University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
Sun Belt Conference
Men’s Tennis Opens Sun Belt Tournament Play Against Troy
4/16/2026 10:26:00 AM | Men's Tennis
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss (8-11, 1-4 SBC) opens postseason play Friday afternoon at the Sun Belt Conference Men's Tennis Championships, facing No. 2 seed Troy (15-5, 3-1 SBC) in the quarterfinals at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga. First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT.
The Golden Eagles enter the tournament as the No. 7 seed and will take on a Troy team that has been one of the league's top performers throughout the spring. The Trojans earned the No. 2 seed in the bracket and bring momentum into the matchup, setting up a strong test for Southern Miss to open postseason play.
Southern Miss heads into the weekend after closing the regular season with a split on the road, finishing with a 4-0 win at Nicholls. The Golden Eagles showed consistency down the stretch, particularly in the middle of the lineup, where multiple straight-set singles wins helped the team build momentum heading into the conference tournament.
Postseason play brings a different level of urgency, with every match carrying elimination stakes. The Sun Belt Championships will be over three days, with quarterfinals on Friday, semifinals on Saturday and the championship match set for Sunday. Southern Miss will need to string together multiple strong performances in a short window to make a run through the bracket.
The Golden Eagles have leaned on a balanced lineup throughout the season, with contributions across both singles and doubles play. Experience in tight matches during conference play will be key, as Southern Miss looks to translate those moments into results in a tournament setting.
A win over Troy would send Southern Miss into Saturday's semifinal round against the winner of No. 3 Georgia Southern and No. 6 James Madison.
Southern Miss will travel Eric Perkowski, Saheb Sodhi, Olle Noltorp, Ritabrata Sarkar, Jose Murariu, Rasmus Becker, Matei Varbanciu, Kale Mize, Julius Bult and Jay Temming for the tournament, with head coach Zubin Engineer leading the group.
With the regular season complete, the focus shifts to Rome, where the Golden Eagles will look to extend their season and make a push through the Sun Belt bracket.
Players Mentioned
