles point brought momentum into my singles match."
For a time after Angel Bean's singles win, though, it was all NAU. The Lumberjacks took wins at the fourth, third and first ladder positions to push the Lumberjacks lead to 3-2 and one point from a team victory.
Then the bottom of the Bobcat lineup took over.
First, at No. 6, Khirwar earned a dominant and impressive victory. She defeated NAU's Mia Wolter 6-0, 6-1, drawing all eyes to the No. 5 singles match between Lola Bean and Leontina Stojanovic. Bean claimed an early break in the first set and breezed to a 6-3 win. Set two, though was a grueling affair. Bean broke serve midway through, and led 5-4.
The Bobcat freshman said that in spite of the match's draining nature, staying on a positive path mentally was the most important factor. "It was more of a mental battle for me because I'm able to withstand long matches physically," she said. So I knew I had to keep my mental strong. At 5-4, deuce, anything could have happened if it went to 5-5. I was trying to not let my brain spiral until, if it goes to 5-5, I'm going to be nervous to play the 5-5 game."
Barrett praised Lola Bean for her discipline in sticking to her plan and her playing style. "She trusts herself so much, and (she plays) unconventional, but it's effective. I'm just so proud of her and how she embraces that."
Montana State's perseverance through the four-hour match showed Barrett one underlying characteristic. "That's why we keep fighting," she said. "All we've been talking about is the tougher team is going to win, and I think we toughed it out today. It's as simple as that. I'm so proud of this team for fighting through the ups and downs. This was a great match and a great battle. Northern Arizona played great, as well."
MSU's hosts the annual Cat-Griz showdown next Saturday, April 11, at 10 am in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center.
Montana State 4, Northern Arizona 3
April 3, 2026 at Bozeman, MT (Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center)
DOUBLES
1. Elen Jantacova/Natalie Rainke (NAU) def. Terezie Stverakova/Anna Wise (MSU) 6-4
2. Angel Bean/Nia Gelashvili (MSU) def. Patryc Niewiadomska/Andrea Noguera (NAU) 6-4
3. Lola Bean/Kavya Khirwar (MSU) def. Leontina Stojanovic/Mia Wolter (NAU) 7-5
SINGLES
1. Patryc Niewiadomska (NAU) def. Anna Wise (MSU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
2. Angel Bean (MSU) def. Andrea Noguera (NAU) 6-1, 6-0
3. Natalie Rainke (NAU) def. Nia Gelashvili (MSU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
4. Elen Jantacova (NAU) def. Terezie Stverakova (MSU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Lola Bean (MSU) def. Leontina Stojanovic (NAU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Kavya Khirwar (MSU) def. Mia Wolter (NAU) 6-0, 6-1
Records: Montana State 6-10, 2-4 Big Sky; Northern Arizona 5-5, 4-2 Big Sky
Order of finish: Singles -- 2 4 3 1 6 5 ; Doubles -- 1 2 3
Start Time: 10:02 AM, End Time: 2:02 pm, Duration: 4 hours
Attendance: 50
With herself.
"I was trying to play in the present and focus on the moment and give myself some positive talk to try and make myself believe it," she said. "I was saying, 'Believe in yourself and stay calm and everything's gonna be OK."
It turned out she was right. Bean closed her match in straight sets to clinch Montana State's 4-3 win over NAU in Bozeman's Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center. The win raised MSU's record to 2-4 in Big Sky play while the Lumberjacks fell to 4-2, giving the Bobcats a potentially-important tie-breaker in the fight for entry into the Big Sky Championships.
Lola Bean and her older sister Angel Bean combined on two of MSU's three singles wins, and each had a hand in winning the two doubles matches that secured that point. The Cats jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the doubles victory and Angel Bean's triumph at No. 2 singles.
The doubles win and Angel Bean's singles victory came in quick succession, and helped the MSU junior fulfill her primary goal for the day. "My goal for today's match was to enjoy the competition and embrace the pressure," the elder Bean said. "And I think it was like dominoes. When I was having fun everything else just came to vision and worked out."
The match began with an epic doubles point decided in dramatic fashion. Jantacova and Rainke took a 6-4 decision on court one for Northern Arizona. On courts two and three, the Bobcats broke serve midway through each contest, but NAU erased the advantage in each match.
