Montana State University
Marquette
Montana State Set to Open Spring Season Against Marquette, North Dakota
1/16/2026 5:14:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Bobcats face Golden Eagles on Saturday, Fighting Hawks on Sunday in Grand Forks
BOZEMAN, Mont. --- The Montana State women's tennis team is set for its first pair of dual matches of the season, traveling to Grand Forks, N.D., to face Marquette on Saturday and North Dakota on Sunday at Choice Health & Fitness.
Both matches are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. MT, with all three teams opening their respective spring campaigns this weekend. Both of the Bobcats' matches will be live streamed and can be found here.
"We are excited to kick off the spring season with matches against two tough teams," Montana State head coach Hailey Barrett said. "It will be a fun weekend with our men's team competing in Grand Forks as well. It will be great to support each other and begin our seasons together."
After competing in four tournaments during the fall, the Cats are set for their first dual matches as a team while Marquette and North Dakota opened their respective seasons against each other on Friday. The Fighting Hawks downed the Golden Eagles, 5-2, at Choice Health & Fitness, taking the doubles point and three of their first four singles matches (four of six total) to secure their season-opening victory. Marquette is coming off a 3-19 season in 2025 while North Dakota went 14-8 overall last year.
Saturday's season opener against Marquette marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Montana State is set to face North Dakota for the second-straight season on Sunday, last defeating the Fighting Hawks in a tight 4-3 battle on Feb. 14, 2025, in Grand Forks. The Bobcats earned the doubles point over the Fighting Hawks, and UND responded with a win at No. 3 singles before MSU took a 3-1 advantage thanks to a pair of wins on courts No. 1 and 2. North Dakota won on courts No. 4 and 6 to tie the match at three points apiece, but Montana State's Hudson Hawkins overcame a 5-1 third-set deficit at No. 5 and went on to win the seven-point tiebreaker to lift the Cats to a 4-3 win over the Fighting Hawks.
Montana State enters the spring campaign with a seven-woman roster featuring three returners and four newcomers from last year's team. The 2026 squad contains a balance of youth and veteran presence and features one senior, three juniors, one sophomore, and two freshmen.
Senior Kavya Khirwar, junior and 2026 co-captain Angel Bean, and sophomore Nia Gelashvili – who was named Big Sky Player of the Week once last season – are the three returners from last year's roster. The Bobcats added walk-on Elle Middleton and Catawba College transfer Anna Wise as members of their junior class, and Lola Bean and Terezie Stverakova joined the Cats as freshmen in the fall. Wise will serve as co-captain alongside Angel Bean this spring.
The Bobcats are coming off an 11-11 season in 2025, finishing Big Sky fourth in the regular season standings with a 4-4 record. Montana State advanced to the semifinals of the Big Sky Championship for the first time since 2017, and the Bobcats will look to build upon that success under Barrett's guidance in her first season as head coach of the Bobcats.
Follow the Bobcats
For the latest news, updates, and behind-the-scenes coverage of the Montana State women's tennis team, follow the Bobcats on Twitter at @MSUBobcatsWTEN and on Instagram at @MSUWomensTennis. Information on the Montana State athletic program can be found online at msubobcats.com or by following the Bobcats on Twitter at @MSUBobcats, Instagram at @MontanaStateBobcats, and on Facebook at Montana State Bobcats.
Players Mentioned
