Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's tennis team returns to the courts for the first time in over a week as the Catamounts open Southern Conference play on Tuesday at East Tennessee State. First serve is set for 2 p.m. at the ETSU Athletics Center in Johnson City, Tenn.
The Catamounts and Bucs meet for the 40th time, with ETSU holding a 37-2 record in the all-time series. ETSU claimed a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Catamounts a year ago, the closest decision in the series since the Catamounts earned a 4-3 win in 2002.
WCU (1-6, SoCon 0-0) enters the matchup after most recently falling to the Presbyterian Blue Hose 6-1 on Feb. 14. Shorthanded for much of the season so far, the Catamounts hope to have recovered after being idle the past 10 days. ETSU (5-2, SoCon 0-0) comes into the week on a four-match winning streak, scoring wins over Tusculum (6-0), Murray State (7-0), Lipscomb (4-3), and Virginia Tech (4-3).
Tuesday's Matchup:
Western Carolina (1-6, SoCon 0-0) vs ETSU (5-2, SoCon 0-0)
Feb. 24, 2026 | 2 p.m. | ETSU Athletics Center | Johnson City, Tenn.
Players to Watch:
Colorado State transfer Mariya Dobreva has led the Catamounts thus far, posting a 5-2 singles record on the top court, including four consecutive solo wins. The sophomore was named the SoCon's Women's Tennis Player of the Week for a 6-0 week as Dobreva went 3-0 in singles play and 3-0 in doubles play along with doubles partner Mia Miranda on the top court.
Outside of Dobreva, Miranda has had recent success playing as the two seed in relief of Jenelle Roberts. Miranda picked up a pair of solo wins against Young Harris and Gardner-Webb before retiring due to injury against Presbyterian.
Three Bucs have at least five singles wins this season, with Alessandra Caceres leading the team with a 5-2 mark on the second court. She's followed by Julia Milan (5-2) on the third and Audelie Lesauvage (5-1) on the fourth. Ksenija Rage has anchored the team on the top court so far this season, posting a 3-4 singles record.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The Catamounts host the NC A&T Aggies on Sat., Feb. 28 for a 2 p.m. match before hosting the UNC Asheville Bulldogs on Friday, March 6. WCU then swings down to Orlando for a set of spring break matches, including Quinnipiac and Penn on March 12 and 13, respectively.
