Bobcats Roll to 6-1 Men's Tennis Win Over Oral Roberts on Sunday

Sunday, January 30

Bozeman, MT

2 pm

Montana State University

Oral Roberts

Bobcats Roll to 6-1 Men's Tennis Win Over Oral Roberts on Sunday

1/30/2022 7:31:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

Daan Van Dijk's improvement helped pace Montana State

By: Bill Lamberty

BOZEMAN, Montana – Two days after grinding out a three-set victory against Seattle on Friday, on what was admittedly "one of those days," Daan Van Dijk had everything working on Sunday.

Montana State's sophomore teamed with classmate Matej Panik in cruising to a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles, then he kept it rolling with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles to pace the Bobcats to a 6-1 win against Oral Roberts in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center on Sunday.

The difference, according to MSU coach Trey Morris, was simple. "Rhythm," he said. "He was able to find a rhythm early today."

Van Dijk's rhythmic win served as the tip of the spear in MSU's team win. After Matej Panik fell at No. 1, Jamieson Nathan rattled off a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 3 and Brad Buckland rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 triumph at No. 4.

Things were easier at the bottom ladder positions. Nejc Sitar rolled to a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 5, and Joaquin Espinoza's 6-1, 6-4 win at the bottom ladder spot closed the proceedings.

Morris said he wasn't certain about his team's frame of mind before the match began. "Coming out of warmups we looked a little tired," he said, "a little sluggish. But I was really impressed with how they switched it on for doubles. Doubles is all about energy, and they brought it."

That began with the win at No. 1 doubles, followed by Van Dijk's dominance at No. 2 singles. "Daan had a much-improved performance today," Morris said. "Friday he struggled to find his rhythm early, but he put his time in. He worked for two hours (Saturday) night and another hour-and-a-half (Sunday) morning before the women's match. He refused not to be in a good rhythm (Sunday)."

Van Dijk knew that "I had to change some things" after Friday's struggles. "I came out and worked with Coach (Morris) this morning and I felt a lot more comfortable (on Sunday). We worked on a couple of things, and I focused not on scoring but on hitting good shots. That made the difference."

Van Dijk raised his record to 5-1 in singles play this season with the win, while Panik and Van Dijk are now 4-1 in doubles play. Nathan is 4-0 in singles play this season, while Buckland and Espinoza each stand 4-1.

While Morris likes his team's current state of mind, he said it's part of the process. "I've said this, and I'll continue to say it, but our guys are competing their tails off," he said. "We'll continue to work on the X's and O's, but they're really competing well and our goal is to be playing our best tennis in April."

The Bobcats raised their team record to 5-1 on the campaign. MSU hosts Whitman and Whitworth in dual matches on February 12.

Montana State 4, Oral Roberts 1
1-30-22 at Bozeman, Montana (Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center)

SINGLES
1. ZAKHAROV, Volodymyr (ORU) def. PANIK, Matej (MSU) 6-3, 6-1
2. VAN DIJK, Daan (MSU) def. MONFERRER, Ezequiel (ORU) 6-3, 6-3
3. NATHAN, Jamieson (MSU) def. VINAS, Ignacio (ORU) 6-4, 6-3
4. BUCKLAND, Brad (MSU) def. LEUENBERGER, Kevin (ORU) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
5. SITAR, Nejc (MSU) def. BREWER, Eli (ORU) 6-2, 6-3
6. ESPINOZA, Joaquin (MSU) def. EVANS, Jonathan (ORU) 6-1, 6-4

DOUBLES
1. PANIK, Matej/VAN DIJK, Daan (MSU) def. ZAKHAROV, Volodymyr/MONFERRER, Ezequiel (ORU) 6-2
2. MONTEIRO, Manuel/SITAR, Nejc (MSU) def. BREWER, Eli/RUSSO, Andre (ORU) 6-4
3. NATHAN, Jamieson/BUCKLAND, Brad (MSU) def. LEUENBERGER, Kevin/VINAS, Ignacio (ORU) 6-4

Records: Oral Roberts 1-6, Montana State 5-1
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,1,3,4,5,6)