by MARK CAUL
The Lehman mixed-doubles team of John Martin and Penelope Kittel will participate in the Class 4A UIL state tennis tournament, beginning May 10 in Lakeway. (Photo by Gerald Castillo)
For the second consecutive season, Orlando DeLaFuente will be coaching at the state tennis tournament.
The fifth-year Lehman head tennis coach will once again have a pair of athletes compete at the state meet which will be played at the Lakeway Tennis Complex.
The unranked mixed doubles pair of John Martin and Penelope Kittel ran off three straight victories at the Class 4A Region III tournament, including an impressive win over the top seed from Livingston 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Although a loss in the finals kept them from capturing the regional title, DeLaFuente believes the pair was on a mission from the outset.
“Pene and John played amazing and deserve to be going to the state tournament,” DeLaFuente said. “For them, it is an amazing accomplishment and it couldn’t have happened to a better pair of kids.”
Both Martin and Kittel have been mainstays of the Lehman tennis program since they were freshmen.
The Martin/Kittel duo dominated No. 4 seed Texas City 6-4, 6-4 in the first round before going on to defeat No. 6 seed Foster 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
“We went into the seeding meeting thinking our strength of schedule would be enough to get a seed and some protection for at least one round but it just didn’t happen,” said DeLaFuente. “The kids took that as a sign of disrespect and played their best tennis of the year which made the result even sweeter.”
Meanwhile, Adolfo Gonzalez, the odds-on favorite to defend his boys singles regional title, was forced to retire in the semifinal round because of back pain that plagued him the entire tournament.
“Adolfo just had a bad day and it’s too bad because we we were fully expecting him to get back to state,” DeLaFuente said. “Unfortunately, his back began to bother him and he just could not find a rhythm. But I told him what he accomplished last year made this year possible. He made us believe it can happen. He is just a sophomore and I predict will be stronger than ever next year.”
Sophomore Desiree Kittel who bowed out in last year’s regional girls singles final, was eliminated in the quarterfinals in three sets although she was a match point away from advancing.
“The timing just wasn’t right for Desiree this season,” said DeLaFuente. “She is a very talented player and I know she’ll make another run next season since the top four seeds in her draw were all seniors.”
The state tennis tournament will be held on May 10-11 at the World of Tennis at Lakeway.
