Cullowhee, N.C. – Despite three singles matches requiring either a third set or tiebreaker points, Western Carolina women's tennis dropped Thursday's hard-fought Southern Conference match to the Mercer Bears, 7-0, on the courts at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
Catamount freshman Jenelle Roberts made her return to the lineup, taking over as the two seed and posting an opening set win in her first singles action since March 6.
WCU (2-15, 0-5 SoCon) returns to the courts on Friday as the Catamounts host the Wofford Terriers for a 2 p.m. first serve. Mercer (8-10, 1-3 SoCon) returns to action on April 8 as the Bears battle the Chattanooga Mocs on the road.
How it Happened:
The Catamounts fielded a healthier lineup against the Bears, posting competitors on five of the six courts in singles play. However, on-going injuries forced WCU to forfeit on the third doubles court, as well as on the sixth singles court. The Bears claimed the opening doubles point with a 6-2 win on court one and swept early competition with a 6-3 victory on court two.
Trailing 2-0 at the start of singles competition, the Catamount lineup shifted as, for the first time since the Jan. 18 meeting with Clemson, Jenelle Roberts took over on court No. 2. Mariya Dobreva retained her usual spot as the top seed, with Mia Miranda, Axelle Van Beurden, and Kelly Coetzee sliding down to the three, four, and five, respectively.
WCU's chances at scoring their first SoCon win took another hit early in singles play as Miranda was forced to retire from her third court matchup early in the second set, with Mercer gaining a 3-0 lead in the match. The Bears then secured the match victory with a 6-4, 6-3 win on the fourth court.
The remaining three courts of competition, though, required either a tiebreaker point or a third set to decide a result, as Mariya Dobreva, Jenelle Roberts, and Kelly Coetzee dueled on their respective placements.
Fighting through a see-saw affair, Dobreva dropped the opening set 7-6 after a grueling 10-8 tie-breaker to Marina De Diego Quinones. Mercer's top seed then rode that momentum to a 6-1 second-set victory on the top court. Coetzee rallied on court No. 5 in her second set before falling, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).
Making her return, Roberts claimed a 6-4 set one victory as the No. 2 seed, but fell 4-6 in the second to Tea Zivic. With the match tied, the two pushed to a competitive third set, with Zivic ultimately claiming the win and securing the match sweep with a 7-6 (7-3) win.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina remains at home on Friday afternoon, hosting the Wofford Terriers for a 2 p.m. first serve at the Catamount Athletics Complex. The Catamounts then hit the road to take on the UNC Greensboro Spartans in the regular-season finale on April 7, before swinging to Chattanooga, Tenn. for the 2026 SoCon Women's Tennis Championships on April 16-18.
