Tarleton State Tennis opens fall season at McNeese this weekend

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Tarleton State Women's Tennis will open its 2026 fall season Friday at the Cowgirl Invite, hosted by McNeese at the Nancy Hank Tennis Center.

The Texans will compete against McNeese and other opponents throughout the weekend as they begin their fall slate. The Cowgirl Invite is scheduled for Friday through Sunday and marks the first of several fall tournaments for Tarleton State.

Tarleton State enters the fall following a historic 2025-26 season that saw the Texans capture their first conference tournament championship and earn their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Tarleton State defeated Abilene Christian 4-0 in the WAC Tournament championship match to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, where the Texans faced Texas in the first round.

The Texans are no strangers to the Cowgirls. Tarleton State defeated McNeese 4-1 during the 2026 spring season on Feb. 8 in Stephenville. The Texans also defeated the Cowgirls 5-2 on March 18, 2025, in Lake Charles at the Nancy Hank Tennis Center, extending their winning streak to seven consecutive matches at the time.

The Cowgirls will be led by former Tarleton State assistant coach Sonia Carlson, who enters her second season as McNeese's head coach. Carlson spent four seasons with the Texans and helped the program win a WAC Championship while coaching 14 All-Conference selections, including a WAC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

McNeese will also feature former Texan Noelia Lorca on its coaching staff. Lorca joined Carlson's staff after completing her collegiate career at Tarleton State, where she posted a 26-7 singles record and a 26-9 doubles record during her final two seasons. She earned All-WAC honors in both seasons and won the 2024 WAC Fall Tennis Invitational singles title.

The Texans return three letterwinners from the previous season and feature five newcomers. Tarleton State returns 2026 Conference Player of the Year Maria Castano and 2026 Conference Freshman of the Year Aya Ishii. Sophomore Marissa Minetti also earned All-Conference First Team honors a year ago. Tarleton State posted a combined record of 69-25 in singles, went 30-13 in doubles, and 99-38 overall in fall last year.

The Cowgirl Invite gives both programs an early opportunity to test their rosters and build momentum heading into the remainder of the fall season. McNeese returned seven players from its 2026 Southland Conference regular-season championship team and added transfers Louna Cormier and Jacqueline Schnabel for the 2026-27 season.

Tarleton State will continue its fall schedule at the ACU Invite in Abilene beginning Sept. 18 before competing in the United Athletic Conference Fall Individual Championship Oct. 23-25 in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Maria Castano: Sophomore

Aya Ishii: Freshman

Marissa Minetti: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Maria Castano
: Sophomore

Aya Ishii
: Freshman

Marissa Minetti
: Freshman