After two weeks of practice, the Montana State men’s tennis team is set to begin its Big Sky Conference season against Portland State on Saturday. The match will take place at 11 am MT at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center.
Head coach Mateus Ceolin emphasized the team’s preparation and focus for the conference opener. “Our sole focus has been on Portland State,” Ceolin said. “We’re ready for the challenge,” he added. “And we’re excited.”
Montana State enters the matchup with a 3-4 overall record this season. The team last competed on February 5, when it lost a close 4-3 match to BYU, ending a two-game winning streak that included victories over Whitworth and Idaho State.
Ceolin noted that his players have made good use of their time between matches. “We had three really good weeks of working on getting better,” he said. “We worked on individual skills, on honing our doubles play, and we really competed hard against each other.”
The Bobcats’ lineup features strong performances from freshmen David Ismanescu and Ethan Masselis, who both hold 4-1 records in singles play at positions five and six, respectively. Junior Andre Stewart leads at No. 1 singles, while sophomores Yassin Elaroussy (2-1 at No. 2), Oumar Diallo (1-1 at No. 3), and Camille Chantron (1-4 at No. 4) continue to develop throughout the season.
Portland State comes into Saturday’s contest with a 3-6 record, having secured wins over George Fox, UC Santa Cruz, and Lewis-Clark State. Sophomore Maas Schotanus leads PSU in singles with an undefeated record across second and third positions. Freshmen Aarjun Pandit and Ignacio Ruiz have posted a 4-2 mark as a doubles pair; Pandit also has three singles wins playing in the top spot.
Ceolin indicated that his attention remains solely on Saturday’s match but acknowledged that Montana State will face another quick test Sunday morning against Portland.
