MSU heads to the Big Sky Tournament this weekend
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcat Men's Tennis Team Heads to Big Sky Tourney in Sacramento
4/28/2016 4:47:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MSU faces a Northern Arizona squad that topped the Cats last weekend
Montana State men's tennis coach Jared Burnham is not neutral on what he hopes will be a big factor in his team's rematch against a Northern Arizona squad the defeated the Bobcats 6-1 less than a week ago on Flagstaff.
"NAU is a good team, but Flagstaff is a hard place to play, too," Burnham said. "Hopefully we learned from last weekend and maybe playing at a neutral site will be to our advantage."
The sixth-seeded Cats and No. 3 Northern Arizona meet at 3 pm MT Friday at the Gold River Racquet Club in Sacramento. The other first round matchup features fourth-seeded Montana against Sacramento State, the fifth seed and tournament host.
NAU handled the Bobcats easily last weekend. "I know we'll play better," Burnham said with a laugh, "because we couldn't play worse." The Lumberjacks won the doubles point then swept through singles play dropping only one set (Kellen Bates fought through a 5-7, 6-4, 10-6 defeat against Tim Handel at No. 1 singles) until the final contest of the day. At No. 6, Dylan Harvala earned MSU's only win of the day with a 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 10-5 victory.
"We had a tough day at one or two spots, and that really set the tone for the whole match," Burnham said. "It was another good learning experience for a young team. There have been ups and downs, but the guys have made fewer mistakes as the season has gone on. We're playing a lot smarter, and a lot better, and I hope that shows up on Friday."
A Bobcat victory Friday would send the team into the semifinals against top-seeded Weber State on Saturday. Harry James, expected to hold his usual No. 3 spot on Friday, is the program's only senior.
"NAU is a good team, but Flagstaff is a hard place to play, too," Burnham said. "Hopefully we learned from last weekend and maybe playing at a neutral site will be to our advantage."
The sixth-seeded Cats and No. 3 Northern Arizona meet at 3 pm MT Friday at the Gold River Racquet Club in Sacramento. The other first round matchup features fourth-seeded Montana against Sacramento State, the fifth seed and tournament host.
NAU handled the Bobcats easily last weekend. "I know we'll play better," Burnham said with a laugh, "because we couldn't play worse." The Lumberjacks won the doubles point then swept through singles play dropping only one set (Kellen Bates fought through a 5-7, 6-4, 10-6 defeat against Tim Handel at No. 1 singles) until the final contest of the day. At No. 6, Dylan Harvala earned MSU's only win of the day with a 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 10-5 victory.
"We had a tough day at one or two spots, and that really set the tone for the whole match," Burnham said. "It was another good learning experience for a young team. There have been ups and downs, but the guys have made fewer mistakes as the season has gone on. We're playing a lot smarter, and a lot better, and I hope that shows up on Friday."
A Bobcat victory Friday would send the team into the semifinals against top-seeded Weber State on Saturday. Harry James, expected to hold his usual No. 3 spot on Friday, is the program's only senior.
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