DePaul University Athletics
Friday, October 2
East Lansing, Mich.
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Women’s Tennis Collects Three Top-3 Singles Finishes at Spartan Invite
10/4/2026 8:00:00 PM | WOMEN'S TENNIS
Blue Demons finish 12-9 in singles over opening weekend
CHICAGO – DePaul women's tennis competed to three top-three individual finishes in the 2026-27 season-opening weekend at the Spartan Invite, headlined by Helin Alvarez's Flight E championship sweep, Clara Nilsson's runner-up finish in Flight C and Sasha Sakura Stula taking third place in Flight A.
As a team, the Blue Demons finished with a 12-9 singles record over three days.
Alvarez opened the season with a flawless finish, dropping just one of seven sets in the Flight E bracket. The senior opened play with her closest victory margin on Friday, taking a 6-3, 6-7 [2-7], 6-1 victory over Western Michigan's Julia Frazier. From there, Alvarez only conceded seven total games on her way to clinching Flight E, playing Marquette's Elena Duva to a 7-6 [7-4], 6-0 victory and capping off the weekend with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Marquette's Kate Thorne.
In Flight C, Nilsson battled to Sunday's championship final on the heels of back-to-back three-set comeback wins on Friday — 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 over Northwestern's Katya Shepherd — and Saturday— 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 over Western Michigan's Pei Chi Ho. In the championship match Sunday, Nilsson finished runner-up after a hard-fought 7-5, 6-2 loss to Michigan State's Ariane Lesterhuis.
Sakura Stula's road to a third-place finish in the tournament's premier division came after split results on the first two days. On Friday, Sakura Stula reached a three-set victory, 4-6, 7-6 [7-5], 6-0 over Northwestern's Philippa Färber before falling 4-6, 1-6 to Michigan State's Lu Mengquio. The senior then stormed back the last day of competition with a decisive 6-4, 6-1 win over Michigan State's Nina Plihal to clinch third place.
DePaul's 12-win singles weekend was further bolstered by key individual performances across draws.
In Flight B, Yasemin Pehlivan responded to a first-day, two-set loss to Michigan State with consecutive three-set victories over Western Michigan on Saturday — 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 — and Northwestern on Sunday — 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 [7-3].
The weekend also featured a career milestone for freshman Leni Prankl, who notched her first collegiate victory on Saturday with a straight set victory, 7-5, 7-5, over Marquette's Elizabeth Stuckslager.
Roberta Sechi also closed out her singles slate on a high note, outlasting Western Michigan with a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win. With the comeback victory, Sechi joined Nilsson, Pehlivan and Sakura Stula with a 2-1 singles mark for the tournament.
In doubles action on Friday, DePaul dropped four tight contests as the squad experimented with a new series of lineups.
Spartan Invite Results
Friday, Oct. 2
Doubles
Fitcher/Yaguchi (WMU) def. Roberta Sechi/Helin Alvarez (DPU), 8-5
Mengqiao/Bowles (MSU) def. Sasha Sakura Stula/Yasemin Pehlivan (DPU), 8-4
Hostakovs/Frazier (WMU) def. Eleanor Cochran/Leni Prankl (DPU), 8-5
Singles
Sasha Sakura Stula (DPU) def. Färber (NU), 4-6, 7-6 [7-5], 6-0
Clara Nilsson (DPU) def. Shepherd (NU), 1-6, 6-1, 6-1
Bowles (MSU) def. Yasemin Pehlivan (DPU) 2-6, 4-6
Roberta Sechi (DPU) def. Syrtveit (MSU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
Poon (MU) def. Eleanor Cochran (DPU), 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
Hostakova (WMU) def. Leni Prankl (DPU), 6-2, 7-5
Helin Alvarez (DPU) def. Frazier (WMU), 6-3, 6-7 [2-7], 6-1
Saturday, Oct. 3
Singles
Mengqiao (MSU) def. Sasha Sakura Stula (DPU), 6-4, 6-1
Barnstedt (MU) def. Roberta Sechi (DPU), 7-6 [7-3], 6-2
Yasemin Pehlivan (DPU) def. Yaguchi (WMU), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Clara Nilsson (DPU) def. Ho (WMU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Parreira (EMU) def. Eleanor Cochran (DPU) 6-2, 6-1
Leni Prankl (DPU) def. Stuckslager (MU), 7-5, 7-5
Helin Alvarez (DPU) def. Duva (MU), 7-6 [7-4], 6-0
Sunday, Oct. 4
Singles
Sasha Sakura Stula (DPU) def. Plihal (MSU), 6-4, 6-1
Yasemin Pehlivan (DPU) def. Arai (NU), 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 [7-3]
Lesterhuis (MSU) def. Clara Nilsson (DPU) 7-5, 6-2
Parreira (EMU) def. Leni Prankl (DPU), 6-1, 6-2
Stuckslager (MU) def. Eleanor Cochran (DPU), 6-3, 6-4
Helin Alvarez (DPU) def. Thorne (MU), 6-1, 6-0
Roberta Sechi (DPU) def. Fitcher (WMU), 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
Next Up
The Blue Demons set their sights quickly on the second tournament of the 2026-27 fall season, heading to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., to compete at the ITA Midwest Regionals from Thursday, Oct. 8 through Monday, Oct. 12.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Women's Tennis, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on Instagram and X.
