ROME, Ga. — Southern Miss women’s tennis saw its 2026 season conclude Thursday after a 4-1 loss to No. 6 seed App State in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at the Rome Tennis Center.
The Golden Eagles took the early doubles point, giving them a 1-0 lead heading into singles play. App State responded quickly, winning three singles matches to secure the victory.
Southern Miss grabbed the first doubles win at No. 2, with Hannah Chambers and Miranda Xu defeating Naledi Manyube and Taya Powell 6-3. The Mountaineers answered at No. 1 doubles, where Savannah Dada-Mascoll and Ruby Broadbent beat Angelina Blinova and Sakura Sudo 6-1. Kamornwan Kornsila and Pimmada Lim clinched the doubles point for App State with a 7-6 (5) victory at No. 3.
In singles, Dada-Mascoll, who entered the match on a 20-match winning streak, defeated Blinova 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 to tie the match. App State then took the lead with straight-set wins from Hodson at No. 4 and Broadbent at No. 5. Balaji secured the clinch at No. 3 singles, beating Chambers 6-4, 6-3.
Two matches remained unfinished when the Mountaineers secured the win. Sudo was battling at No. 2, and Kornsila was competing at No. 6. Kornsila and Lim finished the season as a dependable doubles tandem, with Kornsila’s victory at No. 6 being one of the final matches of the year.
Sudo, a sophomore from Tokyo, Japan, closed out a standout season, becoming the first Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Player of the Week in program history in March. The Golden Eagles finished the spring with a 4-3 record in Sun Belt play, including their first victory over Tulane in program history.
App State advances to face No. 3 seed Troy in the quarterfinals Friday at 1:30 p.m. CT in Rome.
