On Monday, April 13, 2026, the DEA girls’ tennis team delivered an impressive performance at the Region 4A Tennis Tournament held at East Georgia State College, highlighted by strong individual play and a team championship victory.
In singles competition, Lyla Martin led the way for the Lady Eagles. She opened the tournament with an 8-2 win over Julia Mariviglia (JHA), followed by an 8-3 quarterfinal victory against Emma Wilson (JHA). Martin’s run came to an end in the semifinals with a 2-6, 1-6 loss to Grace Douthit (CA). She finished in 4th place after falling 2-8 to Mallory Webster (JHA) in the consolation match.
Aubrey Scott also had a solid start, defeating Avery Beasley (TJA) 8-1 in the opening round before being defeated in the quarterfinals 1-8 by Grace Douthit (CA). Emily McRae competed well but was edged out in the quarterfinals by Grace Cook (CA) 5-8.
In doubles action, Sydney Lively and Kate Yeomans advanced with an 8-3 quarterfinal win over Suzanna Foskey and Lucie Wilcox (CA). They were defeated in the semifinals by Chelsey Miller and Caroline McNeely (TJA) 5-7, 2-6 and went on to finish 4th after a close 7-9 loss to Braylie Guy and Addie McClellan (TJA) in the consolation match.
Payton Peebles and Kaley Flowers had an outstanding tournament run. They dominated their quarterfinal match with an 8-0 victory over Ava Gale and Jordan Pruitt (CA), then advanced to the finals with a 6-1, 6-1 semifinal win against Braylie Guy and Addie McClellan (TJA). In a hard-fought championship match, Peebles and Flowers split sets with Caroline McNeely and Chelsey Miller (TJA) 4-6, 7-5 before narrowly falling 8-10 in the deciding tiebreaker to finish as runners-up.
Flowers and Peebles were named to the 2026 Region 4A All-Region Team and will compete in the state individual tournament on April 20-21 in Macon.
As a team, the Lady Eagles capped off the day by securing the Region 4A Team Championship. They will return to Macon to compete in the State Team Tennis Tournament on April 28-29.
Team members are Lyla Martin, Emily McRae, Aubrey Scott, Kaley Flowers, Payton Peebles, Sydney Lively, Kate Yeomans, Rayleigh Faircloth, Claire Metcalf and Addalyn Terwilliger.