As a team, the Blue Demons finished with a 12-9 singles record over three days.
Alvarez opened the season with a flawless finish, dropping just one of seven sets in the Flight E bracket. The senior opened play with her closest victory margin on Friday, taking a 6-3, 6-7 [2-7], 6-1 victory over Western Michigan's Julia Frazier. From there, Alvarez only conceded seven total games on her way to clinching Flight E, playing Marquette's Elena Duva to a 7-6 [7-4], 6-0 victory and capping off the weekend with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Marquette's Kate Thorne.
In Flight C, Nilsson battled to Sunday's championship final on the heels of back-to-back three-set comeback wins on Friday — 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 over Northwestern's Katya Shepherd — and Saturday— 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 over Western Michigan's Pei Chi Ho. In the championship match Sunday, Nilsson finished runner-up after a hard-fought 7-5, 6-2 loss to Michigan State's Ariane Lesterhuis.
Sakura Stula's road to a third-place finish in the tournament's premier division came after split results on the first two days. On Friday, Sakura Stula reached a three-set victory, 4-6, 7-6 [7-5], 6-0 over Northwestern's Philippa Färber before falling 4-6, 1-6 to Michigan State's Lu Mengquio. The senior then stormed back the last day of competition with a decisive 6-4, 6-1 win over Michigan State's Nina Plihal to clinch third place.
DePaul's 12-win singles weekend was further bolstered by key individual performances across draws.
In Flight B, Yasemin Pehlivan responded to a first-day, two-set loss to Michigan State with consecutive three-set victories over Western Michigan on Saturday — 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 — and Northwestern on Sunday — 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 [7-3].
The weekend also featured a career milestone for freshman Leni Prankl, who notched her first collegiate victory on Saturday with a straight set victory, 7-5, 7-5, over Marquette's Elizabeth Stuckslager.
Roberta Sechi also closed out her singles slate on a high note, outlasting Western Michigan with a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win. With the comeback victory, Sechi joined Nilsson, Pehlivan and Sakura Stula with a 2-1 singles mark for the tournament.
In doubles action on Friday, DePaul dropped four tight contests as the squad experimented with a new series of lineups.
Spartan Invite Results
Friday, Oct. 2
Doubles
Fitcher/Yaguchi (WMU) def. Roberta Sechi/Helin Alvarez (DPU), 8-5
Mengqiao/Bowles (MSU) def. Sasha Sakura Stula/Yasemin Pehlivan (DPU), 8-4
Hostakovs/Frazier (WMU) def. Eleanor Cochran/Leni Prankl (DPU), 8-5
Singles
Sasha Sakura Stula (DPU) def. Färber (NU), 4-6, 7-6 [7-5], 6-0
Clara Nilsson (DPU) def. Shepherd (NU), 1-6, 6-1, 6-1
Bowles (MSU) def. Yasemin Pehlivan (DPU) 2-6, 4-6
Roberta Sechi (DPU) def. Syrtveit (MSU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
Poon (MU) def. Eleanor Cochran (DPU), 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
Hostakova (WMU) def. Leni Prankl (DPU), 6-2, 7-5
Helin Alvarez (DPU) def. Frazier (WMU), 6-3, 6-7 [2-7], 6-1
Saturday, Oct. 3
Singles
Mengqiao (MSU) def. Sasha Sakura Stula (DPU), 6-4, 6-1
Barnstedt (MU) def. Roberta Sechi (DPU), 7-6 [7-3], 6-2
Yasemin Pehlivan (DPU) def. Yaguchi (WMU), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Clara Nilsson (DPU) def. Ho (WMU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Parreira (EMU) def. Eleanor Cochran (DPU) 6-2, 6-1
Leni Prankl (DPU) def. Stuckslager (MU), 7-5, 7-5
Helin Alvarez (DPU) def. Duva (MU), 7-6 [7-4], 6-0
Sunday, Oct. 4
Singles
Sasha Sakura Stula (DPU) def. Plihal (MSU), 6-4, 6-1
Yasemin Pehlivan (DPU) def. Arai (NU), 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 [7-3]
Lesterhuis (MSU) def. Clara Nilsson (DPU) 7-5, 6-2
Parreira (EMU) def. Leni Prankl (DPU), 6-1, 6-2
Stuckslager (MU) def. Eleanor Cochran (DPU), 6-3, 6-4
Helin Alvarez (DPU) def. Thorne (MU), 6-1, 6-0
Roberta Sechi (DPU) def. Fitcher (WMU), 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
Next Up
The Blue Demons set their sights quickly on the second tournament of the 2026-27 fall season, heading to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., to compete at the ITA Midwest Regionals from Thursday, Oct. 8 through Monday, Oct. 12.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Women's Tennis, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on Instagram and X.
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Thursday, August 31