Tennis Heads North for Spartan Invitational

2026 FALL TOURNAMENT #2 - SPARTAN INVITATIONAL
Date	Friday-Sunday, Oct. 2-4, 2026 \| 9 a.m. daily
Venue	MSU Indoor Tennis Courts \| East Lansing, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes (pdf)
Live	Draws & Results (ITA)
Social Media	X: @EMUEaglesTennis \| Instagram: @EMU_Tennis

EAST LANSING, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The fall season continues this weekend for the Eastern Michigan University tennis program with the Eagles heading north to East Lansing, Mich., for the Spartan Invitational, Oct. 2-4, a three-day event hosted by Michigan State. The event, which will be held at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center, will feature singles and doubles brackets with entrants from EMU, MSU, DePaul, Marquette, Northwestern, and Western Michigan.

FIRST SERVES
» Two players made their Eastern Michigan debuts in the EMU Hidden Duals (Sept. 25-26) as Maria Batinic and Valentina Salek both competed in singles and doubles action over the weekend. Batinic posted a 2-2 record as she was 1-1 in singles and 1-1 in doubles while Salek was 3-3 overall with a 2-1 record in singles and a 1-2 mark in doubles. Additionally, the event marked the first for Jeff Westmeyer as head coach of the Eagles and the first for his two assistants, Casey Smith and Elina Ivanova.
» Several first victories were recorded at the EMU Hidden Duals by Eastern players. Maria Batinic and Valentina Salek, who played at NCAA Division II Findlay last year, secured their first wins in singles and doubles with the team and as members of an NCAA Division I program while Pehal Kharadkar captured the first two doubles wins of her career in her second collegiate season with the Eagles.
» Matilde Parreira and Valentina Salek led the way in singles action at the EMU Hidden Duals as both recorded a pair of victories to open their seasons. Parreira won both of her matches in straight sets while Salek battled to a three-set victory in her debut (6-4, 1-6, 1-0(6)) before winning her second in straight sets.
» Eastern battled throughout the weekend with four of its 21 matches going to a third-set tie breaker where EMU was 1-3. Of those four matches, EMU forced the third set three times but fell short in the third.
» The team of Lara Diaz Zayas and Kseniia Saenko went 2-0 in doubles on the weekend and surrendered just five games total to their opponents. The duo won its opener with Bowling Green, 6-2, before downing its foes from Ferris State, 6-3, in the finale.
» The 2026-27 season marks the 50th in the program's varsity history as Eastern has fielded a team every year since 1976-77 except for the 2017-18 campaign. The Eagles are 555-479 all-time and have captured two Mid-American Conference titles (1998 and 2001). The 4-2 win at St. Francis (Pa.), Jan. 24, 2026, stands as the 550th victory in program history.
» Jeff Westmeyer was hired over the summer as the program's 12th head coach and brings a wealth of success to town after leading both the women's and men's programs at Findlay, an NCAA Division II program in Ohio. During his time in Findlay, his women earn berths in the NCAA Midwest Region tournament all five years and won the regional title in 2026 before reaching the NCAA Elite 8. He also guided the team to five G-MAC titles while the men's program reached the NCAA Tournament in 2026 as well.

EVENT INFORMATION • SPARTAN INVITE
The Spartan Invitational will see matches played over three days, Oct. 2-4, at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center with matches also set to be played on the surrounding outdoor courts (weather permitting). Players will compete in singles all three days with matches slated to start at 9 a.m. daily while doubles matches will be played only on the first two days.

EVENT INFORMATION • THE DRAWS
The draw sheets for the Spartan Invitational were released Oct. 1 All eight Eagles will compete in both singles and doubles action with the five singles flights seeing Maria Batinic playing in Flight A, Valentina Salek in Flight B, Pehal Kharadkar and Sabrina Tolstova in Flight C, Lara Diaz Zayas and Matilde Parreira in Flight D, and Iva Daneva and Kseniia Saenko in Flight E. Eastern will have four doubles teams competing in the lone draw with the pairs featuring Daneva and Parreira, Diaz Zayas and Saenko, Batinic and Kharadkar, and Salek and Tolstova.

