Flawless Blue Demons Ease Past Creighton in Quarterfinal Round

Friday, April 17

Cayce, S.C.

12:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

#7 Creighton

Flawless Blue Demons Ease Past Creighton in Quarterfinal Round

4/17/2026 3:02:00 PM | WOMEN'S TENNIS

DePaul women’s tennis sweeps the Bluejays 4-0 in BIG EAST Tournament

CAYCE, S.C. – Friday afternoon saw the No. 2 seed DePaul women's tennis glide past No. 7 seed Creighton in a clean 4-0 decision, with all victories coming in straight sets. The 12 p.m. CT bout, held at Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center, ended promptly at 2 p.m., by far DePaul's quickest success of the season. DePaul, having only dropped one set in January's 7-0 sweep of Creighton, today dropped none, marking its first flawless win of the 2026 season.

The Blue Demons cruised throughout, starting fast in doubles play and climbing out to early leads on all courts. The leads cemented themselves into wins, with No. 1 pairing Hannah Smith and Clara Nilsson closing out their clash first, 6-3. Mere minutes later, No. 2 duo Sasha Stula and Eleanor Cochran finished their match 6-4, and simultaneously, No. 3 tandem Roberta Sechi and Helin Alvarez took home their battle, also 6-4.

With the doubles point clinched, DePaul continued to run on all cylinders, collecting every first set across all courts. Yasemin Pehlivan, the freshman from Turkey, defeated her opponent first, 6-1, 6-1 on court No. 3. She was followed by her fellow freshman, Nilsson, when the Swede secured her point in a 6-3, 6-0 win on No. 5 court.

The senior Smith clinched the match for the Blue Demons, who before the contest was entering her final BIG EAST Championships with the Scarlet and Blue. The England native triumphed in convincing fashion, ending the battle with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

In the semifinal round, the Blue Demons will take on the No. 3 seed St. John's Red Storm at 12 p.m. on April 18. DePaul prevailed 5-2 in the clubs' March meeting in Queens, N.Y.

Final Results
DePaul 4, Creighton 0
April 17, 2026
Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center - Cayce, S.C.

Doubles
1. Clara Nilsson/Hannah Smith (DEP) def. Ana Paula Martinez/Sophie Schwartz (CRE) 6-3
2. Eleanor Cochran/Sasha Stula (DEP) vs. Alem Cote/Annika Elvestrom (CRE) 6-4
3. Roberta Sechi/Helin Alvarez (DEP) def. Olivia Minikel/Teresa Tran (CRE) 6-4

Singles
1. Sasha Stula (DEP) vs. Sophie Schwartz (CRE) 6-3, 2-3 unf.
2. Hannah Smith (DEP) def. Ana Paula Martinez (CRE) 6-2, 6-2
3. Yasemin Pehlivan (DEP) def. Teresa Tran (CRE) 6-1, 6-1
4. Roberta Sechi (DEP) vs. Annika Elvestrom (CRE) 6-4, 1-0 unf.
5. Clara Nilsson (DEP) def. Alem Cote (CRE) 6-3, 6-0
6. Helin Alvarez (DEP) vs. Livia Rodrigues Daud (CRE) 6-3, 3-2 unf.

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

UP NEXT
DePaul plays St. John's in the BIG EAST semifinals on April 18, at 12 p.m. CT