Vols Drop Heartbreaker Against Michigan, 4-3

Sunday, February 8

Ann Arbor, MI

NOON ET

University of Tennessee

Michigan

February 08, 2026 | Men's Tennis

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Tennessee Men's Tennis lost a close match to Michigan, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon at Varsity Tennis Center.

UT started doubles on a strong note, with the tandem of Shion Itsusaki and Ethan Muza taking a 5-0 lead. The duo only dropped one set before winning on court three against Michigan's doubles of Arnav Bhandari and Nicholas Steiglehner, 6-1. Court one was the next to finish, with UT's Piotr Siekanowicz and Dragos Cazacu falling by 4-6 count to Max Dahlin and Pierce Shaya.

That result shifted all eyes to court number two, with the matchup of the Vols' pair Alejandro Moreno and Jose Garcia against the Wolverines' twosome, Bjorn Swenson and Mert Oral. The match was close, reaching a tie breaker set before U of M's duo closed it out, 7-6 (7-2) to capture the doubles point.

The Big Orange started singles the same way, coming out hot and picking up five first sets. Boruch Skierkier kept the ball rolling by winning on court six against Pierce Shaya, 6-2, 6-1. Michigan matched that win with one of its own with No. 71 Bjorn Swenson besting Dragos Cazacu, 6-3, 6-2. Jan Kobierski tied it up for Tennessee, 2-2, after taking down Arnav Bhandari, 6-3, 6-4. The back-and-forth match continued, with Michigan winning on court one with No. 8 Max Dahlin taking down No. 56 Moreno, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, and UT winning on court three via a Jose Garcia victory over Nicholas Steiglehner, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

The match came down to the court-four matchup between UT's Siekanowicz and UM's Mert Oral. The contest saw the players trading sets and needing a third to decide it. Siekanowicz came up just short, falling 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-3, and Michigan was able to capture the match.

WHAT A START!
Freshman Shion Itsusaki pushed his win streak to five matches in all after he tallied the third doubles win of his career. Itsusaki is still perfect in his college career with a 5-0 combined record (3-0 in doubles and 2-0 in singles).

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Transfer Boruch Skierkier seems to be getting comfortable at the NCAA Division I level after playing in Division II last year at Valdosta State. Skierkier has begun the year 3-1 in singles on court six for the Vols. Skierkier has provided a competitive edge the Vols have leaned on.

RESULTS
Singles

#8 Max Dahlin (UM) def. #56 Alejandro Moreno (UT), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
#71 Bjorn Swenson (UM) def. Dragos Cazacu (UT), 6-3, 6-2
Jose Garcia (UT) def. Nicholas Steiglehner (UM), 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Mert Oral (UM) def. Piotr Siekanowicz (UT), 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-3
Jan Kobierski (UT) def. Arnav Bhandari (UM), 6-3, 6-4
Boruch Skierkier (UT) def. Pierce Shaya (UM), 6-2, 6-1

Order of Finish: 6,2,5,1,3,4

Doubles

Max Dahlin/Pierce Shaya (UM) def. Dragos Cazacu/Piotr Siekanowicz (UT), 6-4
Bjorn Swenson/Mert Oral (UM) def. Alejandro Moreno/Jose Garcia (UT), 7-6 (7-2)
Shion Itsusaki/Ethan Muza (UT) def. Nicholas Steiglehner/Arnav Bhandari (UM), 6-1

Order of Finish: 3,1,2

UP NEXT
The Vols will take a two-week break before starting SEC play by traveling to Lexington to face off against Kentucky on Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. ET.

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