Saturday, April 18
Bozeman, MT
3 pm
Montana State University
vs
Montana
Senior Niklas Brandes leads the Bobcats on Saturday
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcats Host Grizzlies in Men's Tennis Brawl of the Wild
4/17/2015 2:52:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Second place in the Big Sky is on the line Saturday
Sidebars reign.
Second place in the Big Sky Conference men's tennis standings is at stake, Brawl of the Wild and Big Sky All-Sports Trophy points are on the line, the match serves as Montana State's Senior Day, and avenging an early-season wipeout by Montana weighs on the Bobcats' minds.
But none of that will matter Saturday, because it's Cat-Griz.
"I'm really excited," said Bobcat freshman Dylan Harvala, from Missoula. Sophomore Kellen Bates from Kalispell adds, "It feels different than any other match."
"I know our guys will play hard," says Montana State head coach Jared Burnham, "and I know they'll compete. I like the way they've played lately. The guys certainly understand the importance of this match."
First serve is 3 pm Saturday in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center, and the match marks the final home competition for a pair of stellar seniors. Niklas Brandes is an all-time Bobcat great, a three-time First Team All-Big Sky selection. Javier Martin-Morillas has harnessed his considerable talent this season, leading the Cats with a 13-5 record, including 9-1 in conference play.
"These two guys have been tremendous players for this program," Burnham said. "Nik and Javy have both been everything you want in a student-athlete."
Montana demolished the Cats 6-1 in a non-conference match between the in-state rivals last month, but the composition of this Bobcat team is altered significantly by the return of junior Harry James. One of MSU's most consistent players, who Burnham calls "a workhorse," missed nearly a month with an ankle injury, but returned against Idaho State last Saturday with a 6-4, 6-4 win. He has a pair of doubles wins since his return, and Burnham is hoping for the best on Saturday.
"There's still a little rust," he said, "but he's competing and working hard. He's getting back to full speed. Harry gives us another good player in the lineup, and at this time of year that's important."
Montana, at 8-8 overall and 7-3 in Big Sky play, is locked into third or fourth place in the league standings, but MSU is playing for much more. The Cats are a win away from the conference tournament's second seed, which would provide a first round bye. It would also provide some ancillary benefits, such as a boost in the Brawl of the Wild standings and in the league's all-sports and President's Cup competitions.
But none of that will matter Saturday, when Montana State renews its ancient rivalry with its cross-state foes.
"It will be a great match," Burnham says, "and a lot of fun."
This Week's Action
As if a Cat-Griz match doesn't have meaning enough, Montana State and the Grizzlies battle for a share of second place in the Big Sky during Saturday's Brawl of the Wild match in Bozeman. First serve is 3 pm. Montana demolished the Bobcats 6-1 on March 20 in Missoula, and owns two straight wins against MSU. Montana is brutal on opponents at the bottom of the ladder, with Alexandr Rudenco and Yannick Schmidl combining for a 17-3 mark in Big Sky matches. Harry James is likely back for the Bobcats this weekend, restoring MSU to its regular lineup for the first time since mid-March.
MSU 2015 Schedule/Results
Date Opponent W/L Score All BSC
Jan 30 at BYU L 0-7 0-1 0-0
Jan. 31 at #63 Utah L 2-5 0-2 0-0
Feb. 7 at Air Force L 2-5 0-3 0-0
Feb. 8 *at Northern Colorado W 5-2 1-3 1-0
Feb. 13 *at Portland State W 4-3 2-3 2-0
Feb. 14 at Seattle W 4-3 3-3 2-0
Feb. 21 MSU Billings W 7-0 4-3 2-0
Feb. 22 Utah State L 3-4 4-4 2-0
Feb. 27 *Idaho State W 6-1 5-4 3-0
March 7 *at North Dakota W 6-1 6-4 4-0
March 10 *Southern Utah W 7-0 7-4 5-0
March 13 *at Eastern Washington W 4-3 8-4 6-0
March 14 *vs. Idaho in Spokane L 1-6 8-5 6-1
March 20 at Montana L 1-6 8-6 6-1
March 22 *Weber State L 3-4 8-7 6-2
March 28 *Sacramento State W 4-3 9-7 7-2
March 29 *Northern Arizona W 5-2 10-7 8-2
April 11 at Idaho State W 7-0 11-7 8-2
April 18 *Montana 3 pm
April 24-26 Big Sky Championships at Sacramento
Big Sky Standings
Team BSC Hm Rd Neu All
Weber State 8-1 3-0 4-1 1-0 13-9
Montana State 8-2 4-1 4-0 0-1 11-7
Idaho 8-3 4-1 3-2 1-0 14-8
Montana 7-3 4-1 3-2 0-0 8-8
Sacramento State 7-4 5-0 1-4 0-0 10-13
Northern Arizona 5-4 3-1 2-3 0-0 7-12
Idho State 4-5 3-0 1-5 0-0 6-9
Eastern Washington 5-6 3-3 2-3 0-0 6-14
Portland State 3-6 2-3 1-3 1-0 6-11
Northern Colorado 3-6 2-3 0-3 1-0 7-13
North Dakota 1-10 1-4 0-5 0-1 6-12
Southern Utah 0-9 0-4 0-5 0-0 0-12
Results
www.msubobcats.com, and Twitter at @msubobcats and @msuscoreboard
Bobcat Notebook
Stay Hot
Andre Napoliatano (No. 1 singles) has won 11 of his last 13 singles matches and is 6-3 in Big Sky play. Playing at No. 2 and No. 3, Javier Martin-Morillas has won 10 of 12 and is 9-1 in the BSC. Niklas Brandes started out 2-4, but has won seven of his last nine.