TEAMS ON THE COURT • SPARTAN INVITE
SIX teams comprise the field at the Spartan Invitational with Mid-American, Big East, and Big Ten conferences represented. Both Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan will be on hand to represent the MAC while host Michigan State will be joined by fellow Big Ten team Northwestern. The three teams from the Big East will include DePaul, and Marquette.

EARLY MEETINGS
For the second consecutive fall tournament, the Eagles could have the opportunity to play against fell MAC competitors with Western Michigan set to play at the Spartan Invitational. Last week, at its own EMU Hidden Duals, Eastern played matches against both Bowling Green and Toledo to start the season.

IN THE RANKINGS • NATIONAL
While no individuals competing this weekend are ranked in the Aug. 25 release of the ITA Singles Top 125, two possible doubles teams hold spots in the ITA Doubles Top 90. The Northwestern team of Neena Feldman and Marelie Raath are ranked No. 85 while Aely Aria and Eric Jessel, also from NU, are No. 90.

IN THE RANKINGS • REGIONAL
The ITA's release of regional rankings comes out at the end of each season and, according to the June 3 listing, three players could compete this weekend that were ranked among the ITA Midwest Region Top 20 for the 2025-26 season. Those individuals include No. 12 Amara Brahmbhatt and No. 17 Ellie Blackford from Michigan State and No. 19 Sasha Sakura Stula from DePaul. Northwestern's Erica Jessel and MSU's Blackford were members of the No. 3 and No.6-ranked doubles teams, respectively, last season. In the team rankings, three teams were among the top 10 in the ITA Midwest Region, including No. 6 Northwestern, No. 7 Michigan State, and No. 8 DePaul.

DEBUTS MADE
Two players saw their first action for the Eagles at the EMU Hidden Duals (Sept. 25-26) as transfers Maria Batinic and Valentina Salek both competed in singles and doubles over the weekend. Batinic, who played the 2025-26 season at Findlay, posted a 2-2 record as she was 1-1 in singles and 1-1 in doubles while Salek, a three-year player at UF for Jeff Westmeyer, was 3-3 overall with a 2-1 record in singles and a 1-2 mark in doubles.

THAT'S A FIRST...
Three players earned the first victories with the Eagles at the EMU Hidden Duals (Sept. 25-26) including two transfers playing in their first matches for EMU and one returning player on the doubles courts. Transfers Maria Batinic and Valentina Salek, who played at NCAA Division II Findlay last year, secured their first wins in singles and doubles with the team and as members of an NCAA Division I program while Pehal Kharadkar captured the first two doubles wins of her career in her second season with the Eagles.

MULTIPLE WINS
At the season-opening EMU Hidden Duals (Sept. 25-26), two Eagles led the charge with a pair of wins in singles play as Matilde Parreira and Valentina Salek each went 2-1 on the weekend. Parreira won both of her matches in straight sets while Salek battled to a three-set victory in her debut (6-4, 1-6, 1-0(6)) before winning her second in straight sets.

MIXING IT UP
Jeff Westmeyer, in his first event leading the program, sent his Eagles to compete in 11 doubles matches over two days at the EMU Hidden Duals (Sept. 25-26) with the head coach sending out eight different combinations to compete. The only teams that competed together multiple times were Lara Diaz Zayas and Kseniia Saenko, who went 2-0 together, and the team of Valentina Salek and Sabrina Tolstova, who were 1-2. Diaz Zayas and Saenko not only went 2-0 in doubles on the weekend, but they also only surrendered just five games total to their opponents. The duo won its opener with Bowling Green, 6-2, before downing its foes from Ferris State, 6-3, in the finale.

