DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Michigan State
DePaul Begins 2026-27 Season at Spartan Invite
10/1/2026 11:13:00 AM | WOMEN'S TENNIS
Blue Demons compete for first time this season in East Lansing
CHICAGO – DePaul women's tennis takes the court for the first time in the 2026-27 season Friday, Oct. 2 through Sunday, Oct. 4, playing at the Spartan Invite.
Joining the Blue Demons for the weekend of competition are six other squads, including nonconference opponents Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Northwestern. The draw also features BIG EAST conference opponents Marquette and Xavier.
Singles and doubles play will compete beginning at 8 a.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3. Matches on Sunday, Oct. 4 are reserved solely for singles play.
DePaul last competed in East Lansing for the Spartan Invite to wrap up the 2024 fall slate. There, Sasha Stula reached the Group C finals.
The Blue Demons return six of seven players from the 2025-26 team that advanced to the BIG EAST Championship match. New addition and freshman Leni Prankl will make her collegiate debut in East Lansing this weekend.
Senior Sasha Stula returns to the Blue Demons after an extremely successful junior campaign highlighted by 25 singles wins (the most in a DePaul women's tennis season since 2015), a 15-5 duals singles record at No. 1 (most court No. 1 wins since 2013) and a 5-0 doubles record in conference masters.
Roberta Sechi returns for her senior season after playing to a 14-8 record in duals singles play and tallying a 6-1 mark in BIG EAST matches on courts No. 4 and No. 5 last season. The Italy native racked up a massive 6-3, 6-4 victory in the BIG EAST Semifinals against St. John's to help propel the Blue Demons to the BIG EAST Championship.
Juniors Helin Alvarez and Eleanor Cochran also rejoin the lineup after big wins in the BIG EAST Tournament last season. There, Cochran came in clutch for the Blue Demons, battling to a 6-4 doubles victory against Creighton in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals. In the BIG EAST Semifinals, Alvarez — in her first season back from a year-long injury in 2024-25 — won the deciding match on court No. 6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, to advance the Blue Demons past the Red Storm and into the finals.
Sophomores Yasemin Pehlivan and Clara Nilsson round out the Blue Demons' returners. Pehlivan enters 2026-27 coming off Second Team ALL-BIG EAST honors at the end of last season. The then-freshman from Turkey held winning records in singles duals on courts No. 3 (7-5) and No. 4 (6-3), and went 5-2 in conference play.
Nilsson's play last season earned her two-time BIG EAST Women's Doubles Team of the Week with Hannah Smith (Feb. 2, March 2). In the BIG EAST Semifinals, the BIG EAST honor-winning duo defeated St. John's No. 1 doubles pairing 6-0.
Next Up
The Blue Demons make their way to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., from Thursday, Oct. 8 through Monday, Oct. 12, to compete in the ITA Midwest Regionals for the second tournament of the 2026-27 fall schedule.
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