Competitive Tennis in Northern Indiana
Northern Indiana's USTA tennis infrastructure is anchored by the USTA Midwest Section (headquartered in Indianapolis), which organizes league and tournament play across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. In the Michiana area, the South Bend Racquet Club hosts multiple USTA events each year, including junior tournaments and adult league matches. In Fort Wayne, Wildwood Racquet Club runs USTA league play, junior team tennis, and hosts an array of local tournaments, while Fort Wayne Country Club runs USTA Team Tennis for its members alongside year-round private programming.
Junior development is strong in both metros. Wildwood has more than 47 years of producing college scholarship athletes and national-level players. South Bend's tennis scene draws on the Notre Dame coaching orbit -- the Fighting Irish coaching staff runs the long-running Wilson Collegiate Tennis Camp on the Notre Dame campus each summer for players ages 9-18, covering technique, fundamentals, tactics, and competitive skills in both day and overnight formats.
High School Tennis in Northern Indiana
High school tennis in Indiana is governed by the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) under a single-class state tournament format -- all schools compete for the same title regardless of size. In Indiana, boys tennis is a fall sport and girls tennis is a spring sport. The region's strongest programs cluster around Fort Wayne and the South Bend / Mishawaka corridor. In Fort Wayne, ten schools compete in the Summit Athletic Conference (SAC); Carroll and Homestead joined the SAC in 2015 after the smaller schools left the Northeast Eight Conference. In Michiana, thirteen schools compete in the Northern Indiana Conference (NIC), and Elkhart County schools compete in the Northern Lakes Conference (NLC).
Fort Wayne Area
- Homestead Spartans (Fort Wayne) -- IHSAA, SAC -- One of Northern Indiana's most consistent tennis powerhouses; regular state tournament qualifier in both boys and girls.
- Carroll Chargers (Fort Wayne) -- IHSAA, SAC -- Strong Allen County suburban program (Northwest Allen County Schools); joined SAC in 2015 after the Northeast Eight Conference reorganization.
- Fort Wayne Canterbury (Fort Wayne) -- IHSAA, Independent -- Small private school; historically competitive tennis program.
- Bishop Luers Knights (Fort Wayne) -- IHSAA, SAC -- Catholic private school with active boys and girls tennis.
- Bishop Dwenger Saints (Fort Wayne) -- IHSAA, SAC -- Catholic private school; perennial SAC athletic leader.
- Fort Wayne Snider (Fort Wayne) -- IHSAA, SAC -- Large public school on the north side of Fort Wayne.
- Fort Wayne Northrop (Fort Wayne) -- IHSAA, SAC -- Public school; regular SAC tennis competitor.
- Concordia Lutheran Cadets (Fort Wayne) -- IHSAA, SAC -- Lutheran private school; active tennis program.
- Fort Wayne South Side / Wayne / North Side (Fort Wayne) -- IHSAA, SAC -- Core Fort Wayne Community Schools public programs.
South Bend / Mishawaka / Michiana
- Penn Kingsmen (Mishawaka) -- IHSAA, NIC -- Consistent state tournament contender on both boys and girls sides.
- South Bend Adams Eagles (South Bend) -- IHSAA, NIC -- Longtime NIC tennis program.
- South Bend Saint Joseph Indians (South Bend) -- IHSAA, NIC -- Private Catholic school with competitive tennis; 2024-25 boys team reached state finals.
- South Bend Riley Wildcats (South Bend) -- IHSAA, NIC -- South Bend Community School Corporation public program.
- Mishawaka Marian Knights (Mishawaka) -- IHSAA, NIC -- Private Catholic school; full NIC member.
- Concord Minutemen (Elkhart) -- IHSAA, NLC -- Elkhart County program in the Northern Lakes Conference.
- Goshen RedHawks (Goshen) -- IHSAA, NLC -- Elkhart County public school.
- NorthWood Panthers (Nappanee) -- IHSAA, NLC -- Elkhart County small-school competitor.
Governing Body:
IHSAA Tennis -- boys tennis (fall) and girls tennis (spring), single-class state tournament.
Collegiate Tennis in Northern Indiana
Notre Dame's Fighting Irish -- playing out of one of the country's most decorated collegiate indoor tennis facilities -- headline Northern Indiana's college tennis scene. Indiana Tech's Warriors add NAIA-level competition in Fort Wayne.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN · D-I
ACC
NCAA Division I, Atlantic Coast Conference (since 2013). Both men's and women's tennis active. Men's head coach Ryan Sachire (Callaghan Family Head Men's Tennis Coach; 7th head coach in the program's 91-year history, in the role since 2013) was a 3x singles All-American at Notre Dame during his playing career. Women's head coach Alison Silverio (8th season in 2025-26) was a 2007 NCAA team champion as a player at Georgia Tech; she led the Irish women to 21-6 overall and 9-3 ACC in 2024-25 -- the most wins of the Silverio era -- and reached the program's third consecutive NCAA Tournament. Silverio notched her 100th career ND win in April 2025. Home: the Eck Tennis Pavilion (6 indoor, 1988 USTA architectural award) and Courtney Tennis Center (14 outdoor). Free admission to all home matches.
