LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The NM State men's tennis team is excited to open its dual season this weekend in Tucson, Ariz., against No. 69 Arizona and Gonzaga. The two matches will be played on back-to-back days with the Wildcats up first at 10 a.m. (MT) on Friday, Jan. 29, followed by the Bulldogs at noon (MT) on Saturday, Jan. 30.
 
MAKING MOVES IN THE FALL
Head coach Carlos Vargas will have high expectations for his team heading into the spring dual season after a successful fall season. As a team, the Aggies combined to go 55-39 in singles play and 21-27 in doubles action.
 
Sophomore Christofer Goncalves paces NM State with a 10-2 mark heading into the dual season while senior Liam Goldberg and freshman Enrique Asmar are right on his tales, checking in at 10-4.
 
The Aggies also won multiple flights in three separate tournaments this fall. In the opening tournament of the fall season, Asmar beat out his own teammate to win his flight while Goncalves ousted Grand Canyon's Mitch Maroscher to claim his flight. Asmar also teamed up with fellow freshman Nicholas Springer to beat out Goldberg and Strahinja Trecakov to claim the top doubles flight.
 
A week later at the Arizona Invitational, Trecakov claimed the title in his flight with a 6-3, 7-6 win over San Diego State's Jonas Meinzer. Goncalves fought back after dropping his opening match to win the consolation finals.
 
Two weeks later in their third tournament of the fall, Goldberg again, claimed his flight. This time it was a hard-fought three-set thriller over his teammate, Asmar. Goncalves also took home his flight with a 6-2, 6-3 over New Mexico's No. 1 singles player, Augustus Ge.
 
Freshman Stijn de Haan was not denied a flight title this time around when he ousted UNM's Sean Baklini 6-4, 6-4. Trecakov battled back to win his next two in consolation play after dropping his opening match.
 
In the ITA Regional Championships, Asmar reached the semifinal of the back draw before retiring 3-6, 0-3.
 
REMEMBERING LAST SPRING
NM State got hot by the time conference play started last season and went 5-0 in Western Athletic Conference play which culminated with a regular-season title, tournament championship and its third bid ever in program history to the NCAA Tournament.
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Arizona, the host, is currently tied for 69th in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. UA went 8-19 overall last season and 0-7 in a very competitive Pac-12 Conference.
 
The Wildcats return Naoki Takeda at the No. 1 singles slot, who went 23-5 overall and 15-2 in dual play last season. They also return a pair of double-digit winners in singles play in senior Jason Jaruvang and sophomore Shoki Kasahara – both of which went 17-18 in singles.
 
UA opened its dual season last week with a 7-0 sweep of UC Riverside at home. Naoki Takeda clinched the match for Arizona with a 6-2, 6-0 defeat of his opponent at No. 1 singles. The Wildcats made quick work of the Highlanders, winning 6-0, 6-1 and 6-0 in all three doubles matches.
 
BROWSING THE BULLDOGS
After opening the dual season with Arizona, NM State squares off against the Bulldogs of Gonzaga at noon (MT) on Saturday.  GU went 11-11 last season after dropping its final match of the year, a 4-0 decision to No. 22 San Diego, in the West Coast Conference Championships and went 2-7 in league play.
 
The Bulldogs lost their only 20-match winner in Alavaro Nazal to graduation as well as two other seniors that went 18-10, respectively, and another that went 17-16 in singles play. However, Gonzaga does return Hayden Smith, now a senior, who went 16-8 on the year playing predominantly at the No. 3 hole with a 14-7 mark in dual play. Senior Vicente Varas also returns to the court for GU after recording a 12-20 mark last season.
 
Gonzaga also lost its doubles tandem of Nick Kamisar and Nazal, who was 15-6 overall and 6-3 in dual play.
 
The Bulldogs will open their dual season at home with in-state rival, Eastern Washington, on Jan. 27 before taking on the Aggies.