Both men’s and women’s tennis celebrate players earning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week for the first time in team history.
Redshirt sophomore Kale Mize became the first player in Southern Miss men’s tennis history to earn the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week. Mize helped secure two wins over Norfolk University and University of New Orleans with two singles wins and two doubles wins.
“It feels great,” said Mize. “I’m super grateful to be here, and you know, I’m striving for my best.”
Mize shared that his entrance to tennis came later in life at the hands of his family.
“My dad, he was a football player in college,” said Mize. “And my older sister played tennis. I kind of jumped into it last minute, and really loved it and had a passion and really enjoyed the entire process.”
Hailing from Tulsa, Okla., Mize was ranked in the top 10 of USA junior tennis. He began his collegiate career at Southern Methodist University, where he redshirted his freshman year and did not play. After transferring to Southern Miss, Mize now holds a 5-2 record in singles matches and 5-0 record in doubles matches.
Right after Mize earned his player of the week, sophomore Sakura Sudo was crowned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week for Southern Miss’s women’s tennis team.
“I was very happy to hear the good news that I made history by being the first women’s tennis player to achieve the Sun Belt conference player of the week award!” said Sudo. “I will continue to compete with grit to help the team achieve more wins in the future.”
Sudo earned this award a match-clinching victory in her singles match versus Georgia Southern. Much like Mize, Sudo was the first women’s tennis player in Southern Miss history to earn the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week. Sudo holds a 4-2 record in her singles matches and 8-0 in her doubles matches this season.
Mize and Sudo have both cemented themselves in Southern Miss’s history. As the teams continue to compete, all eyes will be on Sudo and Mize as the team prepares for the Sun Belt Conference championships in April.
