Catamount Tennis Announces 2026 Spring Schedule

Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's tennis returns to the courts this week as head coach Bret Beaver announced the spring 2026 team championship season. The 20-match regular season is split between seven home matches, ten road matches, and three neutral-site matchups, with the Catamounts facing four NCAA tournament teams from a year ago against Auburn, Clemson, Quinnipiac, and Furman.

Fans will be able to catch the Catamounts at home on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) three times throughout Southern Conference play, with the Feb. 4 match against Furman, as well as the April 2 and 3 matches against Mercer and Wofford, scheduled to be streamed. The three-match broadcast slate marks the most televised matches for the Catamounts in a season, surpassing the previous high mark of two in the 2022-23 season.

For the second year in a row, the Catamounts open the spring season facing Auburn, as WCU makes the trek to Auburn, Ala., on Friday, Jan. 16, in doubleheader action. WCU faces the Tigers at Noon to open the season before taking on the Liberty Flames at 6:30 p.m. that same day. Opening weekend for the Catamounts continues as they'll battle the Clemson Tigers on the road on Jan. 18 for a 2:30 p.m. meeting.

The heavy road slate to open the season continues on Friday, Jan. 30, as the Catamounts battle the Virginia Tech Hokies for only the third time in program history and for the first time since 2016. First serve in Blacksburg, Va., is set for 2 p.m.

WCU returns to Cullowhee to open the home schedule by hosting the Young Harris Mountain Lions on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. The Catamounts then host their first NCAA Division I team of the season on Feb. 4, opening the Southern Conference slate with the Furman Paladins for the second season in a row.

The Catamounts then hit the road for four straight matches, beginning with a trip to Boone, N.C., to battle Appalachian State on Feb. 7 for a 2 p.m. tilt. The road stretch continues with a pair of Big South foes as WCU battles the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs on Feb. 11 and the Presbyterian Blue Hose on Feb. 14. The longest true road stretch of the season concludes on Feb. 24, as the Catamounts face the ETSU Buccaneers for their second SoCon match of the season.

The Catamounts return home for the first time in nearly a full month as they host mountain-rival UNC Asheville on March 6. They'll then swing down to the Sunshine State for a pair of spring break neutral site matches against the Quinnipiac Bobcats on March 12 and the Penn Quakers on March 13.

WCU returns home briefly on March 18 to host Marshall for a 2 p.m. contest before hitting the road again to battle the Samford Bulldogs on March 22, before closing the month with Chattanooga on March 26.

The regular season closes in the first week of April as the Catamounts host the Mercer Bears and the Wofford Terriers on back-to-back days, April 2-3. WCU faces the UNCG Spartans in Greensboro on April 7 at 2 p.m. in the regular season finale.

The 2026 Southern Conference Women's Tennis Championships are scheduled for April 16-18, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

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