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AFCEA Staff Brings Conviction to the Pickleball Court

After more than a year of planning, AFCEA’s passionate pickleball players battle it out on the courts.

AFCEA's pickleball duos congratulate each other on a well-played match on May 7, 2025, at Club Volo in Baltimore.

Instead of turning in for the evening after a successful day of TechNet Cyber 2025 operations, some AFCEA staff members ventured out to Club Volo in Baltimore for a highly anticipated pickleball showdown.

Howard Wahlberg, senior director of marketing, was set to square off against Mikayla Lyles, manager of events and industry programs, and Lauren May, events coordinator.

After learning of their shared enthusiasm for pickleball, Lyles and Wahlberg started talking about some friendly competition more than a year ago. With the addition of May and the support of AFCEA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Susan S. Lawrence, USA (Ret.), the idea came to fruition at Club Volo’s outdoor courts in Canton, a Baltimore neighborhood.

To prepare for the matchup, Wahlberg shared that he had been practicing his skills, hitting the gym and properly stretching his muscles.

“I'm an actor, too, so it's like waiting backstage,” Wahlberg said during pregame warmups. “And then once I get out there, I’m gonna feel great, gonna feel super and gonna be ready to go.”

Wahlberg was paired with one of Lyles’ friends, Tori Doyle, who said she plays pickleball every Wednesday with her team in Baltimore.

While Wahlberg and Doyle were meeting for the first time, May and Lyles said they had played casually together before. However, this would be their first time playing competitively side by side.

The tournament was best of five, and the Wahlberg-Doyle duo was first to serve.

Lyles and May, with their matching hot-pink shirts and black shorts, came out of the gate strong. Lyles put some spin on the ball, and May showcased her quick feet and killer backhand swing.

Wahlberg and Doyle put up a good fight in the first set, but it seemed as though Wahlberg hadn’t tapped into his inner strength quite yet.

After a quick water break between sets, Wahlberg put his energy into professional tennis-like grunts that helped propel his team to tie up the score 8-8 in the second set.

Lyles and May had to kick their defensive strategy into high gear, and they delivered, winning the second set by a small margin.

Mikayla Lyles leaps to spike the ball with partner Lauren May behind to assist.

Howard Wahlberg and Tori Doyle celebrate after scoring a point.

AFCEA's Alisha Colón (l) and Sandra Jontz (r) cheer on their coworkers during AFCEA's first pickleball tournament on May 7, 2025.

Emotions were high going into the third set. The swings got more aggressive on both sides of the net, and the volleys went on longer. Neither team was slowing down. Several AFCEA coworkers showed up to support the teams, cheering them on with handmade signs on the sidelines.

It all came down to lethal spikes from Lyles and precise back corner placement from May that secured them the victory. The last set ended 11-8, and the Lyles-May duo had successfully shut out their opponents 3-0.

“No excuses. We got outplayed. They're very good, very sharp,” Wahlberg said postgame. “They're great at the baseline and great at the kitchen line as well.”

Lyles and May attributed their win to keeping control in the windy conditions.

“You could over hit it sometimes,” Lyles said.

Despite the loss, Wahlberg said he would play with Lyles and May again in a heartbeat.

Who knows . . . the pickleball tournament could just turn into a yearly AFCEA tradition.