Tennessee men’s tennis lost to No. 25 Ole Miss, 4-0, in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Championship on April 15 at the Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
The result means Tennessee’s season comes to an end, as the team did not qualify for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The loss also marks the conclusion of their 2025-26 campaign.
Ole Miss took control early by winning two out of three doubles matches. Tennessee’s Alejandro Moreno and Piotr Siekanowicz secured a win over Ole Miss’s nationally ranked duo Isac Stromberg and Kai Milburn with a score of 6-3. However, after Ole Miss won on court three, the deciding match came down to court two. Jose Garcia and Shion Itsusaki from Tennessee pushed their match into a tiebreak but ultimately fell short as Ole Miss claimed the doubles point with a 7-4 tiebreak victory.
In singles play, Ole Miss continued its momentum by winning five of six opening sets. Ethan Muza provided a highlight for Tennessee by coming back from a deficit to win his first set against Vlado Jankanj, but that match was left unfinished. The Rebels secured victories on courts five (Noah Schlagenhauf over Shion Itsusaki), six (Loan Lestir over Piotr Siekanowicz), and one (Stefano D’Agostino over Jose Garcia) to clinch the overall result.
Despite efforts from players like Moreno—who forced an extra set on court two—the Volunteers were unable to recover after dropping key points early in both doubles and singles matches.
With this outcome, Tennessee closes its season without advancing further in postseason play.
