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.
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.
Kirleis and Spahic avoided match point in the second set and won 10 straight games at one point in an epic show of fortitude and resiliency.
Kirleis captured the win exactly two years to the day after reconstructive surgery on her right knee following a tennis injury. She had dislocated the knee about six years ago.
“This is my favorite Penn tennis memory, and now I can say that at our Senior Night,” said Kirleis, a wide smile covering her face. “Senior year is about making memories, and this is the best one for me. With all of my teammates behind me, cheering us on at the end.
“I’m ecstatic. I’m so proud of my team and so proud of myself and Amina. It was all about attitude. Me and Amina pride ourselves on positivity and attitude. We always say go out there and play with a smile. We are in sync out there. We just looked at each other in the match when we were down and said we have nothing to lose.”
The Kingsmen also got a simply gutsy effort from Wu. The sophomore rallied to defeat junior Libby Yergler 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 on the No. 1 singles court to tie the match at 2-2.
“I just want to thank my team for staying behind me tonight,” Wu said. “I was frustrated early on in the match. I’ve played Libby a lot, and we train together and are good friends.
“I credit my Dad. He tells me that every point is a new point. I told myself that after the first set. I had a lot of resets in this match. This was definitely not just another match, with it being St. Joe and playing Libby. But I’m so happy we won. I’m so close to my teammates. This means the World to me. It’s incredible.”
The Huskies, who lost in the semistate final in 2025 after winning a state title in 2024, seemed to be in command. They were up 2-0 in the match as sophomore Coco Burfien beat junior Samantha Pischalko 7-5, 6-0 at No. 2 singles, and the duo of juniors Maya Ewing and Maggie Jenkins topped juniors Ava Lightburn and Hayden Striegel 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 doubles.
Penn got some hope as junior Gabby Roland beat senior Ella Michaels 6-2, 7-5 at No. 3 singles to cut the deficit to 2-1.
They set the stage for the heroics of Wu, Kirleis, and Spahic.
Penn coach Bowers was laser-focused the entire match. The former NorthWood High School and Bethel College standout paced back and forth between the courts, coaching and encouraging his players throughout the grueling match.
“I told my team thank you and enjoy this,” said Bowers of the win over his friendly yet archrival. “We were the underdogs in this match. Until you beat St. Joe, they have the edge. Everyone had this match circled. We had more people watching tonight than any other match.
“Everyone on our team had a role in this win. It didn’t look good. But Gabby wins to make it 2-1, and that gave us hope. Then Olivia has her comeback, and it’s 2-2.
“Then it comes down to my two senior captains. Their backs were against the wall, but they are the two who I would want it to come down to. I told them during breaks that you two are my seniors. They made the big shots, and I’m just super proud of them.”
Penn finished 19-6 a season ago and lost 3-2 to Munster in a quarterfinal match of the IHSAA State Finals. The Huskies went 19-2 a season ago before a 5-0 loss to No. 1 Brebeuf in the semistate title match.
St. Joe’s other loss this season was a 4-1 decision to No. 5 Carmel.
Penn and St. Joe had both won their previous NIC matches all by 5-0 finals. The Huskies have played all of their matches on the road this season except for one indoor match in Niles, due to renovations on their home courts at Leeper Park. The courts there are set to be ready for play on May 7.
“Credit Penn for fighting back and riding the momentum,” said longtime St. Joe coach Bill Mountford, the classy, soft-spoken leader of the Huskies. “Like Yogi Berra said, it ain’t over until it’s over.
“The silver lining is that we are playing tough competition. We just have to learn from this because the train keeps going. You have to compete until the end, take nothing for granted, regardless of the score, and finish.
“Wu makes you play and I thought that after the first set that Libby got too passive. At No. 2 doubles, Penn got the momentum. They got the confidence after coming back to win that second set, and you could see it. They just took it to us in that third set then.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn rallies for incredible NIC girls tennis win over rival Saint Joseph’s
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
