Montana State University’s men’s tennis team will face Sacramento State on April 9 in a match with significant implications for the Big Sky Conference tournament. The Bobcats, who are currently 6-11 overall and 2-3 in conference play, have shown improvement recently with two wins in their last four matches and a close loss to Northern Arizona.
This match is important as both teams are competing for one of the remaining spots in the conference championship event. While Northern Arizona leads the league at 6-0 and Montana follows at 3-1, several teams, including Montana State, Idaho (also at 2-3), Portland State (2-4), and Weber State (1-4), are closely grouped in the standings. The Bobcats hold a tie-breaker advantage over Idaho due to an earlier league win.
Head coach Mateus Ceolin attributes recent success to the team’s depth across its lineup. “It’s the parity of this team,” Ceolin said. “It’s how even we are from top to bottom.” He explained that daily practice competition has contributed to this balance: “If you come out to practice on a daily basis, there’s not a single day that one player is dominant. Everything is so even. So I think this competition in practice and how even guys are really helps us at the bottom.”
The Bobcats have performed particularly well at No. 5 and No. 6 singles positions, accumulating ten wins each—matching their total victories from positions one through four combined. Players like sophomore Yassin Elaroussy (8-8 overall) have adjusted after moving up to more challenging spots, while others such as Andre Stewart (3-12), Oumar Diallo (3-8), Camille Chantron (3-13), David Ismanescu (6-5), and Ethan Masselis (8-1) continue rotating between different positions.
Injuries during mid-season have tested Montana State’s depth but also allowed new contributors like Eddie Biss—who holds a record of six wins and four losses—to step up; Biss secured Sunday’s victory against Weber State by clinching the final point.
After Friday’s contest against Sacramento State—which is free for spectators—the Bobcats will conclude their regular season by hosting Montana on April 18 before heading into the Big Sky Tournament starting April 23.
