Montana State University’s men’s tennis team will travel to Colorado this weekend for matches against Air Force and Denver, two leading programs in the Mountain Region.
The Bobcats are scheduled to play Air Force at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the U.S. Air Force Academy, followed by a match against Denver at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Head coach Mateus Ceolin described both opponents as strong competitors within the region.
“These are two of the top teams in our region,” Ceolin said. “We compete against both teams in the fall so we know how talented and competitive they both are. Air Force and Denver are both well-respected nationally, so these matches will both be very challenging. And at the same time, they give us the opportunity to see where we we’ve improved since the fall. We look forward to both of these matches.”
Last weekend, Montana State split its opening matches in Grand Forks, North Dakota, defeating Marquette but losing to North Dakota by identical 4-3 scores. The team’s four victories came from players competing in the lower half of the singles lineup. Freshmen David Ismanescu (No. 5 singles) and Ethan Masselis (No. 6) each won twice over the weekend, while sophomore Yassin Ellaroussy finished undefeated across two positions and was named Big Sky Men’s Tennis Player of the Week.
In doubles play, Montana State secured the point against Marquette but did not do so versus North Dakota. The current doubles pairings include Eddie Biss and Camille Chantron at No. 1, Ismanescu and Ellaroussy at No. 2, with Andre Stewart and Oumar Diallo playing third doubles position.
“We played with these teams most of the fall in doubles,” Ceolin said, “so this is a lineup we really like. We’ll take a look at some different things as the spring progresses. We’re looking for growth, so anything that helps us get better is something we’ll consider.”
Air Force ended last season ranked tenth in its region, while Denver was third regionally and held a national ranking of 59th place last spring. Both teams begin their seasons this weekend; Denver hosts Texas Tech before facing Montana State.
Montana State faces Air Force on Saturday morning before traveling north for Sunday’s match against Denver.
