Saturday, February 27
1 pm
Montana State University
at
at Sacramento State
Kellen Bates
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcat Men's Tennis Team Heads to Sacramento State for League Showdown
2/23/2016 5:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MSU faces Hornets on Saturday
The early portion of Montana State's 2016 men's tennis season gets no easier this weekend, as the Bobcats travel to California for a match against perennial Big Sky power Sacramento State.
Saturday's league contest against the Hornets comes on the heels of a league match against Weber State and a non-conference tilt against Montana, and those three teams represent perhaps the strongest contenders for the league's regular season title. In spite of the rugged competition, MSU coach Jared Burnham sees his team making strides.
"I think (the Montana match, a 5-2 loss) was a good step forward for the team," he said. "We're competing better, making less mistakes at big times. There's a lot of room for improvement, but we've come a long way."
The Bobcats enter weekend play 1-6 overall and 1-1 in Big Sky play. Kellen Bates won his first match at the No. 1 singles spot last weekend against a veteran player from Montana, which Burnham cited as a "real positive sign" in the junior's development. Harry James, the team's lone senior, continues to play well at No. 3, with a team-best 3-4 singles record.
Burnham said his team is still not necessarily locked into ladder positions. "Who's playing where is still a work in progress," he said. "It might be all season. We have some flexibility, though. We can mix things up at one, two and three."
MSU faces a Hornets team that carries a 2-7 record into the weekend, but one which has faced a grueling schedule. Sac State is 2-0 in league matches, with wins over Northern Colorado and North Dakota. The losses have come to an array of regionally- and nationally-ranked squads.
One area Burnham hopes his team can improve upon as the season progresses is mental preparation. "We came out flat" against Montana last weekend, he said. "We might have been nervous. With how quick doubles is now, any little blip and you're done. I think the freshmen, and really the team, is figuring out that there needs to be some urgency with each match."
Match time Saturday is 2 pm MT.
Saturday's league contest against the Hornets comes on the heels of a league match against Weber State and a non-conference tilt against Montana, and those three teams represent perhaps the strongest contenders for the league's regular season title. In spite of the rugged competition, MSU coach Jared Burnham sees his team making strides.
"I think (the Montana match, a 5-2 loss) was a good step forward for the team," he said. "We're competing better, making less mistakes at big times. There's a lot of room for improvement, but we've come a long way."
The Bobcats enter weekend play 1-6 overall and 1-1 in Big Sky play. Kellen Bates won his first match at the No. 1 singles spot last weekend against a veteran player from Montana, which Burnham cited as a "real positive sign" in the junior's development. Harry James, the team's lone senior, continues to play well at No. 3, with a team-best 3-4 singles record.
Burnham said his team is still not necessarily locked into ladder positions. "Who's playing where is still a work in progress," he said. "It might be all season. We have some flexibility, though. We can mix things up at one, two and three."
MSU faces a Hornets team that carries a 2-7 record into the weekend, but one which has faced a grueling schedule. Sac State is 2-0 in league matches, with wins over Northern Colorado and North Dakota. The losses have come to an array of regionally- and nationally-ranked squads.
One area Burnham hopes his team can improve upon as the season progresses is mental preparation. "We came out flat" against Montana last weekend, he said. "We might have been nervous. With how quick doubles is now, any little blip and you're done. I think the freshmen, and really the team, is figuring out that there needs to be some urgency with each match."
Match time Saturday is 2 pm MT.
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