By Taylor Lankford
As the late afternoon spring showers christened Barksdale Stadium before the match, it reflected one powerful message of the Tennessee Volunteers’ season: when it rains, it pours.
The Volunteers (10-15, 1-11 in SEC) hosted No. 12 Georgia (15-6, 10-3 in SEC) this Thursday afternoon. While they were the underdog to this Bulldog squad, there was no magic in the air for an upset. The Vols dropped the match 4-1 – a third straight defeat and fourth straight in SEC play.
After a rough weekend road trip through the Lone Star state, facing No. 3 Texas and No. 10 Texas A&M, the men looked to find some sort of rhythm in a return to Knoxville.
That just wasn’t the case tonight.
Disasterous Doubles
The Volunteers have struggled to find any sort of consistency in the doubles department.
On courts 1 and 2, the Bulldogs quickly buried the bone against the Tennessee pairings: senior Alejandro Moreno alongside sophomore Piotr Siekanowicz, and sophomore Jose Garci paired with star freshman Shion Itsusaki. These two victories granted Georgia the doubles point.
Court 3 saw a battle between Tennessee’s redshirt freshman Woodson McMillin and senior Ethan Muza versus Georgia’s Derrick Chen and Noah Johnston. While the duo fought hard, they ultimately finished trailing at the end of doubles play.
The Volunteers once again saw a complete change in the doubles pairings. And after another displeasing performance from the lineups, there is concern about whether Tennessee will be able to find any stability to close out the remainder of the season.
Sufficent Singles
As expected, when going against one of the best teams in the SEC, the story was mostly the same in singles.
There were some bright spots in this cloudy match.
Over on court 3, Boruch Skierkier, the senior from Argentina, showed a commanding performance against the foes in red-and-black. In the first set, he rose to a quick 4-1 lead and eventually claimed it. The second set was no different, with the Volunteers winning it decisively 6-2, granting them their first and only team point.
Court 2 was host to an absolute barn-burner. Senior Alejandro Moreno was swiftly overpowered by Georgia’s Will Jansen, 6-2, in what appeared to be a quick matchup between the two. However, Garcia responded strongly, claiming the next set 6-4.
Showing no signs of backing down against the seasoned veteran, Garza went point-for-point in the third. But in heartbreaking fashion, Jansen stole the final set 6-4, giving Georgia its fourth and final point to clinch the match.
Other matches from Shion Itsusaki, Ethan Muza, and Jose Garcia all showed signs of fight, but in the end, the ‘Dawgs put the Vols on a leash.
While another disappointing match for Tennessee, it wasn’t the total beatdown fans have become accustomed to. Whether it was something in the spring air or the cheers of the home crowd, the men showed grit and determination that had been lacking in the previous matchups
Up Next
The Volunteers will aim to stop their skid this weekend as they head to Oxford, Miss., to face their fourth consecutive ranked SEC opponent, No. 24 Ole Miss.