LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State men's tennis team concluded an incredible regular-season in 2016-17 with a dominating performance against UT Permian Basin 7-0 on Easter Sunday at the NM State Tennis Center.
 
The Sunday match was just the third contest the men's team has played at home during the dual season. NM State had been on treacherous 18-match road swing that spanned almost three months (75 days).
 
Head coach Carlos Vargas and his team didn't disappoint all season, finishing the regular-season 16-5 and a perfect 5-0 mark in Western Athletic Conference play to capture their third-consecutive regular-season title. It was also the second time in three seasons where the Aggies swept the opposition in league play to go undefeated. NM State has also record 10-plus wins in dual play in nine of the last 10 seasons.
 
The 16-win season is only bested by the 1998-99 squad that finished 17-7 overall and 4-1 in Big West Conference action. NM State will look to eclipse that mark and go down as the winningest team in Aggie history in two weeks when it plays host to the WAC Championships (April 28-30). The 16 win total has only been matched in one other campaign with the 1980-81 team, who finished 16-8-1.
 
New Mexico State didn't face much pushback from the Falcons in doubles action with UTPB (6-8) totaling only five points between all three courts. Enrique Asmar and Sergi Espias had the best performance with a blanking of their foes on court No. 3 before Stijn de Haan and Mauri Benitez clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 victory at the No. 2 slot for their fifth-straight.
 
De Haan made very quick work of his opponent at No. 3 singles, and won his seventh-straight match 6-0, 6-0. Benitez would not be bested by his partner and gave NM State a 3-0 lead over the Falcons with a 6-0, 6-0 blanking of Caio Aguiar on court No. 6 for his sixth-straight victory.
 
Shortly after the conclusion of Benitez's contest, Asmar clinched the match for the Aggies with a dominating 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 5 singles. Luis Flores kept the streak going            when he sent Marcos Silva packing 6-0, 6-3. Christofer Goncalves, who claimed his 24th-singles victory and 14th in dual play, put the finishing stamp on the match with a 7-6, 6-3 ousting of UTPB's top singles player for the team's ninth-consecutive win.
 
New Mexico State will now get about two weeks of rest before playing host to the WAC Tournament. With the No. 1 seed, the Aggies have secured a bye and won't play until Saturday, April 29, at 1 p.m. (MT) against the winner between the No. 4-seed Chicago State (7-13, 1-4 WAC) and No. 5-seed Seattle U (9-14, 0-5 WAC). The championship match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 30. Admission is free for the entire tournament, which is held at the NM State Tennis Complex.