Stula Earns First Collegiate Ranked Win in DePaul Loss at Northwestern

Sunday, February 22

Evanston, IL

4:00 PM

DePaul University

Northwestern

Stula Earns First Collegiate Ranked Win in DePaul Loss at Northwestern

2/22/2026 8:46:00 PM | WOMEN'S TENNIS

Women’s tennis drops to .500 on the season

EVANSTON, Ill. – DePaul fought valiantly but ultimately fell 6-1 to Northwestern Sunday night at the Combe Tennis Center. Despite the loss, Sasha Stula claimed the first ranked win of her college tennis career.

The Wildcats quickly took the doubles point, opening with a 6-1 decision over the No. 2 duo of Yasemin Pehlivan and Stula. Northwestern followed with a 6-4 win at No. 3 against Roberta Sechi and Helin Alvarez to clinch the point, while Hannah Smith and Clara Nilsson were locked at 6-6 on court one against the nation's No. 70 ranked tandem when play was halted.

Maintaining the momentum, Northwestern continued their strong play into singles action. Apart from Stula, each Blue Demon lost in straight sets, with Pehlivan and Sechi forcing their opponents into 7-game sets.

Stula, coming across her first ranked opponent of the season, battled hard but lost the first set of her duel. With unwavering focus, she eventually forced and won both second and third set tiebreaks, coming out on top against #43 nationally ranked Phanthala. Stula, the junior from Japan, had previously faced only one ranked opponent in dual matches, and lost that matchup in 2025.

Final Results
Northwestern 6, DePaul 1
Feb. 22, 2026
Combe Tennis Center - Evanston, Ill.

Doubles
1. No. 70 Neena Feldman/Maia Loureiro (NU) vs. Clara Nilsson/Hannah Smith (DPU) 6-6, uf.
2. Erica Jessel/Margot Phanthala (NU) def. Yasemin Pehlivan/Sasha Stula (DPU) 1-6
3. Mika Dagan Fruchtman/Marelie Raath (NU) def. Helin Alvarez/Roberta Sechi (DPU) 4-6

Singles
1. Sasha Stula (DPU) def. No. 43 Margot Phanthala (EMU) 4-6, 7-6(6), 10-5
2. Neena Feldman (NU) def. Hannah Smith (DPU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Autumn Rabjohns (NU) def. Clara Nilsson (DPU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Maia Loureiro (NU) def. Yasemin Pehlivan (DPU) 7-6(10), 6-3
5. Marelie Raath (NU) def. Roberta Sechi (DPU) 7-5, 7-5
6. Mika Dagan Fruchtman (NU) def. Helin Alvarez (DPU) 6-3, 6-2

Order of Finish
Doubles: 2-3-1
Singles: 3-2-6-4-5-1

UP NEXT
Women's tennis has a quick turnaround, facing Connecticut and Butler in Indianapolis on Feb. 28 and March 1.

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