Sorting Things Out
Weber State has wrapped up the top seed of the 2015 Big Sky Men's Tennis Championships, which begin next week in Sacramento, but Eastern Washington handed the Bobcats a chance to capture the tourney's second seed by dealing Idaho its third league loss on Wednesday. Northern Arizona is the tourney's sixth entry, but the seeding is anything but locked in. Montana will finish as either the third or fourth seed, and a Grizzly win Saturday could bump the Cats down to the fourth seed. Sacramento State was awarded the Big Sky Tournament by the league.
Brawl of the Wild
Saturday's match counts in the standings of the annual Brawl of the Wild rivalry.
Jared Burnham
The 2013 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year, third-year head coach Jared Burnham has led the Cats to the Big Sky Tournament in each of his first two campaigns in Bozeman. The 1999 Utah State grad led MSU to its first regular season title since 2006 in his first season on the job, 2013, as the Cats finished 9-1 in Big Sky play, 13-8 overall. Burnham served as Weber State's head coach from 2004-12, finishing in the league's top half his last five seasons.
Second place in the Big Sky Conference men's tennis standings is at stake, Brawl of the Wild and Big Sky All-Sports Trophy points are on the line, the match serves as Montana State's Senior Day, and avenging an early-season wipeout by Montana weighs on the Bobcats' minds.
But none of that will matter Saturday, because it's Cat-Griz.
"I'm really excited," said Bobcat freshman Dylan Harvala, from Missoula. Sophomore Kellen Bates from Kalispell adds, "It feels different than any other match."
"I know our guys will play hard," says Montana State head coach Jared Burnham, "and I know they'll compete. I like the way they've played lately. The guys certainly understand the importance of this match."
First serve is 3 pm Saturday in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center, and the match marks the final home competition for a pair of stellar seniors. Niklas Brandes is an all-time Bobcat great, a three-time First Team All-Big Sky selection. Javier Martin-Morillas has harnessed his considerable talent this season, leading the Cats with a 13-5 record, including 9-1 in conference play.
"These two guys have been tremendous players for this program," Burnham said. "Nik and Javy have both been everything you want in a student-athlete."
Montana demolished the Cats 6-1 in a non-conference match between the in-state rivals last month, but the composition of this Bobcat team is altered significantly by the return of junior Harry James. One of MSU's most consistent players, who Burnham calls "a workhorse," missed nearly a month with an ankle injury, but returned against Idaho State last Saturday with a 6-4, 6-4 win. He has a pair of doubles wins since his return, and Burnham is hoping for the best on Saturday.
"There's still a little rust," he said, "but he's competing and working hard. He's getting back to full speed. Harry gives us another good player in the lineup, and at this time of year that's important."
Montana, at 8-8 overall and 7-3 in Big Sky play, is locked into third or fourth place in the league standings, but MSU is playing for much more. The Cats are a win away from the conference tournament's second seed, which would provide a first round bye. It would also provide some ancillary benefits, such as a boost in the Brawl of the Wild standings and in the league's all-sports and President's Cup competitions.
But none of that will matter Saturday, when Montana State renews its ancient rivalry with its cross-state foes.
