FIRST SERVE
• Thursday marks the beginning of the Aggies' run at defending their WAC Tournament title as they open the 2023 WAC Tournament against third-seeded UT Rio Grande Valley at the Arlington Tennis Center.
• After winning back-to-back matches over Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin on March 31 and April 2, respectively, the Aggies have dropped their last three conference matches.
• Not only will Thursday offer an opportunity to get back in the win column, the Aggies will also be seeking revenge over the Vaqueros who defeated the Aggies 6-1 in Edinburg, Texas, back on March 26. In the first meeting, the doubles team of Bella Nguyen and Miranda Bishard represented NM State's lone doubles win while Bishard's singles victory over Kristyna Mamicova was the Aggies' only win in solo action.
• This time last year, the Aggies were preparing to find out who their opponent would be in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after waltzing through the WAC Tournament without dropping a single point. En route to their third WAC Tournament crown, the Aggies defeated Chicago State, Sam Houston and Seattle U.
• While the Aggies will be looking to repeat their run to a title, UTRGV will be looking to avoid recreating their 2022 WAC Tournament experience after falling 4-3 to eventual runner-up Seattle U in the opening round.
• This season, NM State was dominant at home as they finished the year with a 4-1 at the NM State Tennis Center against league opponents while posting a 9-4 overall home record.
• Winning away from their home courts has proven to be a tougher task for the Aggies as they enter Thursday's match with a 1-9 record in away and neutral site matches combined.
• If the Aggies are going to become the first back-to-back WAC Tournament champion since Kansas City did so in 2017 and 2018, they will need big performances from No. 1 singles player and freshman phenom Anna Pinaieva who paced the Aggies with a 7-2 record in WAC singles play.
• Miranda Bishard and Lisa Zhu will also likely be key components as they enter the postseason ranked second and third in singles wins in WAC competition as Bishard has tallied five wins and Zhu four.
• In doubles action, Bella Nguyen and Miranda Bishard continue to serve as one of the best tandems in the WAC as they lead the Aggies with 11 victories, including a 6-3 record in WAC play.
 
SCOUTING THE FIELD
• The WAC Tournament field will consist of the top eight conference programs and will feature a traditional eight-team bracket with no byes. The seeds for the tournament are as follows: 1-UT Arlington, 2-Tarleton, 3-UTRGV, 4-Grand Canyon, 5-Abilene Christian, 6-NM State, 7-Seattle U and 8-Sam Houston.
• Ahead of the tournament, the host institution, UT Arlington, has displayed the best tennis and earned the top overall seed in the tournament after finishing with an 8-1 record against league opponents. UTA's lone loss came on the road at Seattle U when they fell to the Redhawks 4-3 on April 2.
• Meanwhile, the top-ranked team on the Aggies' side of the bracket will be No. 2 Tarleton who finished the regular season with a 7-2 WAC record, including edging out the Aggies 4-3 in NM State's final road conference match of the year.
• Both the Vaqueros and Texans have also been playing the hottest tennis as of late with each program beginning tournament action riding a four-game win streak.
• Like Tarleton, the Aggies' first-round opponent, UTRGV, holds a 7-2 record in league play. The Vaqueros' only blemishes this season have come on the road against the top two teams in the WAC standings as they fell 3-4 at UTA on April 8 and dropped a match at Tarleton in its WAC opener on March 17, losing 1-6.
• UTRGV also joins NM State and Grand Canyon as the only three schools in this year's field to have previously won the WAC Tournament, however, NM State serves as the only team among the eight schools to have won multiple WAC Tournaments.
 
UP NEXT
An Aggie win on Thursday would place NM State in the second round of the WAC Tournament with a matchup against the winner of the match between No. 2 Tarleton and No. 7 Seattle U. The Aggies' second round match would be scheduled for Friday, April 28 at 8 a.m. MDT.
 
Additionally, a win on Friday would place the Aggies in the WAC title match with a spot in the NCAA Tournament on the line. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday, April 29 at 8 a.m. MDT.
 
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Fans looking to keep up with the Aggies this weekend can follow the action through the Tournament Central page on WACSports.com. Fans can also track the Aggies on Twitter (@NMStateWTEN), Instagram (@NMStateWTEN) and Facebook (NM State Women's Tennis).