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Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women’s tennis opens its 2026 fall season this weekend at the CSU Invitational in Charleston, S.C. The Charleston Southern-hosted fall tournament pits the Catamounts against representatives from the Buccaneers, Wofford, Mercer, and East Carolina.
Play for the weekend tournament is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, with the final day of action starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26. All five teams will compete on the courts on Charleston Southern’s campus.
The Catamounts enter the fall with a young, updated roster that features returners Kelly Coetzee, Mariya Dobreva, and Mia Miranda. That returning trio is joined by newcomers Thalia Smith, Nathalie Marinovitch, Chané Steyn, and Laura Sparnina.
A second-team All-Southern Conference selection in the spring, Dobreva is expected to lead the team after a strong sophomore season. The junior played her way to the semifinals of the SoCon Fall Championships and led the team with 10 singles victories. Miranda also returns with plenty of experience at the top of the lineup after earning five singles wins during the 2026 spring season. The senior also teamed with Dobreva in doubles throughout the year.
Coetzee enters her sophomore season after gaining valuable experience during her first collegiate campaign. The Cape Town, South Africa, native picked up a singles win last season and is set to compete in her first fall with the Catamounts.
Smith, a sophomore transfer, enters the program as the highest-ranked recruit in WCU women’s tennis history. The native of Gastonia, N.C., joins the Catamounts after spending her freshman season at Marshall, bringing collegiate experience to a team that will look to build chemistry throughout the fall.
Marinovitch also joins the Catamounts as a transfer after spending her freshman season at Elon, while Steyn begins her collegiate career as a second South African-born player on the squad.
With most of the Catamount roster competing together for the first time, this weekend’s tournament provides WCU with its first opportunity to begin developing its identity and building toward the 2027 spring season.
After this weekend’s opener, the Catamount women’s tennis team is back in fall action on Oct. 2-4, as they travel to Chattanooga, Tenn. for the SoCon tournament. WCU continues its loaded fall schedule as the team splits for the ITA Carolina Regionals in Columbia, S.C. on Oct. 15-20 and the season finale at the Wofford Invite on Oct. 31- Nov. 1.
Keep track of everything related to WCU Athletics and Catamount women’s tennis through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountTennis), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamounttennis).