Match Twelve
NM State (2-9, 0-0 WAC) vs. UTRGV (3-12, 0-0 WAC)
Saturday, March 27 | 1:00 p.m. | GCU Tennis Facility | Phoenix, Ariz.
Match Thirteen
NM State at Grand Canyon
Sunday, March 28 | 10:00 a.m. | GCU Tennis Facility | Phoenix, Ariz.
THE FIRST SERVE
• For the first time in a little over two years, the NM State men's tennis team will hit the courts for Western Athletic Conference (WAC) action when it heads to the campus of GCU for a pair of league showdowns.
• NM State's two-match WAC weekend begins Saturday at 1:00 p.m. from the GCU Tennis Facility when it tangles with UTRGV. The following day at 10:00 a.m., a rematch of the 2019
WAC Tournament title bout awaits when the Aggies take on the host Lopes.
• In the Aggies' most recent run through WAC play, they posted a 4-1 record in 2019 en route to a runner-up finish in the regular season. As the number-two seed for the 2019 WAC Tournament, NM State moved on to the WAC Tournament title match and dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to top-seeded Grand Canyon.
• Nearly one-third of the Aggies' singles wins in 2021 have been picked up by junior Louis Menard. The Frenchman is 6-3 in one-on-one action, helping the team's singles record sit at 19-39 (.328).
• Nicolas Buitrago and Corey Clarke have each emerged as the victors in back-to-back singles bouts. Each of them is 4-6 in singles play thus far.
• Owners of a 9-20 (.310) mark in doubles play, NM State has been led by the duo of Buitrago and Jordy Visser. That tandem is 3-3 in doubles action.
• The Aggies head to Phoenix, Ariz., hoping to re-enter the win column for the first time since Sunday, Feb. 21. Since a 4-1 triumph over Southland Conference power Texas A&M-Corpus Christi that day, NM State has dropped two-straight matches.
SCOUTING UTRGV | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• It has been nearly two months sine the Vaqueros found themselves in the win column, but they'll be hoping to change that in the first weekend of WAC action. UTRGV is mired in a 10-match losing skid dating back to Tuesday, Feb. 9.
• In one-on-one play, the Vaqueros have constructed a 24-56 (.300) mark in 2021. One quarter of those wins have been amassed by Carlo Izurieta who is the owner of a 6-8 mark in singles action.
• Luka Jankovic, Mateo Schmit and Te Kani Williams each have four singles victories to their credit.
• A little over one-third of the Vaqueros' doubles wins have been captured by the tandem of Jankovic and Zane Kohrs who are 5-6 in top-flight action.
• Since 2016, UTRGV has put up a 6-14 record in regular season WAC matches.
SCOUTING GRAND CANYON | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• As they prepare to host three teams for the opening weekend of WAC pod play, the Lopes have their sights set on putting an end to a five-match losing skid. Since GCU's 4-2 triumph over Sacramento State on Saturday, Feb. 20 (the team's lone win of 2021), the Lopes have been prevented from entering the win column.
• No GCU player has more than three singles wins to his credit in 2021 and leading the way in that category is Jiri Novak. He has piled up three of the team's 13 singles triumphs while Mariano Argote, Jonathan Da Silva, Freddie Grant and Valentin Lang have come up with two each.
• As a team, GCU has put up a 13-64 mark in singles action. In doubles play, the Lopes are a collective 10-24 (.294). Half of those doubles victories have come courtesy of the Lang/Novak pairing who are 5-4 while playing exclusively on the top line.
• Dating back to the 2018 season, GCU has won six consecutive WAC matches. In 2019, the Lopes claimed the WAC regular season title and also earned the league's bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 4-3 win over the Aggies in the WAC Tournament title bout.
COMING UP NEXT
• WAC play continues for the Aggies on Friday, April 9, when they travel to the Lone Star State for a pair of league showdowns. That day, NM State battles Seattle U at UTRGV before wrapping up its two-match weekend with a matchup against Chicago State on Saturday, April 10.
++NM State++
