LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The NM State men's tennis team dropped another nail biter on Saturday to UC Riverside at the Fertitta Tennis Complex in a neutral site match on the campus of UNLV.
 
The Aggies' duo of Strahinja Trecakov and Christofer Goncalves was the first to finish when they blanked their UCR (2-6) counterparts.
 
The Highlanders evened things up when they took court No. 2 from Stijn de Haan and Mauri Benitez, 6-4. After tying things up at 5-5, the NM State pair of Enrique Asmar and Donovan Cellupica-Towers wasn't able to finish things off as UCR took a 1-0 lead.
 
Asmar tied things up for the Aggies at 1-1 once singles play started when he ousted his counterpart 6-4, 6-2 on court No. 6. Goncalves gave NM State the 2-1 lead when he downed Sean Yun 6-4, 6-3 at the No. 2 singles slot.
 
Kyle McCann equalized the match at 2-2 when he beat out NM State's de Haan 7-6, 6-3. The Aggies quickly regained the lead when Trecakov took down Julian Ruffin after dropping his first set, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
 
However, the Highlanders would win the next two points on courts No. 4 and No. 5 despite the efforts of Nicholas Springer and Benitez. Springer won his first set, but couldn't hold off UCR's Sean Robles and fell 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 before Benitez fell on court No. 5 in the same fashion.
 
NM State looks to right the ship on Sunday when it takes on Weber State at 10 a.m. (MT) to complete its three-match weekend road trip.
 
Match #4
UC Riverside 4, NM State 3
February 6, 2016
Fertitta Tennis Complex
Las Vegas, Nev.
 
Doubles

1. Trecakov/Goncalves (NMSU) def. McCann/Robles (UCR) – 6-0
2. Ruffin/Vizcarra(UCR) def. de Haan/Benitez (NMSU) – 6-4
3. Baumstark/Ju (UCR) def. Asmar/Cellupica-Towers (NMSU) – 7-5

Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3*
 
Singles

1. Strahinja Trecakov (NMSU) def. Julian Ruffin (UCR) – 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. Christofer Goncalves (NMSU) def. Sean Yun (UCR) – 6-4, 6-3
3. Kyle McCann (UCR) def. Stijn de Haan (NMSU) – 7-6, 6-3
4. Sean Robles (UCR) def. Nicholas Springer (NMSU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
5. Anderson Ju (UCR) def. Mauri Benitez (NMSU) 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
6. Enrique Asmar (NMSU) def. Hans Baumstark (UCR) – 6-4, 6-2

Order of Finish: 6, 2, 3, 1, 4, 5*)