The Warriors put on a hot performance in Montana it was not enough to thaw the frozen "W"'s embedded deep in the soils of Bozeman. The minus 20 temperatures kept the LC men's tennis team just cold enough to stay winless against the Bobcats of Montana State in the last five years. LC lost that match 1-6 but there was a point in time when it looked like the match was within grasp as the Warriors were looking good in the last four remaining matches.

“Trying to neutralize the home team and crowd was a steep uphill task. I thought the players handled things with composure and this was certainly one of the better performances at that elevation since we have been coming to the tournament. The Bobcats rarely lose at home and to be in the match against them in their house is a step in the right direction for us”.

• A side note: This is ¾ of the Montana State Bozeman team that defeated the NAIA National Champions Azusa Pacific 7-2 in California two years ago.

French sensation, Cedric Dufour, was a double winner that day when he and Andy staged a dramatic comeback at 3^rd doubles after being down 1-4 and 2-5. In singles, he defeated a senior from Boise,Idaho Jake Berriochoa ( a state champion out of Bishop Kelly) in three sets.

The temperatures and “W”s may have been frigid in Bozeman, but the hospitality was the first class. Since the 2002 season, Debbie and Richard Canfield have opened and shared their home with the Warriors. Each Warrior is given a cozy bed and plenty of food throughout the stay. Richard is a physicist at the university and Debbie is a past president of the Bozeman Community Tennis Association.
“We are very thankful and appreciative that the Canfields have given us a home in Bozeman. Their warm hospitality has always made our long trip more comfortable”.

In the second match (on Sunday 9am), the Warriors played a reloaded Montana Grizzly team, the third Big Sky Conference opponent this season. The players “pulled up their socks” after losing the doubles point, and came within a couple of points of clinching the dual 4-3. Instead, the Grizzlies defeated the Warriors 4-3 avenging a defeat last year at the same venue by a similar score.

Montana clinched the doubles point despite a great performance by Borja Molas and Lisandro Biaggini at #2 doubles. The Grizzlies went up 2-0 when Ara lost his singles to a more consistent big hitter. The “Machine” (Borja) put LC on the board when he outlasted a determined opponent in three sets. LC pulled even when the “Benezuelan Bomber” unleashed his first career shutout (6-0 6-0) at #4 singles over a highly touted Australian freshman. At #5 singles, Cedric Dufour was mauled by a solid hitting Brazilian in straight sets. But things were looking good as LC was ahead at #6 singles with Andy Hunt in control of his match (which he eventually won 6-2 6-2) and Ari Zaslow at #3 singles, played a gutsy third set to rally from a 1-4 deficit to having two match points in the tie-breaker.
“Many players would have thrown in the towel at 1-4 against the kind of opponent that Ari faced against the Grizzlies. Ari displayed some fine Warrior qualities and clawed his way back into the match with his determination and intensity. His performance put a nice cap on the maximum team effort in this close loss to a very deep Montana team”.

Coach’s match comments:

“The thing that mattered is that we got maximum effort out of each player in that match. The effort helped put us in a favorable position. After that, it is a matter of closing the deal. Our goal is to have a consistent effort every time the players step on the courts.”