WELCOME BACK!
The 2026-27 roster features eight players with six returning from last year, including Iva Daneva, Lara Diaz Zayas, Pehal Kharadkar, Matilde Parreira, Kseniia Saenko, and Sabrina Tolstova. Saenko is entering her fourth year with the program and has combined to grab 52 career combined wins during her time with the Eagles while both Daneva and Diaz Zayas are back for their third years. The remaining three Eagles - Kharadkar, Parreira, and Tolstova - are back for their second seasons and combined to win 53-percent of the singles wins recorded last year while adding 45-percent of the doubles victories.

HELLO! MY NAME IS...
Eastern added a pair of players to its roster over the summer with both Maria Batinic and Valentina Salek transferring into the program after competing for Jeff Westmeyer at Findlay.
» Batinic enters her second collegiate season after a highly successful rookie campaign in 2025-26 with the Oilers. A native of nearby Rochester Hills, she captured 36 combined wins as she was 20-4 in singles play and 16-5 in doubles action. In singles play, the then-rookie went 16-3 in dual action, including 6-0 in G-MAC play, as she stood 4-2 at No. 1 singles and 12-1 at No. 2.
» Salek was a three-year member of the Findlay team under Westmeyer and combined to collect over 100 wins for the Oilers as she built a 53-17 mark in singles play and a 56-13 record in doubles. In singles, she played primarily at the No. 3 spot (25-4) and was also 10-2 at No. 4 and 7-5 at No. 2. She went 23-4 at the No. 2 doubles position in her three years as well.

NEW ELIGIBILITY MODEL
The 2026-27 academic year will feature the first seasons under the NCAA's new age-based eligibility model, which has been commonly referred to as the 'five-in-five' model. Under the new legislation, student-athletes will have five years to play five seasons with redshirts, medical hardships, and other waivers seeking additional years of competition being eliminated. Eastern Michigan student-athletes across all sports will be listed with a 'Y' number to indicate the year of eligibility they are currently competing. For example, Kseniia Saenko is listed as a Y-4, meaning she is in her fourth year and has two seasons (2026-27 and 2027-28) to compete while transfer Maria Batinic is a Y-2, meaning she is in her second year and has four seasons to compete (2026-27, 2027-28, 2028-29, and 2029-30).

TAKING THE HELM
Jeff Westmeyer was named the 12th head coach in program history over the summer and will look to take the Eagles to the heights his teams at Findlay reached over the past five years. While with the Oilers, Westmeyer's teams captured five G-MAC titles and advanced to the NCAA Midwest Region Tournament each season. Last year, his team went 22-2 and captured both the regular season and tournament titles in the G-MAC before winning the regional crown and advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament where Findlay won in the first round before falling in the Elite Eight. In addition to his work with the women, Westmeyer was named the men's head coach last season as well and guided the team to the NCAA regional competition as well. Westmeyer enters the 2026-27 season with a career record of 100-35 as a women's collegiate head coach, including a 37-6 home record.

NO STRANGER TO THE MAC
During his time with Findlay, Jeff Westmeyer's Oilers played eight matches against NCAA Division I teams, including three members of the MAC in Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo. Westmeyer, who played for and earned his degree from BGSU and added another degree from Toledo (Master's), went 1-1 against the Falcons, 0-2 against the Eagles, and 0-1 against the Rockets. His teams were 3-0 against two other NCAA DI programs, including a 1-0 mark against Army and 2-0 against Bucknell. In addition to his time with BGSU and Toledo (assistant), he also served as an assistant coach at both Michigan State and Virginia.

HAPPY TO HELP
The coaching staff is rounded out by two newcomers this year in Casey Smith (assistant coach) and Elina Ivanova (graduate assistant). Smith played her collegiate tennis at Lewis University and recently served as a graduate assistant coach at Henderson State before coming to Ypsilanti. Ivanova is no stranger to Jeff Westmeyer as she competed for him at Findlay for four years before serving as a graduate assistant last year at Illinois-Springfield.

