LAS VEGAS - No doubles, no problem.

Instead of playing the doubles matches right out of the gates, the NM State men's tennis team and Montana elected to go right into singles action Saturday afternoon at the Fertitta Tennis Complex and the Aggies wrapped things up there to score a 4-1 win over the Griz.

SINGLES
• Shuffling the singles lineup around from earlier in the day, the Aggies moved Louis Menard up to the top flight and he thrived there. Menard took out Ed Pudney 6-1, 6-2 to begin the match.
• With Menard looking on, the Aggies followed the lead of their top-flight singles player. NM State moved ahead 2-0 with Gijs Akkermans' 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Chase Bartlett on line four.
• Corey Clarke secured his first collegiate singles victory shortly thereafter, posting a 6-4, 6-4 win over Pontus Hallgren to push NM State to the brink of victory.
• Montana fought back when Martin Simecek dropped a 6-4, 6-3 result to Sam Nicholson in the third flight, but Nicolas Buitrago made sure that wasn't the start of a Griz comeback.
• Buitrago excelled late and secured a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Oisin Shaffey on line two to seal the Aggies' first win of 2021.

COMING UP NEXT
• The Aggies will face off against their first Pac-12 opponent of 2021 when they head to Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday, Feb. 13, to tangle with Arizona State. First serve has been set for 2:00 p.m.

NM STATE 4, MONTANA 1
Jan. 30, 2021, at Las Vegas, NV
(Fertitta Tennis Complex)

Singles competition 
1. Louis Menard (NMSU) def. Ed Pudney 6-1, 6-2
2. Nicolas Buitrago (NMSU) def. Oisin Shaffey 6-4, 7-6
3. Sam Nicholson (UM) def. Martin Simecek (NMSU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Gijs Akkermans (NMSU) def. Chase Bartlett (UM) 6-4, 6-2
5. Corey Clarke (NMSU) def. Pontus Hallgren (UM) 6-4, 6-4
6. Guillermo Martin (UM) vs. Petr Stavrovskij (NMSU) 7-5, 3-2, uf

Doubles competition 
none

Order of finish: Singles (1,4,5,3,2)

++NM State++