Vols’ Singles Comeback Falls Short to #12 Bulldogs, 4-1

Thursday, April 2

Knoxville, TN

5:00 p.m. ET

University of Tennessee

Georgia

Vols’ Singles Comeback Falls Short to #12 Bulldogs, 4-1

April 02, 2026 | Men's Tennis

Box Score Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee men's tennis team's comeback in singles fell short against the No. 12 Bulldogs, with the Vols dropping the match 4-1 at Barksdale Stadium on Thursday night.

Georgia jumped out to quick 4-1 leads on all of the doubles courts. Tennessee looked to build a comeback with each court pushing it to 4-2. UGA, however, closed the door, triumphing on courts three and two to take a 1-0 lead.

Tennessee's court one duo of Alejandro Moreno and Piotr Siekanowicz showed some fire, tying their match at 4-4 after being down, 1-4. It was no easy feat against Georgia's partnership of Arda Azkara and Santiago Giamichelle, which is ranked No. 13 nationally. Georgia's duet grabbed a 5-4 lead before the match was unfinished after the doubles point was clinched.

Georgia's success continued into singles play, with the Bulldogs winning the first set on four courts. Tennessee's Ethan Muza was the stand-out in the first stanza for the Vols, coming back from down 5-3 to win the next four games and clinch the first set, 7-5.

The Bulldogs tacked on two more points to their lead with a 6-2, 6-1 victory on court six and 6-1, 6-4 triumph on four.

UT started a comeback in set two. Boruch Skierkier was the other Vol to capture a first set, and he added on with a second to take down No. 101 Santiago Giamichelle, 6-3, 6-2. The win seemed to provide a spark on the other courts. Jose Garcia and Alejandro Moreno fed off the spark, forcing their contests to an extra frame with wins in set two. Court five needed a tiebreak set as well after UGA's Noah Johnston won in the second.

The Bulldogs clinched the match with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win on court two from No. 49 Will Jansen.

Courts one and five went unfinished in the third set after Georgia clinched the match.

CLOSING THE YEAR ON FIRE
Boruch Skierkier has been on a tear to close the season, extending his win streak to four matches with the victory. Skiekier has adjusted nicely in his move from DII to DI, tallying a 17-5 singles record in 2025-26. The senior has done it with a perfect record of 2-0 against ranked opponents. Thursday night marked his first win on court three at the DI level.

UP NEXT
The Big Orange will finish up week seven of conference play by traveling to Oxford, Miss., to take on No. 24 Ole Miss on Saturday at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT.

RESULTS
Doubles
1. Alejandro Moreno/Piotr Siekanowicz (TENN) vs. #13 Arda Azkara/Santiago Giamichelle (UGA), 4-5, unf.
2. Will Jansen/Gabriele Vulpitta (UGA) def. Shion Itsusaki/Jose Garcia (TENN), 6-3
3. Derrick Chen/Noah Johnston (UGA) def. Woodson McMillin/Ethan Muza (TENN), 6-2

Order of Finish: 2,3

Singles
1. Jose Garcia (TENN) vs. #35 Arda Azkara (UGA), 1-6, 6-3, 5-6, unf.
2. #49 Will Jansen (UGA) def. #116 Alejandro Moreno (TENN), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
3. Boruch Skierkier (TENN) def. #101 Santiago Giamichelle (UGA), 6-3, 6-2
4. Derrick Chen (UGA) def. Shion Itsusaki (TENN), 6-1, 6-4
5. Ethan Muza (TENN) vs. Noah Johnston (UGA), 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 0-1, unf.
6. Gabriele Vulpitta (UGA) def. Piotr Siekanowicz (TENN), 6-2, 6-1

Order of Finish: 6,4,3,2

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