NIFTY 50
The 2026-27 season will mark the 50th varsity campaign for Eastern Michigan Tennis, which first competed as a varsity program in 1976-77 and has competed every year since then apart from the 2018-19 academic year when Eastern Michigan did not field a team. In the previous 49 years of play, EMU won 555 duals and secured two Mid-American Conference titles (1998 and 2001), finished as the MAC runner-up five times, and competed in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

SCHEDULE SET • FALL
The first year of play under Jeff Westmeyer gets started this week as the Eagles will compete in five fall events, starting with the EMU Hidden Duals (Sept. 25-26). The remaining fall slate sees Eastern compete in the Michigan State Classic (Oct. 2-4), the ITA Midwest Regional Championships in Champaign, Ill. (Oct. 8-11), the MAC Individual Championships in Kalamazoo (Oct. 23-25), and the Spartan Invitational (Nov. 6-8) in East Lansing.

SCHEDULE SET • SPRING
Eastern is scheduled to play 21 duals in its spring season with nine coming on its home courts at the Chippewa Club. The Eagles will welcome Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 22), Ferris State (Jan. 24), Youngstown State (Feb. 20), Bowling Green (March 12), Oakland (March 14), Valparaiso (March 20), UMass (April 2), Ball State (April 9), and Miami (April 16) this year while playing on the road 12 times. Some of the road matches include intrastate foes Michigan State (Feb. 6) and Western Michigan (March 26) along with 'Power 4' opponents Purdue (Jan. 31) and Northwestern (Feb. 13). The dual season starts Jan. 16 with a road trip to Cleveland State.

MITTEN MATCHES
The 2027 spring schedule will see Eastern face four fellow Michigan schools with two each at home and on the road. The Eagles, who went 3-2 against the Mitten State last year, will play host to Ferris State (Jan. 24) and Oakland (Feb. 6) while playing on the road against both Michigan State (Feb. 6) and Western Michigan (March 26). Heading into the season, Eastern holds a record of 106-116 against intrastate opponents with a 39-24 record in sweeps and a 19-22 mark in matches decided by one point.

SEEING THE MIDWEST... AND BEYOND
Throughout the 2026-27 season, including fall tournaments and spring duals, Eastern will compete in matches in seven states with the possibility of more to be added in the postseason. In the fall, the Eagles will compete in Michigan four times, including once each in Ypsilanti and Kalamazoo and twice in East Lansing, and once in Illinois (Champaign). The spring will see Eastern play matches in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee with Massachusetts to be added to the list should the Eagles qualify for the MAC Championships in Amherst, Mass.

HIGH REGARD
In the spring, the Eagles will meet several teams that held rankings in the final 2025-26 ITA National and Regional rankings. On a national scale, Northwestern finished the year at No. 60 while Michigan State was No. 66 in the final ITA Top 75. Regionally, EMU will face three teams that appeared in the final ITA Midwest Top 10, including No. 6 Northwestern, No. 7 Michigan State, and No. 9 Toledo while also facing off with teams from the ITA New England Top 10 in No. 6 UMass and No. 10 Buffalo and the ITA Ohio Valley Top 10 in No. 5 Xavier, No. 8 Purdue, and No. 10 Austin Peay. Of those matches, only the match with UMass will be played at home in Ypsilanti.

HOME TOUGH HOME
Over the past three seasons, the Chippewa Club has been a tough venue for visiting teams as the Eagles went 25-5, including a 2023-24 campaign that finished with an 11-0 record at home. In the previous six seasons prior (2016-17 through 2022-23), Eastern was 21-30 on its home courts. The Eagles will be home nine times in 2027 and will look to add to it strong home defense numbers.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern returns to action Oct. 8-12 when it travels to compete in the ITA Midwest Regional Championships that will be hosted in Champaign, Ill., by the University of Illinois.

FOLLOW US
For all things EMU Tennis, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMUEaglesTennis on X (formerly Twitter) and EMU_Tennis on Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Maria Batinic

Iva Daneva

Lara Diaz Zayas

Pehal Kharadkar

Matilde Parreira

Kseniia Saenko

Valentina Salek

Sabrina Tolstova

Eastern Michigan Athletics