Women's Tennis Opens 2026 with Three

Women's Tennis 1/15/2026 6:30:00 PM Josh Ragsdale, Director of Media Relations

Women's Tennis Opens 2026 with Three-Match Weekend

Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's tennis returns to the courts for the first time this season as the Catamounts open the 2026 spring campaign against the fourth-ranked Auburn Tigers and the Liberty Flames in a Friday doubleheader, followed by a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Clemson Tigers. Friday's season-opening matches are scheduled to start at Noon and 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, with Sunday's match set for a 2:30 p.m. first serve.

The Catamounts and Auburn have met twice before, as WCU opened last season on The Plains in Alabama as well. WCU faces Liberty for the first time in program history and Clemson for the sixth time since 2020.

Friday's Matchups:

Western Carolina (0-0) at #4 Auburn (2-0)

Jan. 16, 2026 | Noon ET / 11 a.m. CT | Yarbrough Tennis Center | Auburn, Ala.

Live Video: https://tinyurl.com/443n9756

Live Results: https://tinyurl.com/35c4t2wd

Western Carolina (0-0) vs Liberty (0-0)

Jan. 16, 2026 | 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT | Yarbrough Tennis Center | Auburn, Ala.

Live Video: https://tinyurl.com/443n9756

No Live Results available

Sunday's Matchups:

Western Carolina (0-0) vs Clemson (0-0)

Jan. 18, 2026 | 2:30 p.m. | Duckworth Family Tennis Facility | Clemson, S.C.

Live Video: https://tinyurl.com/y49dvchw

Live Results: https://tinyurl.com/ym7zeanr

Players to Watch:

Western Carolina women's tennis rides into the 2026 spring campaign with plenty of new faces, as sophomore Hokualohi Lui is the only returner from the historic 2025 season. Lui enjoyed a successful freshman campaign a year ago as the Lynnwood, Wash. product was one of four Catamounts with double-digit singles wins in her SoCon All-Freshman team season.

Outside of Lui, the Catamounts field an entirely new roster with three transfers and a trio of true freshmen. The transfers include sophomore Mariya Dobreva (Colorado State), junior Mia Miranda (Western Kentucky), and Keira Stewart (UNC Asheville). Freshmen Jenelle Roberts (Sugar Hills, Ga.), Axelle Van Beurden (Antwerp, Belgium), and Kelly Coetzee (Cape Town, South Africa) each make their WCU team debuts. Dobreva, Miranda, Roberts, Stewart, and Van Beurden all competed in the fall season with the Catamounts, while Coetzee is set to make collegiate debut this weekend as a late addition to the roster.

The fourth-ranked Auburn Tigers currently sit at 2-0 after a pair of shutout wins over Bellarmine to open the season last weekend, thanks in large part to the play of their four top-150-ranked players in #27 Ashton Bowers, #28 Ava Esposito, #90 Alice Battesti, and #119 Natalie Outcalt. The Tigers are still looking to iron out their lineup early in the season, but the ranked quartet have mostly played on the back four courts, though Bowers played on the second court in their season-opening match vs Bellarmine before shifting to the third in the second.

Liberty returns a strong lineup that posted a 12-13 record a year ago, including key returners Celina Joesph and Sadie Daavettila. Joseph played almost exclusively on the sixth court, going 8-9 in singles play, but she did post a 3-1 record in her few matches as the fifth seed. Daavettila played throughout the top three courts for the Flames, though her best performances came on the third court with a 5-0 record. She faced Axelle Van Beurden in the fall slate during the Wofford Terrier Invite and took a 6-1, 6-1 victory in their previous meeting.

Clemson returns much of a lineup that posted a 14-12 record and earned an NCAA tournament berth a year ago, with some key additions for the season. Among those added is former Catamount Jade Groen, who makes her Clemson team debut after competing in the fall slate for the Tigers.

Up Next for The Catamounts:

WCU has some time away from competition following the busy opening weekend, as its next match is a road bout with Virginia Tech on Friday, Jan. 30. Serve with the Hokies is set for 2 p.m. in Blacksburg, Va.

The Catamounts then come home for the first time this season to host Young Harris on Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. before opening SoCon play with the Furman Paladins on Feb. 4 at 1 p.m.

Players Mentioned

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