Friday, January 24
Boise, ID
10 am
Montana State University
at
Boise State
Christian Damgaard-Qvist
Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Bobcat Men's Tennis Team Opens Spring Season Friday at Boise State
1/23/2020 6:31:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MSU's season-opening weekend also includes Saturday match against Whitman
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State men's tennis begins a new era when first-year coach Trey Morris leads the Bobcats into action at Boise State, but he'll do so with plenty of familiar faces and some talented newcomers. And the sum of that equation is one that Morris finds pleasing.
"I think what we'll see with this team is that we're very deep," Morris said of his first Bobcat team. "We're pretty solid from one through six, so the singles lineup could be fluid as the season goes on. But we have very good depth and if a player gets hot we'll be able to move into a spot where we can take advantage of that because the lineup is pretty interchangeable."
Three of the program's top six players in 2019 return for the Bobcats this season, led by junior Joaquin Espinoza and sophomore Christian Damgaard-Qvist. Espinoza manned the No. 3 singles spot through most of last season, while Damgaard-Qvist held down the fourth ladder position. Sophomore Marcos Zelver also played in 10 of the team's 16 dual matches, while seniors Grant Wood and Max Petrak and redshirt freshman Manuel Monteiro also return.
Two transfers bolster the Bobcats lineup in 2020. Nejc Sitar earned Summit League Newcomer of the Year honors at North Dakota last year, but comes to MSU as a legacy. His brother Rok was a standout Bobcat. Chase Stoner transfers to MSU from Utah. Both new players enter the spring season looking to contribute.
Morris sees Sitar and Espinoza as lineup anchors, especially early in the season. "Nejc Sitar and Joaquin Espinoza are two of the guys that stand out," he said. "Something that's great about both those guys is their work ethic. Not only will they be playing the top of the lineup for us but they're also pushing other guys forward with how they work on and off the court, the classroom, everything. They're really showing themselves to be strong leaders. Joaquin is doing a really great job leading by example, especially for the younger guys."
The bottom four ladder spots, and the doubles lineup, make their debuts in Boise Friday at 10 am. He said they spring from a good fall season. "We tinkered with it a lot this fall because all the guys were new to me," Morris said. "We were trying to figure out personalities and playing styles, who will mesh well together. Finding what lineup combinations work was a goal all fall, and we really started finding those teams and those pairings as we finished the fall season and into December. We have our doubles teams and pairings set at least for the beginning of the season. We're going to see how that goes and if we need to make changes we will, but for right now I think we're set. The singles lineup bounced around in the fall."
Stoner also provides punch wherever he lands in the lineup. "Chase is definitely going to give us a lot of production," Morris said. "He comes over from Utah, and his experience competing in the Pac 12 is huge. He had a slow start to the fall, but as the season went on he came into his own and I think he's playing the best tennis of his career."
Morris is hoping that a trend of fast starts develops. "I want to see a lot of success starting out the duals matches in doubles. I want to see us come out and throw that first punch each match, then carry that momentum into singles. I want to see the guys compete hard and be the more enthusiastic team every match. We try to be a bit blue collar with the way we approach things, so bringing that mentality into our dual matches is what I'm expecting and what I hope to see from the guys.
Regional power Boise State opened its season with a 7-0 loss at No. 5 Baylor last weekend. The Broncos roster features two seniors and three juniors, and Morris said he expects robust competition. "Boise is a solid program. Historically they've been one of the top programs in the country so when you're building off history like that we know they'll come in with a good squad. Overall we're excited to get outside and compete."
The Bobcats face Whitman College in Boise on Saturday at 9 am.
#GoCatsGo
"I think what we'll see with this team is that we're very deep," Morris said of his first Bobcat team. "We're pretty solid from one through six, so the singles lineup could be fluid as the season goes on. But we have very good depth and if a player gets hot we'll be able to move into a spot where we can take advantage of that because the lineup is pretty interchangeable."
Three of the program's top six players in 2019 return for the Bobcats this season, led by junior Joaquin Espinoza and sophomore Christian Damgaard-Qvist. Espinoza manned the No. 3 singles spot through most of last season, while Damgaard-Qvist held down the fourth ladder position. Sophomore Marcos Zelver also played in 10 of the team's 16 dual matches, while seniors Grant Wood and Max Petrak and redshirt freshman Manuel Monteiro also return.
Two transfers bolster the Bobcats lineup in 2020. Nejc Sitar earned Summit League Newcomer of the Year honors at North Dakota last year, but comes to MSU as a legacy. His brother Rok was a standout Bobcat. Chase Stoner transfers to MSU from Utah. Both new players enter the spring season looking to contribute.
Morris sees Sitar and Espinoza as lineup anchors, especially early in the season. "Nejc Sitar and Joaquin Espinoza are two of the guys that stand out," he said. "Something that's great about both those guys is their work ethic. Not only will they be playing the top of the lineup for us but they're also pushing other guys forward with how they work on and off the court, the classroom, everything. They're really showing themselves to be strong leaders. Joaquin is doing a really great job leading by example, especially for the younger guys."
The bottom four ladder spots, and the doubles lineup, make their debuts in Boise Friday at 10 am. He said they spring from a good fall season. "We tinkered with it a lot this fall because all the guys were new to me," Morris said. "We were trying to figure out personalities and playing styles, who will mesh well together. Finding what lineup combinations work was a goal all fall, and we really started finding those teams and those pairings as we finished the fall season and into December. We have our doubles teams and pairings set at least for the beginning of the season. We're going to see how that goes and if we need to make changes we will, but for right now I think we're set. The singles lineup bounced around in the fall."
Stoner also provides punch wherever he lands in the lineup. "Chase is definitely going to give us a lot of production," Morris said. "He comes over from Utah, and his experience competing in the Pac 12 is huge. He had a slow start to the fall, but as the season went on he came into his own and I think he's playing the best tennis of his career."
Morris is hoping that a trend of fast starts develops. "I want to see a lot of success starting out the duals matches in doubles. I want to see us come out and throw that first punch each match, then carry that momentum into singles. I want to see the guys compete hard and be the more enthusiastic team every match. We try to be a bit blue collar with the way we approach things, so bringing that mentality into our dual matches is what I'm expecting and what I hope to see from the guys.
Regional power Boise State opened its season with a 7-0 loss at No. 5 Baylor last weekend. The Broncos roster features two seniors and three juniors, and Morris said he expects robust competition. "Boise is a solid program. Historically they've been one of the top programs in the country so when you're building off history like that we know they'll come in with a good squad. Overall we're excited to get outside and compete."
The Bobcats face Whitman College in Boise on Saturday at 9 am.
#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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