ROME, Ga. — Southern Miss’s men’s tennis team saw its season come to an end Friday after a 4-1 loss to Troy in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals at the Rome Tennis Center.
The Trojans secured the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. Kale Mize and Julius Bult lost 6-2 at No. 2 doubles, while Jay Temming and Eric Perkowski fell 6-3 on court three. The No. 1 doubles match with Saheb Sodhi and Jose Murariu was left unfinished at 5-5.
Troy added three singles wins to clinch the match, earning straight-set victories on courts six, four and five. Olle Noltorp lost 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6 singles, and Perkowski fell 6-1, 6-3 at No. 4. Julius Bult fought in his match but ultimately lost 7-5, 6-0 at No. 5, giving Troy the victory.
Southern Miss’s lone point came from Sodhi, who defeated Troy’s Yeray Andres Pastor 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3 singles. The senior’s victory continued his strong finish to the season.
Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles achieved several program milestones this season. They finished undefeated at home for the first time and faced a challenging schedule that included four Power 4 opponents. They earned two Sun Belt Player of the Week honors, a program first, and Sodhi and Murariu each posted winning singles records. Sodhi and Perkowski reached No. 40 in the ITA doubles rankings, the highest in program history.
Head coach Zubin Engineer praised the team’s progress. “Overall, it was a very positive turnaround season,” he said. “The team was highly competitive and played a strong schedule.” The program showed steady improvement, gaining experience in close matches and building depth across the lineup for future growth.
