Sunday, January 26
Bozeman, MT
11:00 am
Montana State University
vs
North Dakota
Dmitry Bezborodov
Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
MSU Men's Tennis Team Hosts North Dakota Sunday at 11 am
1/24/2025 3:21:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Cats play only home match until late March
BOZEMAN, Montana – If Montana State's first-year men's tennis coach was looking for signs of how his youthful team is taking to the rigors of college tennis, he got one when he wasn't expecting it.
"We had the day off on Monday and the new guys asked about getting some work in," Ceolin said. "The courts were booked all day because of the (federal holiday and university closure), so I told them that the only time available was 6:30 in the morning. And they were out there at 6:30 am working on their game. On their day off. So they truly love tennis and they love to work."
The unscheduled early-morning workout came on the heels of the team's opening weekend, and ahead of Montana State's only home match until late March. The Bobcats host North Dakota on Sunday at 11 am in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center.
The Fighting Hawks ride a two-match winning streak into weekend play, with a 6-1 win at Eastern Washington and a 4-3 victory at Idaho last weekend. UND visits Montana on Saturday before squaring off with the Cats on Sunday. The Bobcats dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to UC Davis in Denver last weekend before falling to regional power Denver 7-0.
"We continue to work on fundamental, high percentage tennis," Ceolin said. "We're trying to play a physical brand of tennis, high intensity, high energy, fighting for every ball, fighting for every point. We're trying to live the 1-0 mentality, trying to go 1-0 on every point that you play and in everything that you do."
Ceolin hopes that fans in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center on Sunday see a team establishing a style of play that begins with what he calls 'physical tennis.' "The way I describe it is if the ball hasn't crossed your ball laterally you still need to chase that ball," he said. "A lot of times players, when a ball is literally on the first bounce but is too far away, stop chasing that ball. It's about physical tennis, relentlessly chasing every ball, putting your body on the line."
Utilizing that mindset of relentless play leads to better technique, he said. "It's not just about getting there and having your body collapse, it's about being strong with your core, being there with your legs, having your posture as you're getting to these corners. It's accessing your fastest speed on the tennis court."
This year's Bobcat teams features returning sophomore Andre Stewart and a passel of newcomers. Graduate transfer Dmitry Bezborodov and freshman Eddie Biss each picked up singles wins against UC Davis, and the Cats picked up the doubles point in that dual on the strength of wins by Bezborodov and Harrison Janes at No. 1 and Biss and Yassin Elaroussy at No. 2.
Ceolin liked what he saw from his doubles teams last week, and said continued improvements serving can lead to more success. "We've been working a lot on first serve percentage, especially in doubles, trying to make 70 or 75 (percent) plus of first serves. Singles is similar. The biggest thing is how you set yourself up for the next ball. It's not only making the serve but how are you opening up the court and setting yourself up so you can open up and make an aggressive second shot."
Players at the top two ladder spots pace the Fighting Hawks. Leandro Zgraggen, UND's No. 1, and Ange-Kevin Koua at No. 2 each enter weekend play 2-0. Those two, both seniors, are 2-0 teaming up as UND's No. 1 doubles pair, while freshmen Adnrew Hayduke II and Leon Galliano are 2-0 at No. 3 doubles. In addition to those four, North Dakota's likely singles lineup also features junior Jayho Hong and sophomore Ethan Terry.
"North Dakota has talent and a very knowledgeable coach," he said. "Tom Boysen coached on the pro tour for a few years, he's worked with really high-level players, so he has a very good understanding of the game. North Dakota went on the road last weekend and took down two Big Sky opponents, Eastern Washington and Idaho, so I think they're going to be a very tough team and come out here very hungry to do something special on our courts."
Aside from a team victory, Ceolin said a successful weekend comes down to his team asserting its developing style. "It's playing our type of tennis," he said, "and each guy understanding a little bit more how he's going to be successful individually on the tennis courts. I want the guys to continue to play with high energy and show a lot of fight, and one thing I want to see a little bit more of is connection between courts. The energy was quite good, but the guys were playing individually on their courts. I want to see them talking to each other and encouraging each other."