Unfazed, the Cats battled back. Angel Bean and Nia Gelashvili regained the advantage almost immediately, and captured a 6-4 win. At No. 3, Lola Ben and Kavya Khirwar took a bit longer. The duo held serve at 6-5, then won all four points to break NAU's serve and grab a point-clinching 7-5 win.
"It was so important," Bobcat head coach Hailey Barrett said of the doubles win. "So important. And that's why you stay out there, that's why you keep fighting. I'm so proud of them for sticking to what they now how to do in the big moments. And we were the ones that came out on top in those."
Angel Bean said the mood on the court during that crucial doubles match ran counter to the moment's intensity. "Me and Nia, we play our best doubles when we're having fun," she said. "We're just able to laugh off the mistakes and then bounce back from there. Obviously winning the doubles point brought momentum into my singles match."
For a time after Angel Bean's singles win, though, it was all NAU. The Lumberjacks took wins at the fourth, third and first ladder positions to push the Lumberjacks lead to 3-2 and one point from a team victory.
Then the bottom of the Bobcat lineup took over.
First, at No. 6, Khirwar earned a dominant and impressive victory. She defeated NAU's Mia Wolter 6-0, 6-1, drawing all eyes to the No. 5 singles match between Lola Bean and Leontina Stojanovic. Bean claimed an early break in the first set and breezed to a 6-3 win. Set two, though was a grueling affair. Bean broke serve midway through, and led 5-4.
The Bobcat freshman said that in spite of the match's draining nature, staying on a positive path mentally was the most important factor. "It was more of a mental battle for me because I'm able to withstand long matches physically," she said. So I knew I had to keep my mental strong. At 5-4, deuce, anything could have happened if it went to 5-5. I was trying to not let my brain spiral until, if it goes to 5-5, I'm going to be nervous to play the 5-5 game."
Barrett praised Lola Bean for her discipline in sticking to her plan and her playing style. "She trusts herself so much, and (she plays) unconventional, but it's effective. I'm just so proud of her and how she embraces that."
Montana State's perseverance through the four-hour match showed Barrett one underlying characteristic. "That's why we keep fighting," she said. "All we've been talking about is the tougher team is going to win, and I think we toughed it out today. It's as simple as that. I'm so proud of this team for fighting through the ups and downs. This was a great match and a great battle. Northern Arizona played great, as well."
MSU's hosts the annual Cat-Griz showdown next Saturday, April 11, at 10 am in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center.
Montana State 4, Northern Arizona 3
April 3, 2026 at Bozeman, MT (Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center)
DOUBLES
1. Elen Jantacova/Natalie Rainke (NAU) def. Terezie Stverakova/Anna Wise (MSU) 6-4
2. Angel Bean/Nia Gelashvili (MSU) def. Patryc Niewiadomska/Andrea Noguera (NAU) 6-4
3. Lola Bean/Kavya Khirwar (MSU) def. Leontina Stojanovic/Mia Wolter (NAU) 7-5
SINGLES
1. Patryc Niewiadomska (NAU) def. Anna Wise (MSU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
2. Angel Bean (MSU) def. Andrea Noguera (NAU) 6-1, 6-0
3. Natalie Rainke (NAU) def. Nia Gelashvili (MSU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
4. Elen Jantacova (NAU) def. Terezie Stverakova (MSU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Lola Bean (MSU) def. Leontina Stojanovic (NAU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Kavya Khirwar (MSU) def. Mia Wolter (NAU) 6-0, 6-1
Records: Montana State 6-10, 2-4 Big Sky; Northern Arizona 5-5, 4-2 Big Sky
Order of finish: Singles -- 2 4 3 1 6 5 ; Doubles -- 1 2 3
Start Time: 10:02 AM, End Time: 2:02 pm, Duration: 4 hours
Attendance: 50
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2,3
#1 Singles Match
123
Patryc Niewiadomska / 0 [NAU]
466
613
#2 Singles Match
12
Andrea Noguera / 0 [NAU]
10
66
#3 Singles Match
123
Natalie Rainke / 0 [NAU]
466
631
#4 Singles Match
12
Elen Jantacova / 0 [NAU]
66
33
#5 Singles Match
12
Leontina Stojanovic / 0 [NAU]
34
66
#6 Singles Match
12
Mia Wolter / 0 [NAU]
01
66
Order of Finish:
2,4,3,1,6,5
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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