Penn rallies for incredible NIC girls tennis win over rival Saint Joseph's
The resilient No. 9 Penn girls tennis team rallied with a pair of three-set wins to down No. 10 South Bend Saint Joseph 3-2 Thursday night in a clash of girls tennis powers.
MISHAWAKA - Mary Kirleis could not have picked a more perfect time than Thursday night to create her own senior season moment on the tennis court. It's one that is sure to stay with the Penn High School senior for a lifetime. Co-captain Kirleis, along with fellow senior co-captain Amina Spahic, were a pair of the heroes as the host Kingsmen staged a thrilling comeback to stun rival South Bend Saint Joseph's 3-2.
More: Penn tennis coach Eric Bowers had quite the summer adventure with his travels The No. 9-ranked Kingsmen claimed a pair of stirring comeback three-set wins, including one by sophomore Olivia Wu at No. 1 singles, to down the No.
10 Huskies in a clash of Northern Indiana Conference heavyweights. Penn clinched the marathon three-hour slugfest when Kirleis and Spahic, the lone two seniors in coach Eric Bower's lineup, outlasted junior Sofia Fargier and sophomore Mia Penn 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles in the cold and drizzle.
The Kingsmen, who beat St. Joe for the first time since a pair of 3-2 wins in 2019 in the regular season and the regional, improved to 7-0 in dual matches and 5-0 in the NIC. The Huskies, who won the NIC title at 7-0 in 2025, dropped to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in NIC play.
Continue to the original source for the full article.