With the team assembled less than a month ago, Colin likes the progress he's seen. "It was a very good week of training. These guys love tennis," he said.
Live stats for Sunday's match are available on the men's tennis page at msubobcats.com.
#GoCatsGo
"We had the day off on Monday and the new guys asked about getting some work in," Ceolin said. "The courts were booked all day because of the (federal holiday and university closure), so I told them that the only time available was 6:30 in the morning. And they were out there at 6:30 am working on their game. On their day off. So they truly love tennis and they love to work."
The unscheduled early-morning workout came on the heels of the team's opening weekend, and ahead of Montana State's only home match until late March. The Bobcats host North Dakota on Sunday at 11 am in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center.
The Fighting Hawks ride a two-match winning streak into weekend play, with a 6-1 win at Eastern Washington and a 4-3 victory at Idaho last weekend. UND visits Montana on Saturday before squaring off with the Cats on Sunday. The Bobcats dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to UC Davis in Denver last weekend before falling to regional power Denver 7-0.
"We continue to work on fundamental, high percentage tennis," Ceolin said. "We're trying to play a physical brand of tennis, high intensity, high energy, fighting for every ball, fighting for every point. We're trying to live the 1-0 mentality, trying to go 1-0 on every point that you play and in everything that you do."
Ceolin hopes that fans in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center on Sunday see a team establishing a style of play that begins with what he calls 'physical tennis.' "The way I describe it is if the ball hasn't crossed your ball laterally you still need to chase that ball," he said. "A lot of times players, when a ball is literally on the first bounce but is too far away, stop chasing that ball. It's about physical tennis, relentlessly chasing every ball, putting your body on the line."
Utilizing that mindset of relentless play leads to better technique, he said. "It's not just about getting there and having your body collapse, it's about being strong with your core, being there with your legs, having your posture as you're getting to these corners. It's accessing your fastest speed on the tennis court."
This year's Bobcat teams features returning sophomore Andre Stewart and a passel of newcomers. Graduate transfer Dmitry Bezborodov and freshman Eddie Biss each picked up singles wins against UC Davis, and the Cats picked up the doubles point in that dual on the strength of wins by Bezborodov and Harrison Janes at No. 1 and Biss and Yassin Elaroussy at No. 2.
Ceolin liked what he saw from his doubles teams last week, and said continued improvements serving can lead to more success. "We've been working a lot on first serve percentage, especially in doubles, trying to make 70 or 75 (percent) plus of first serves. Singles is similar. The biggest thing is how you set yourself up for the next ball. It's not only making the serve but how are you opening up the court and setting yourself up so you can open up and make an aggressive second shot."
Players at the top two ladder spots pace the Fighting Hawks. Leandro Zgraggen, UND's No. 1, and Ange-Kevin Koua at No. 2 each enter weekend play 2-0. Those two, both seniors, are 2-0 teaming up as UND's No. 1 doubles pair, while freshmen Adnrew Hayduke II and Leon Galliano are 2-0 at No. 3 doubles. In addition to those four, North Dakota's likely singles lineup also features junior Jayho Hong and sophomore Ethan Terry.
"North Dakota has talent and a very knowledgeable coach," he said. "Tom Boysen coached on the pro tour for a few years, he's worked with really high-level players, so he has a very good understanding of the game. North Dakota went on the road last weekend and took down two Big Sky opponents, Eastern Washington and Idaho, so I think they're going to be a very tough team and come out here very hungry to do something special on our courts."
Aside from a team victory, Ceolin said a successful weekend comes down to his team asserting its developing style. "It's playing our type of tennis," he said, "and each guy understanding a little bit more how he's going to be successful individually on the tennis courts. I want the guys to continue to play with high energy and show a lot of fight, and one thing I want to see a little bit more of is connection between courts. The energy was quite good, but the guys were playing individually on their courts. I want to see them talking to each other and encouraging each other."
With the team assembled less than a month ago, Colin likes the progress he's seen. "It was a very good week of training. These guys love tennis," he said.
Live stats for Sunday's match are available on the men's tennis page at msubobcats.com.
#GoCatsGo
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