Van sending two doubles teams to state tennis tournament
Published 7:01 pm Sunday, May 3, 2026
VAN – Van High School is sending two girls doubles teams to the UIL State Tennis Tournament in Class 4A.
Macy Miller and Bella Ward were the Class 4A Region II champions, and Melody Eaves and Meghan Crowley placed third at regionals to earn a state berth.
“The girls really make it easy for me,” Van head tennis coach Rob Feagan said. “They put in extra work outside of school. They come to practice and they work hard. They’ve been together since the fall. Putting them together early got them more experience.
“My job is keeping their mental games good during matches, giving them little hints and tricks along the way. I don’t care if they win, but I just want to see that they don’t get frustrated and they play to the best of their ability. The goal was to get to state. Once you get to state, everything after that is dessert.”
Miller is back at state for the second consecutive year, getting to the second round with Brynlee Garcia.
“It feels pretty good,” Miller said. “I’m glad I made it two years in a row.”
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This year, Miller is joined by Bella Ward.
“It’s for sure been an adjustment,” Miller said. “Every partner you have, it’s an adjustment, but I think we suit each other well on the court.”
“I’ve always played mixed doubles, so girls doubles is definitely an adjustment, but like Macy said, I think we complement each other very well,” Ward said.
The duo dominated at the regional tournament, losing just 10 total games.
Now, they will begin play at the state tournament at 1:45 p.m. on May 7 at the Annemarie Tennis Center in San Antonio.
After receiving a bye, the team of Miller/Ward will face the winner of Seminole’s Addison Armstrong/Melany Vazquez and Bellville’s Chloe Brandt/Summer Anderson.
“The goal is to win as much as we can,” Miller said.
Eaves and Crowley are a new team making their state debut.
Eaves tore a couple of ligaments in her ankle and returned in the second tournament in the spring. Crowley moved to Van this school year after previously going to Kaufman High School.
“It was kind of like an immediate friendship and our bond on the court was really good,” Eaves said. “It just makes everything fun and exciting.”
After dropping a three-set match to a team from Prosper Richland in the semifinals 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, Eaves/Crowley defeated a different Prosper Richland team 6-1, 6-3 to win third place and qualify for state.
“It was really exciting,” Crowley said. “With Melody’s injury, being able to prevail through that and get the opportunity to do it together was really exciting.”
The team of Crowley/Eaves will begin play at 10 a.m. on May 7 at the Annemarie Tennis Center in San Antonio. They will face Tuloso Midway’s Tristen Dowless/Audrey Arango. The winner will advance to face Canyon’s Samantha Melear/Kaylee Melear.