Bobcat Men's Tennis Team Rides Fast Start to Men's Tennis Win Over Seattle
1/29/2022 3:01:00 PM | Men's Tennis
After capturing the doubles point, MSU rolled up three straight singles wins to clinch the team victory
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State earned a 6-1 non-conference men's tennis victory over Seattle on Friday, and according to Bobcat junior Brad Buckland it started with a good start.
"When you win the doubles point," he said, "it gets the adrenaline going, it's a high, everyone is pumped up. It gets the boys going. It's definitely important."
Buckland and Jamieson Nathan won at No. 3 doubles to clinch the match's first point, then Buckland kept things rolling with a 6-1, 6-3 over Michael Frank. Staked to a 2-0 lead, Montana State fought to three-set wins at No. 3 (Jamieson Nathan beat Filip Stipic 7-6, 0-6, 6-2) and No. 2 (Daan Van Dijk defeated Veselin Kiselkov 2-6, 6-4, 7-6) to clinch the team result.
"It was another good home win to start a big weekend of tennis," said MSU coach Trey Morris. "We fought to a win in the doubles point and then just kept it simple (in singles play) and played textbook tennis."
It was simple, but rarely easy. Matej Panik dropped a hotly contested 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 decision at the top ladder spot for Seattle's only point of the afternoon, then Nejc Sitar rode a roller-coaster performance to a 6-1, 6-7, 10-5 win at No. 5. Joaquin Espinoza closed the proceedings with a 6-4, 6-3 win at the sixth ladder spot.
"Some of the boys are struggling to find their form early in the season," Morris said, "but they competed really hard. They found a way to grind out a team win because they competed hard. Everyone will find their form individually, but to win the way they did today tells me we have a really tough group."
According to Buckland, the Bobcats were able to ride the wave of momentum that began early. "We got off to a really quick start and the energy was good," he said. "I was able to get a lot of first serves in. Winning that doubles point got things going and from there it was just staying solid all the way through."
The Bobcats raised their record to 4-1 on the season with the win, while Seattle is 0-5. Montana State hosts Oral Roberts on Sunday at 2 pm in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center.
Montana State 6, Seattle 1
1-28-22 at Bozeman, Montana (Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center)
SINGLES
1. Julian Worn (SU) def. PANIK, Matej (MSU) 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4
2. VAN DIJK, Daan (MSU) def. Veselin Kiselkov (SU) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
3. NATHAN, Jamieson (MSU) def. Filip Stipic (SU) 7-6 (7-3), 0-6, 6-2
4. BUCKLAND, Brad (MSU) def. Michael Frank (SU) 6-1, 6-3
5. SITAR, Nejc (MSU) def. Mats Krause (SU) 6-1, 6-7 (6-7), 10-5
6. ESPINOZA, Joaquin (MSU) def. Lars Schmassmann (SU) 6-4, 6-3
DOUBLES
1. PANIK, Matej/VAN DIJK, Daan (MSU) def. Mats Krause/Michael Frank (SU) 6-2
2. SITAR, Nejc/MONTEIRO, Manuel (MSU) def. Julian Worn/Veselin Kiselkov (SU) 7-5
3. BUCKLAND, Brad/NATHAN, Jamieson (MSU) def. Billy Givens-Jensen/Filip Stipic (SU) 6-4
Records: Seattle 0-5, Montana State 4-1
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,3,2,1,5,6)
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