MOULTRIE — The Tift County girls tennis team had changed its lineup since it last met Colquitt County and may have hoped to turn the tables on the Lady Packers, who won the last meeting between the two Region 1-AAAAA foes, 3-2, in the season opener.

But the Lady Packers never wavered, getting wins at No. 3 singles and at both doubles for another 3-2 win on Tuesday in Tifton that raises their region record to 6-1.

Their only region loss was at Warner Robins. The Demonettes come to Moultrie for a return engagement on March 30.

Colquitt’s boys were close to pulling off a sweep, but let the Blue Devils slip away with a 3-2 win.

“Tift was even stronger,” Lady Packers coach Linda Berl said. “Both their doubles were stronger.”

Tift won at No. 1 singles, where Stacy Perlis won over Cara McCalley 6-1, 6-1, and at No. 2 singles, where Rachel Cohen defeated Carli Hester 6-3, 6-0.

But Laura Murphy got the Lady Packers a point at No. 3 singles with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Emily Walker.

The doubles matches were close, but the Lady Packers never had to go to three sets.

Jessica Harvin and Savanna Lamon got the deciding point at No. 1 doubles with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Kensy Truman and Leah Lamb.

Harvin and Lamon were down early in the first set, but rallied to win.

At No. 1 doubles, Kate Reeves and Alexa Isaacs won over Lindsay Ellis and Lauren Lindsey 6-1, 7-6(9-7).

“They steamrolled the first set,” Berl said of Reeves and Isaacs, who then hung on to beat the more experienced Lady Devils in the second.

Colquitt’s girls will play in the Bainbridge Invitational this weekend, but will try to complete a sweep of Coffee when they travel to Douglas on Tuesday.

The Lady Packers beat the Lady Trojans 4-1 in Moultrie.

A chance for at least a share of the region championship will come when Warner Robins visits the Jim Buck Goff Recreation Complex on March 30.

The Colquitt County boys opened their 2007 season with a 3-2 win over Tift County back on Feb. 22.

But the Blue Devils turned the tables at home on Tuesday.

The Packers won quickly at No. 1 doubles, where Zach Owen and Chris Harvin defeated Caleb Tillman and Grant Crane 6-3, 6-2.

Austin York lost 2-6, 0-6, to Billy Griffin at No. 1 singles, but while at 1-1, the Packers had won the first sets at No. 2 doubles, No. 2 singles and No. 3 singles.

But only Shaun Soderstrom at No. 3 singles went on to win, defeating Daniel Gibson 6-4, 6-4.

Blake Jenkins, the freshman playing No. 2 singles, beat Matt Hughes 7-6(7-3) in the first set, but lost the next two 2-6, 0-6.

And at No. 2 doubles, Barclay Mitchell and Zach Clifton won their first set over David McAllister and Curt Willis 6-3, but then lost 5-7, 1-6.

“It looked promising for a while,” Packes coach Grant Hammack said. “The kids have got to learn how to close the deal when they have the chance.

“We’ve got to learn that when we get up, we can’t relax.”

Hammack said he expects Tuesday match at Coffee to be another difficult one for his young team.

“We’re getting better,” he said. “We’ve just got to fight through these things.”

In extra boys matches, Christian Edwards won 8-0; Morgan Castellow and Stephen Tyus lost 5-8; and Parker White and Lee Veasey lost 6-8.

Both the Lady Packers and Packers could go up against Tift County again in non-region matches in the Bainbridge Invitational, which will be played Friday and Saturday.