By Stephen Mason
A frustrating weekend came to a close for the Tennessee men’s tennis team Sunday as it dropped its fourth SEC match to Oklahoma 4-1, struggling once again in doubles play and failing to regain momentum in singles. The doubles troubles continued in the evening match against Belmont; however, this time the Vols turned it around in singles play and won 6-1.
Another match, some more trouble in doubles for the Vols, who only made one change in the doubles lineup from Friday night. For the most part, the changes did not pan out for the team, as the Sooners dominated Tennessee on two of the three courts.
On Court 2, the younger duo of Piotr Siekanowicz and Shion Itsusaki quickly fell behind Alejandro Malero and Hank Trondson 5-0. Unlike their bounce-back on Friday night, the Tennessee duo won only one game before the Sooners took the match 6-1.
The veteran pairing of Dragos Cazacu and Boruch Skierkier did not fare much better, losing their match on Court 1 to Bruno Nhavene and Luis Alvarez 6-3. This win for the Sooners secured the doubles point for the visitors, and the Vols found themselves trailing 1-0 once again.
The one change in the lineup was the pairing of Jan Kobierski with returning redshirt freshman Woodson McMillin, who has been out since the fall with an injury. The two played Orel Kimhi and Johan Rodriguez of the Sooners on Court 3, and the match ended with the Oklahoma duo leading 4-3 when doubles play concluded.
“It was good to see him get out there; he had dealt with a wrist injury, so he hadn’t really been around for a couple of months,” associate head coach Matt Lucas said. “He kinda picked up where he left off in the fall, because he was playing good doubles then.”
The Vols’ struggles continued in singles play, with Jose Garcia, Alejandro Moreno, and Kobierski all losing their matches in two sets, guaranteeing the Sooners’ win. Garcia’s loss ended a seven-match singles win streak he entered the day with.
Skeirkier provided the Vols with their only point of the competition as he took down Asahi Harazaki in dominant fashion, 6-1, 6-1. The Valdosta State transfer has settled into his new home on Rocky Top over the last few weeks, and his coaches are noticing his improvements on the court.
“Boruch is starting to find it a little bit; he’s really bought into what this program is about,” Lucas said. “He probably should be 3-1 in the league… he’s really embodying what this thing is about.”
After falling to the Sooners in the afternoon session 4-1, Tennessee looked to right the ship and bounce back in the evening’s matchup against Belmont. Between the matches, Lucas spoke about the adjustments the coaching staff was looking to make and the changes he wanted to see in his players.
“(In doubles) we’re still grasping, trying to figure out who fits together, meshes, chemistry, game styles, all those things… We’ll get three new pairings,” Lucas said. “In singles, we’ll put out six guys who really want to play for the University of Tennessee and understand what it is to be a Volunteer.”
As promised, three new pairings took the court against Belmont; however, the result did not change as the Vols lost the doubles point to the Bruins. This remains an area of concern for Tennessee as it continues its SEC schedule next week. Starting every match down 1-0 creates a tough environment for the singles matches, as the team has to win four out of the six matchups to win the meet.
Tennessee did respond to Belmont in singles play, winning on all six courts and taking the meet 6-1 to conclude a frustrating weekend on Rocky Top. The team dropped two more SEC meets and will have to hit the road again in search of its first SEC win.
While the Vols are not too far behind the competition, they will need to find answers, especially to their doubles lineup, if there is any hope of turning the season around.
Up Next — The schedule does not get any easier for the Vols. Tennessee will play two road matches next weekend, starting at No. 5 Mississippi State on March 6 and ending at No. 7 LSU on March 8.