Women’s Tennis Places Second at BIG EAST Championships

Sunday, April 19

Cayce, S.C.

12 P.M. CT

DePaul University

#1 Xavier

Women’s Tennis Places Second at BIG EAST Championships

4/19/2026 4:22:00 PM | WOMEN'S TENNIS

DePaul falls to Xavier 4-1 in hard-fought contest

CAYCE, S.C. – On Sunday afternoon, DePaul women's tennis came up short in the BIG EAST Championship match against Xavier, 4-1. This result marked the fourth time the Blue Demons have reached the conference tournament final since head coach Marisa Arce took over in 2019. DePaul is now 4-8 all-time in BIG EAST Championship matches.

The Blue Demons finish the 2026 season with a final record of 12-11 and a conference record of 8-2, with both losses against Xavier.

The Musketeers jumped out to early leads to start doubles play, and eventually claimed court No. 2 in a 6-1 victory. The Blue Demons' tandem of Clara Nilsson and Hannah Smith battled to multiple break points on court No. 1, but dropped their match 3-6, to secure the doubles point for Xavier.

In singles action, DePaul's freshmen powered the potential comeback. Nilsson, the Sweden native, prevailed in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2, to knot the match at 1-1. Yasemin Pehlivan won her opening set 6-2, and held a 5-4 lead in the second before Xavier secured the remaining points to clinch the match, leaving her contest unfinished.. On court No. 4, Roberta Sechi fell 0-6, 3-6, followed shortly thereafter by Smith on court No. 2, 3-6, 3-6.

Lastly, Sasha Stula battled hard on court No. 1, losing her first set 4-6. Down 1-5 in the second, Stula fended off five match points to take the set to 5-5, before narrowly falling 5-7. The result clinched the BIG EAST title for Xavier and secured a second-place finish for DePaul.

Final Results
Xavier 4, DePaul 1
April 19, 2026
Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center - Cayce, S.C.

Doubles
1. Abby Nugent/Clara Owen (XAV) def. Clara Nilsson/Hannah Smith (DPU) 6-3
2. Ella DeFord/Madeleine Rexroat (XAV) def. Eleanor Cochran/Sasha Stula (DPU) 6-1
3. Helin Alvarez/Roberta Sechi (DPU) vs. Emily Flowers/Natalie Smitek (XAV) 5-4, unf.

Singles
1. Abby Nugent (XAV) def. Sasha Stula (DPU) 6-4, 7-5
2. Madeleine Rexroat (XAV) def. Hannah Smith (DPU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Yasemin Pehlivan (DPU) vs. Emily Flowers (XAV) 6-2, 5-4, unf.
4. Ella DeFord (XAV) def. Roberta Sechi (DPU) 6-0, 6-3
5. Clara Nilsson (DPU) def. Clara Owen (XAV) 7-5, 6-2
6. Natalie Smitek (XAV) vs. Helin Alvarez (DPU) 6-2, 3-6, 3-0, unf.

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