THE FIRST SERVE
• Following a weekend in Las Vegas where the Aggies took on four high-level competitors in UC Riverside, Weber State, UNLV and Hawaii, the Aggies return home for a matchup against I-25 rival UNM on Saturday.
• Despite returning home without a tally in the win column, NM State received promising showings from several Aggies, including Itay Feigin who earned wins in singles play against both UC Riverside and Weber State.
• NM State's collision with the Lobos will mark the fifth meeting between the two programs in the last 10 years. During that stretch, the Aggies' only win came in 2018, when the play of Louis Menard, Enrique Asmar, Stijn de Haan and Mauri Benitez helped lead the Aggies to their first win over their rivals since 2010.
• Saturday's match also kicks off a four-match homestand for Head Coach Carlos Vargas and the Aggies.
• This year, the Aggies will look to their lone upperclassmen Corey Clarke and Jordy Visser for leadership against New Mexico. The pair struggled last week; however, each came away from the weekend with one singles win under their belt.
• Visser has also been teaming up with Ukrainian standout Yehor Opanasenko in doubles play and the two are responsible for the only two doubles wins for NM State this season.
 
SCOUTING THE LOBOS
• The Lobos opened their season on Jan. 20 when they hosted UT Arlington to kick off The Jack Kennedy Classic in Albuquerque.
• During the three-day event, the Lobos picked up a pair of 5-2 wins over UT Arlington and Gonzaga to claim the Jack Kennedy Classic title.
• With their play last week, UNM's Arda Azkara and Nikolay Sysoev were named the Mountain West's Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively.
• Thus far, Azkara is a perfect 2-0 in singles action while serving as the Lobos' No. 1 player.
• Ryoma Matsushita also holds an undefeated singles record after he picked up a pair of wins last weekend at the four and five spots.
 
COMING UP NEXT
• The Aggies' upcoming weekend will be its busiest home slate of the season as they are scheduled to host three matches in just two days.
• Northern Arizona, Western New Mexico and UTPB will make the trip to Las Cruces as the Aggies take on NAU on Friday, Feb. 11, at 9 a.m. before battling with the Mustangs that afternoon at 1 p.m. The Aggies will then face off with UTPB on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m.