Stula and Smith Prevail as DePaul Comes Up Short at Notre Dame

Sunday, April 12

South Bend, Ind.

11:00 AM

DePaul University

Notre Dame

Stula and Smith Prevail as DePaul Comes Up Short at Notre Dame

4/12/2026 8:02:00 PM | WOMEN'S TENNIS

Notre Dame vs. DePaul Box Score

Blue Demons fall 5-2 in their final match of regular season play

SOUTH BEND, IND. – On Sunday morning, DePaul women's tennis (10-10, 6-1 BIG EAST) battled but ultimately lost to Notre Dame (16-8, 5-7 ACC) in a 5-2 result, closing the Blue Demons' regular season with four consecutive losses. Eck Tennis Pavilion hosted the match, which saw both Sasha Stula and Hannah Smith win on courts No. 1 and No. 2 against the No. 46 ranked Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame jumped out to a quick lead that it never relinquished in doubles play, winning on courts No. 3 and No. 1 to grab the point. Helin Alvarez and Roberta Sechi swiftly dropped their matchup 6-1. Smith and Clara Nilsson fought against the No. 41 ranked doubles tandem in the nation, narrowly falling 6-4.

The Fighting Irish continued their strong showing into singles action, taking straight set victories on courts No. 5 and No. 6. Yasemin Pehlivan and Sechi, on courts No. 3 and No. 4, both won sets in their bouts, but both ceded 0-6 third sets, clinching the team victory for Notre Dame.

Smith and Stula, still battling, endured marathon matches, with no set in either duel lasting less than ten games. Smith, the England native, won 7-5 in the first set after back and forth battling, and then triumphed in the second set 7-6(3) after trailing by multiple games early on. As a senior, this contest was Smith's last regular season game for DePaul, leaving the BIG EAST Tournament for her final tennis as a Blue Demon.

Stula, on the No. 1 court, also reached a tiebreak, facing set point down 5-6 in the first against No. 63 ranked Bianca Molnar. The Japanese junior then proceeded to win four of the next five points to secure the set for the Blue Demons. Stula did not relent in the second set, taking and keeping an early lead to stave off Molnar for a straight set victory, marking her second ranked win of the season. In February, Stula triumphed over Northwestern's then No. 43 ranked Margot Phanthala in a three set thriller.

Final Results
Notre Dame 5, DePaul 2
April 12, 2026
Eck Tennis Pavilion - South Bend, Ind.

Doubles
1. No. 41 Bianca Molnar/Bojana Pozder (ND) def. Clara Nilsson/Hannah Smith (DEP) 6-4
2. Gabriella Rawles/Rylie Hanford (ND) vs. Eleanor Cochran/Sasha Stula (DEP) 5-3, unf.
3. Akari Matsuno/Mari-Louise Van Zyl (ND) def. Roberta Sechi/Helin Alvarez (DEP) 6-1

Singles
1. Sasha Stula (DEP) def. No. 63 Bianca Molnar (ND) 7-6(7), 6-4
2. Hannah Smith (DEP) def. Akari Matsuno (ND) 7-5, 7-6(3)
3. Bojana Pozder (ND) def. Yasemin Pehlivan (DEP) 6-2, 2-6, 6-0
4. Sophia Holod (ND) def. Roberta Sechi (DEP) 5-7, 6-1, 6-0
5. Rylie Hanford (ND) def. Clara Nilsson (DEP) 6-1, 6-3
6. Jessica Kovalcik (ND) def. Helin Alvarez (DEP) 6-1, 6-1

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

UP NEXT
Women's tennis travels to Cayce, South Carolina for the BIG EAST Championships from April 16–19.