Montana State women’s tennis lost to the University of Portland, 5-2, in a non-conference match on March 17. The Bobcats dropped to a season record of 4-9 while Portland improved to 5-5.
The match was part of Montana State’s current road trip, where the team previously secured a win against Portland State and is scheduled to play Seattle University next. The result matters for the Bobcats as they look to build momentum before returning home for their non-conference finale later this month.
Head coach Hailey Barrett said, “Portland played a great match today. Angel and Nia played a solid doubles match, and then Lola and Kavya were clutch again in another tight match. We battled through singles but just didn’t quite have enough today. I’m proud of Lola for fighting through and winning another gritty match. We’ll look to finish the trip strong against Seattle.”
Montana State started strong by clinching the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. Angel Bean and Nia Gelashvili defeated Dariya Radulova and Lexie Flores at No. 2 doubles, while Lola Bean and Kavya Khirwar won their tiebreaker at No. 3 doubles. In singles play, Lola Bean earned a straight-set victory over Flores at No. 5 singles, marking her second consecutive singles win.
Despite these efforts, Portland secured victories on courts one, three, four, and six in singles competition to clinch the overall win at home. Gelashvili pushed her opponent to three sets but ultimately fell in the deciding set.
Montana State will conclude its road trip against Seattle University at the Amy Yee Indoor Tennis Center before returning home to face New Mexico State on March 29.