"It will be a great match," Burnham says, "and a lot of fun."
This Week's Action
As if a Cat-Griz match doesn't have meaning enough, Montana State and the Grizzlies battle for a share of second place in the Big Sky during Saturday's Brawl of the Wild match in Bozeman. First serve is 3 pm. Montana demolished the Bobcats 6-1 on March 20 in Missoula, and owns two straight wins against MSU. Montana is brutal on opponents at the bottom of the ladder, with Alexandr Rudenco and Yannick Schmidl combining for a 17-3 mark in Big Sky matches. Harry James is likely back for the Bobcats this weekend, restoring MSU to its regular lineup for the first time since mid-March.
MSU 2015 Schedule/Results
Date Opponent W/L Score All BSC
Jan 30 at BYU L 0-7 0-1 0-0
Jan. 31 at #63 Utah L 2-5 0-2 0-0
Feb. 7 at Air Force L 2-5 0-3 0-0
Feb. 8 *at Northern Colorado W 5-2 1-3 1-0
Feb. 13 *at Portland State W 4-3 2-3 2-0
Feb. 14 at Seattle W 4-3 3-3 2-0
Feb. 21 MSU Billings W 7-0 4-3 2-0
Feb. 22 Utah State L 3-4 4-4 2-0
Feb. 27 *Idaho State W 6-1 5-4 3-0
March 7 *at North Dakota W 6-1 6-4 4-0
March 10 *Southern Utah W 7-0 7-4 5-0
March 13 *at Eastern Washington W 4-3 8-4 6-0
March 14 *vs. Idaho in Spokane L 1-6 8-5 6-1
March 20 at Montana L 1-6 8-6 6-1
March 22 *Weber State L 3-4 8-7 6-2
March 28 *Sacramento State W 4-3 9-7 7-2
March 29 *Northern Arizona W 5-2 10-7 8-2
April 11 at Idaho State W 7-0 11-7 8-2
April 18 *Montana 3 pm
April 24-26 Big Sky Championships at Sacramento
Big Sky Standings
Team BSC Hm Rd Neu All
Weber State 8-1 3-0 4-1 1-0 13-9
Montana State 8-2 4-1 4-0 0-1 11-7
Idaho 8-3 4-1 3-2 1-0 14-8
Montana 7-3 4-1 3-2 0-0 8-8
Sacramento State 7-4 5-0 1-4 0-0 10-13
Northern Arizona 5-4 3-1 2-3 0-0 7-12
Idho State 4-5 3-0 1-5 0-0 6-9
Eastern Washington 5-6 3-3 2-3 0-0 6-14
Portland State 3-6 2-3 1-3 1-0 6-11
Northern Colorado 3-6 2-3 0-3 1-0 7-13
North Dakota 1-10 1-4 0-5 0-1 6-12
Southern Utah 0-9 0-4 0-5 0-0 0-12
Results
www.msubobcats.com, and Twitter at @msubobcats and @msuscoreboard
Bobcat Notebook
Stay Hot
Andre Napoliatano (No. 1 singles) has won 11 of his last 13 singles matches and is 6-3 in Big Sky play. Playing at No. 2 and No. 3, Javier Martin-Morillas has won 10 of 12 and is 9-1 in the BSC. Niklas Brandes started out 2-4, but has won seven of his last nine.
Sorting Things Out
Weber State has wrapped up the top seed of the 2015 Big Sky Men's Tennis Championships, which begin next week in Sacramento, but Eastern Washington handed the Bobcats a chance to capture the tourney's second seed by dealing Idaho its third league loss on Wednesday. Northern Arizona is the tourney's sixth entry, but the seeding is anything but locked in. Montana will finish as either the third or fourth seed, and a Grizzly win Saturday could bump the Cats down to the fourth seed. Sacramento State was awarded the Big Sky Tournament by the league.
Brawl of the Wild
Saturday's match counts in the standings of the annual Brawl of the Wild rivalry.
Jared Burnham
The 2013 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year, third-year head coach Jared Burnham has led the Cats to the Big Sky Tournament in each of his first two campaigns in Bozeman. The 1999 Utah State grad led MSU to its first regular season title since 2006 in his first season on the job, 2013, as the Cats finished 9-1 in Big Sky play, 13-8 overall. Burnham served as Weber State's head coach from 2004-12, finishing in the league's top half his last five seasons.
Players Mentioned
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