The Montana women’s tennis team is set for two Big Sky Conference matches on the road this weekend. The Grizzlies, who currently have a 2-6 overall record and are 0-1 in conference play, will face Idaho on Saturday at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, followed by a match against Eastern Washington on Sunday.
Montana enters the weekend ranked eighth in the conference standings. Only the top six teams will qualify for the Big Sky tournament scheduled to take place in Phoenix at the end of April. Both Idaho and Eastern Washington are currently among the top teams in the league, giving Montana an opportunity to improve its position.
“Picking up road wins in the Big Sky is crucial. Most people win at home, so finding a way to pull out some road wins is going to be a great challenge,” said head coach Steve Ascher.
“I think we’re playing well and we’re practicing well. We got our first taste of conference play last week, and obviously Sac State is good, but now we get to do this every week, which makes these matches more exciting. There’s more energy and there’s something on the line in conference play. So, it’s exciting.”
The match against Idaho will start at 11 a.m. Mountain Time on Saturday and will be streamed live on ESPN+. Links for streaming can be found on GoGriz.com/WTEN. There will be no live coverage for Sunday’s match against Eastern Washington.
Last week, Montana lost its opening Big Sky match 1-6 to Sacramento State, which is ranked No. 50 nationally and was picked as preseason favorite for the conference title. Junior Kelsey Phillips earned recognition with a win over defending Big Sky tournament MVP Reese Walker after coming from behind to win in three sets (2-6, 6-1, 6-3). This victory puts Phillips among early contenders for All-Big Sky honors.
Phillips also teamed with Meghna Anand in doubles play against Sacramento State’s Baudouin/Riva pair; they were tied 4-4 when their match was stopped after Sac State clinched the point. The duo has recorded four wins together this season.
Idaho was selected third in this year’s preseason poll for the Big Sky Conference and enters Saturday’s dual with a five-match winning streak that includes victories over Montana State and Utah State.
Eastern Washington has exceeded expectations after being picked eighth out of nine teams before the season began. The Eagles have won five of their last six matches including sweeps over Seattle U and a close win over Utah State.
Last season both Idaho and Eastern Washington defeated Montana in Missoula, ending UM’s postseason hopes. In 2024 Montana split their trip through this region—beating EWU but losing narrowly to Idaho—and went on to share the regular season championship by winning five of their final six duals.
After this weekend’s matches, Montana will continue its road schedule with games against University of Portland and Portland State.
