Sunday, April 10
Lewiston, Idaho
11 am MT
Montana State University
at
Idaho
Matej Panik
Photo by: Jack Murrey
Bobcat Men's Tennis Team Plays at Idaho on Sunday
4/9/2022 5:53:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Montana State looks to take home-court success onto the road
NOTE: Sacramento State beat Idaho 4-3 in Lewiston on Saturday, leaving Idaho, Sacramento State, Idaho State and NAU all with two league losses.
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State's men's tennis team faces one remaining regular season road trip, and it's a big one. The Cats travel to Lewiston, Idaho on Sunday to face Idaho in an 11 am MT showdown between two of the teams at the top of the Big Sky Conference men's tennis standings.
The Vandals entered Saturday's match against Sacramento State 2-1 in Big Sky play, chasing Montana State (5-0) and Montana (4-1). Idaho hosted Sacramento State late on Saturday. Regardless of the league standings, MSU faces an environment it hasn't experienced for a while.
"I feel like we're ready for a road trip," said Bobcat head coach Trey Morris. "It's another strong opponent, and the guys have embraced the road warrior mentality. They've embraced that."
While Montana State spent much of February and March on the road, the team faces a unique experience against the Vandals Sunday. The match is played 30 miles or so from the UI campus.
"It will be a neutral site match, basically," Morris said, "but our approach all season has been that it doesn't matter where we play. We're going to play our style of tennis. We're going to focus on the details and control what we can control."
Idaho entered weekend play 6-10 overall, but the Vandals played a non-conference scheduled similarly challenging to that of Montana State's. The Vandals dropped matches to Gonzaga, Penn State and Michigan State, and five of the other losses are either to Mountain West or Pac 12 foes. The team's only league loss was a narrow 4-3 decision at Weber State.
"Idaho is a good team with a lot of really talented players," Morris said. "It's another team in this region that we saw a lot of in the fall. We know we'll get a great effort, and I think we're ready for it."
Montana State has won three straight matches, including a 4-3 win at Idaho State on March 18 and a thrilling 4-3 victory over Northern Arizona without No. 2 singles player Matej Panik. Jamieson Nathan (5-0 primarily at No. 3) and Joaquin Espinoza (5-0 playing primarily at No. 6) join Panik (4-0 in singles play against Big Sky foes) as Bobcats unbeaten in league play. Nejc Sitar (3-1 in the Big Sky) and Espinoza have combined to lock down the lower ladder spots with an 8-1 combined record.
A year ago, the youthful Bobcats struggled against the best players opponents had to offer. The Cats finished 4-14 in the top two ladder spots in 2021. The stark turnaround this year has fueled the program's surge, with Panik and Daan Van Dijk (2-3 against Big Sky foes at No. 1 and No. 2) combining for a 6-3 mark.
Last weekend, with Panik sidelined due to injury, Nathan stepped up to earn a hard-fought win at No. 2 singles that helped push MSU past the Lumberjacks. "That's what this team has done all year," Morris said. "The guys have gone out and competed every point, every game, every set, every match, but more than that they've executed. That's especially true in important situations. It's been impressive, and it's been important."
After Sunday's match against Idaho the Bobcats close the regular season with home contests against Sacramento State (Thursday, April 14 at 2 pm) and Montana (Saturday, April 23 at 4 pm). Both video and live stats are available for Sunday's match at Idaho.
#GoCatsGo
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State's men's tennis team faces one remaining regular season road trip, and it's a big one. The Cats travel to Lewiston, Idaho on Sunday to face Idaho in an 11 am MT showdown between two of the teams at the top of the Big Sky Conference men's tennis standings.
The Vandals entered Saturday's match against Sacramento State 2-1 in Big Sky play, chasing Montana State (5-0) and Montana (4-1). Idaho hosted Sacramento State late on Saturday. Regardless of the league standings, MSU faces an environment it hasn't experienced for a while.
"I feel like we're ready for a road trip," said Bobcat head coach Trey Morris. "It's another strong opponent, and the guys have embraced the road warrior mentality. They've embraced that."
While Montana State spent much of February and March on the road, the team faces a unique experience against the Vandals Sunday. The match is played 30 miles or so from the UI campus.
"It will be a neutral site match, basically," Morris said, "but our approach all season has been that it doesn't matter where we play. We're going to play our style of tennis. We're going to focus on the details and control what we can control."
Idaho entered weekend play 6-10 overall, but the Vandals played a non-conference scheduled similarly challenging to that of Montana State's. The Vandals dropped matches to Gonzaga, Penn State and Michigan State, and five of the other losses are either to Mountain West or Pac 12 foes. The team's only league loss was a narrow 4-3 decision at Weber State.
"Idaho is a good team with a lot of really talented players," Morris said. "It's another team in this region that we saw a lot of in the fall. We know we'll get a great effort, and I think we're ready for it."
Montana State has won three straight matches, including a 4-3 win at Idaho State on March 18 and a thrilling 4-3 victory over Northern Arizona without No. 2 singles player Matej Panik. Jamieson Nathan (5-0 primarily at No. 3) and Joaquin Espinoza (5-0 playing primarily at No. 6) join Panik (4-0 in singles play against Big Sky foes) as Bobcats unbeaten in league play. Nejc Sitar (3-1 in the Big Sky) and Espinoza have combined to lock down the lower ladder spots with an 8-1 combined record.
A year ago, the youthful Bobcats struggled against the best players opponents had to offer. The Cats finished 4-14 in the top two ladder spots in 2021. The stark turnaround this year has fueled the program's surge, with Panik and Daan Van Dijk (2-3 against Big Sky foes at No. 1 and No. 2) combining for a 6-3 mark.
Last weekend, with Panik sidelined due to injury, Nathan stepped up to earn a hard-fought win at No. 2 singles that helped push MSU past the Lumberjacks. "That's what this team has done all year," Morris said. "The guys have gone out and competed every point, every game, every set, every match, but more than that they've executed. That's especially true in important situations. It's been impressive, and it's been important."
After Sunday's match against Idaho the Bobcats close the regular season with home contests against Sacramento State (Thursday, April 14 at 2 pm) and Montana (Saturday, April 23 at 4 pm). Both video and live stats are available for Sunday's match at Idaho.
#GoCatsGo
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