Cullowhee, N.C. – Catamount women's tennis is back at home for a pair of matches as Western Carolina hosts the Marshall Thundering Herd and the Furman Paladins on back-to-back days at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
WCU (2-10, 0-1 SoCon) enters the week after falling in a pair of spring break matchups in Orlando, Fla. The Catamounts won their most recent matchup at the Catamount Athletic Complex, downing UNC Asheville 4-2.
Former Southern Conference member Marshall (7-7) enters after recently earning a 4-0 win over Wagner in New York. The Thundering Herd has been off from competition since that March 7 matchup and the Sun Belt-conference foe closes its nonconference season with the Catamounts.
Furman (8-4, 0-0 SoCon) opens conference play with the Catamounts on Thursday afternoon. The Paladins were on a five-match winning streak with victories over Memphis (4-2), FGCU (4-2), Toledo (4-0), Belmont (7-0), and Virginia Tech (4-2) before most recently falling to Elon in a 4-1 decision.
Wednesday and Thursday's Matchups:
Western Carolina (2-10) vs. Marshall (7-7)
March 18, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Catamount Athletic Complex | Cullowhee, N.C.
Live Results (IonCourt): https://tinyurl.com/tkkm4ztj
Western Carolina (2-10, 0-1 SoCon) vs. Furman (8-4, 0-0 SoCon)
March 19, 2026 | 1:30 p.m. | Catamount Athletic Complex | Cullowhee, N.C.
Live Results (IonCourt): https://tinyurl.com/ywa98wsv
Players to Watch:
Mariya Dobreva has seven solo victories, and Mia Miranda has won five to lead the Catamounts on the singles courts. Miranda posted a 3-1 record in WCU's spring break matches last week, pairing with Dobreva for a doubles win against Quinnipiac and picking up a pair of singles wins against the Bobcats and the Penn Quakers.
Additionally, Axelle Van Beurden picked up the first NCAA Division I singles win of her career last week, posting a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Quinnipiac on the third court. She nearly came away with a victory in her match against Penn as well, but fell 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), 0-1, (8-10).
Johanna Strom leads Marshall on the top court with a 7-2 record in her singles matches this season. She's been held without a decision her last two times out as her matches against Wagner and Columbia went unfinished.
Furman is led in record by freshman Lillie Murphy, who has compiled an 8-3 singles record as the No. 2 seed this season. She's one of five freshmen to see significant playing time for the Paladins this season, with Macy Hitchcock being the only upperclassman on Furman's roster.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU hits the road for a pair of Southern Conference matchups, taking on Samford in Birmingham, Ala., on March 22 before battling the Chattanooga Mocs on March 26.
The Catamounts return home for back-to-back matches at the Catamount Athletic Complex, hosting the Mercer Bears on April 2 and the Wofford Terriers on April 3, with both matches set to stream on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