Indiana Tech
Fort Wayne, IN · NAIA
WHAC
NAIA member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) since 1998-99. Both men's and women's tennis active. Private university in Fort Wayne with 11 men's and 11 women's varsity teams total. Home matches at Wildwood Racquet Club on Hadley Road.
Note: Purdue Fort Wayne (the former IPFW Mastodons) discontinued both varsity tennis programs at the end of the 2014-15 academic year during the IPFW reorganization. The Dr. Rudy & Rhonda Kachmann Tennis Center on the PFW campus -- built in 1999, resurfaced in 2006, and dedicated to its donors in April 2008 -- remains open as a community facility with 6 outdoor lighted courts.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennis in Northern Indiana
What are the best tennis facilities in South Bend and Fort Wayne? +
In South Bend/Mishawaka: the Eck Tennis Pavilion at Notre Dame (6 indoor Laykold courts, 1988 USTA Architectural Award) and adjacent Courtney Tennis Center (14 outdoor Laykold courts, opened 1967); plus the South Bend Racquet Club in Mishawaka (8 indoor + 5 pickleball + 1 racquetball at 4122 Hickory Rd). In Fort Wayne: Wildwood Racquet + Wellness Club at 508 N Hadley Road (10 indoor, 4 outdoor tennis, 6 indoor + 8 outdoor pickleball since 1972), private Fort Wayne Country Club (first outdoor padel court in Indiana), and the Kachmann Tennis Center on the Purdue Fort Wayne campus (6 outdoor lighted courts).
What makes Notre Dame's Eck Tennis Pavilion special? +
The Eck Tennis Pavilion, dedicated in June 1987 and designed by Borger, Jones, Leedy, is one of the most decorated collegiate indoor tennis facilities in the country. The facility houses 6 indoor Laykold hard courts and was underwritten by Franklin E. Eck (Notre Dame '44). It received the 1988 USTA Award for architectural design, with an inscription recognizing it displayed in the lobby of the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, New York. Together with the adjacent Courtney Tennis Center (14 outdoor Laykold courts, opened 1967), Notre Dame has hosted NCAA action on 18 occasions, including the NCAA Men's Championship (1971, 1994), NCAA Women's Championship (1998), and multiple ITA Midwest Regional Championships.
Does Notre Dame have active tennis programs? +
Yes. The Fighting Irish sponsor both men's and women's tennis at the NCAA Division I level in the ACC (since 2013). Men's HC Ryan Sachire (Callaghan Family Head Coach, 3x singles All-American at ND, in the role since 2013). Women's HC Alison Silverio (8th season in 2025-26, 2007 NCAA team champion as a player at Georgia Tech). Silverio's women finished 21-6 overall with 9 ACC wins in 2024-25 -- the best of her era -- and reached their third consecutive NCAA Tournament. All home matches are free admission.
Is Wildwood the biggest tennis facility in Fort Wayne? +
Yes. Wildwood Racquet + Wellness Club at 508 N Hadley Road, founded in November 1972, is Fort Wayne's largest indoor tennis facility: 10 resurfaced indoor tennis courts, 4 outdoor hard tennis courts, 6 dedicated indoor pickleball courts, and 8 outdoor pickleball courts. Amenities include a fitness center, Courtside Bar, on-site stringing, and childcare. Wildwood is also the home facility of Indiana Tech Warriors tennis. The club was acquired in January 2024 by Josh Rifkin, a Fort Wayne native and Ithaca College All-American who grew up in Wildwood's junior programs.
Does Purdue Fort Wayne have a tennis program? +
No. Purdue Fort Wayne discontinued both men's and women's varsity tennis at the end of 2014-15 during the IPFW reorganization. Before discontinuation, the Mastodons won Summit League men's regular-season titles in 2012 and women's titles in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013, plus women's tournament titles in 2010, 2011, and 2013. The Dr. Rudy & Rhonda Kachmann Tennis Center (6 outdoor lighted courts, built 1999 and dedicated in April 2008) on the PFW campus remains open as a community facility. Indiana Tech continues to field both men's and women's varsity tennis, playing home matches at Wildwood Racquet Club.
Where is the first padel court in Indiana? +
Fort Wayne Country Club is installing Indiana's first outdoor padel court, converting the north half of its Tennis Court 3. Padel is an enclosed-court paddle sport typically played with glass walls and wire mesh, and it is currently the fastest-growing racquet sport in the world.
Does Northern Indiana offer USTA leagues? +
Yes. USTA league and tournament play runs through the
USTA Midwest Section (headquartered in Indianapolis). South Bend Racquet Club hosts multiple USTA events each year including junior tournaments and adult league matches. In Fort Wayne, Wildwood runs USTA leagues and junior team tennis, and Fort Wayne Country Club hosts USTA Team Tennis for members. Find
doubles leagues and
match play through
Tennis Circuits®.
Are the clubs listed affiliated with Tennis Circuits®? +
