Charleston, S.C. - The Western Carolina women's tennis team opened its fall season at the CSU Invitational hosted by Charleston Southern University, putting up strong performances across doubles and singles action in the four-team event. 

The Catamounts opened strong in doubles competition against the host Buccaneers, securing two out of three matches. The pairing of Mariya Dobreva and Nathalie Marinovitch earned a 6-3 victory over CSU's Carlota Farres Carreter and Brenda Yoris, while Mia Miranda and Kelly Coetzee secured a matching 6-3 win against Amike Botha and Carle Botha.

CSU claimed the remaining doubles match as CSU's Martina Vazquez and Natsuki Yamagami defeated the Catamount tandem of Thalia Smith and Chané Steyn, 6-2. 

Against East Carolina, WCU, paired with Mercer, notched a victory at top-flight doubles as Dobreva and Miranda battled past Giorgia De Grisogono and Kim Auerswald 7-5. ECU captured victories in the other contested doubles spots.

Singles action against CSU was highlighted by several clutch tiebreak performances from the Catamounts. Dobreva outlasted Farres Carreter in a third-set tiebreaker (2-6, 7-5, 10-8), while Miranda executed a similar comeback against Yoris (1-5, 6-2, 10-7). Smith fought back to take down Natsuki Yamagami in three sets (1-6, 6-2, 10-3), and Coetzee earned a marathon tiebreak win over Bicene Benzaied (3-6, 6-3, 12-10). CSU picked up straight-set victories in the remaining singles spots.

In singles play against ECU, Dobreva delivered a dominant 6-3, 6-1 performance against Auerswald, while Steyn earned a straight-set victory over Skylar Moody (6-3, 6-2).

Facing SoCon rival Wofford, the Terriers picked up wins across the singles lineup, as well as in doubles with Quinn Bernthal and Ella Suk downing the pairing of Miranda/Mironovitch (6-2), Grace Agster and Ana Maria Rincon over Dobreva/Smith (6-3), and Erica Brennan with Marie Henriksen over Coetzee/Steyn (6-3).

Up Next for The Catamounts:

The Catamounts continue their fall season next week at the Southern Conference tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn., scheduled from Oct. 2-5. The Catamounts then head to Columbia, S.C., for the ITA Carolina Regionals Oct. 15-20. WCU concludes the fall portion of its schedule at the Wofford Invite slated for Oct. 31- Nov. 1, in Spartanburg, S.C.

 

Western Carolina vs. Charleston Southern

Doubles: 

• Dobreva/Marinovitch (WCU) def. Farres Carreter/Yoris (CSU), 

• 6-3 Miranda/Coetzee (WCU) def. Botha/Botha (CSU), 

• 6-3 Vazquez/Yamagami (CSU) def. Smith/Steyn (WCU), 6-2

Singles: 

• Dobreva (WCU) def. Farres Carreter (CSU), 2-6, 7-5, 10-8 Miranda (WCU) def. Yoris (CSU), 1-5, 6-2, 10-7 

• Smith (WCU) def. Yamagami (CSU), 1-6, 6-2, 

• 10-3 C. Botha (CSU) def. Marinovitch (WCU), 6-3, 

• 6-0 Coetzee (WCU) def. Benzaied (CSU), 3-6, 6-3, 

• 12-10 A. Botha (CSU) def. Steyn (WCU), 6-1, 6-2

Western Carolina vs. East Carolina / Mercer

Singles: 

• Miranda (WCU) def. De Grisogono (ECU), 

• 7-5 Auerswald (ECU) def. Smith (WCU), 6-2, 

• 6-4 Thalia Smith (WCU) def. Auerswald (ECU), 6-3, 

• 6-1 Steyn (WCU) def. Moody (ECU), 6-3, 6-2

Western Carolina vs. Wofford

Doubles: 

• Bernthal/Suk (Wofford) def. Miranda/Marinovitch (WCU), 

• 6-2 Agster/Rincon (Wofford) def. Dobreva/Smith (WCU), 

• 6-3 Brennan/Henriksen (Wofford) def. Coetzee/Steyn (WCU), 6-3