Michael Lippe and the rest of the Lehman team tennis squad have their sights set on the district tournament. The Lobos have regular season matches remaining against Alamo Heights and Clemens. (Photo by Judy Cooper)
by MARK CAUL
Lehman entered the team tennis season with very high expectations with three veterans who have participated in the state meet over the last two years returning to the squad.
But so far 2010 has been a year of near misses and close calls for head coach Orlando DeLaFuente and his Lobos with the district schedule nearly complete.
After a disappointing 1-3 start in district play, the Lobos are just looking to keep their heads above water and play the best possible tennis they can play until the district tournament rolls around in a few weeks.
“This is not very characteristic of us in district play,” DeLaFuente said. “It has definitely been a season of almosts. We have lost a couple of matches that could have gone either way. We could easily be 4-0.”
Lehman has dropped matches to rival Hays (10-8), Canyon (10-8) and Smithson Valley (10-9).
Only a win over Lockhart has kept the Lobos from a winless district campaign.
Adolfo Gonzalez, Desiree Kittel and John Martin are the trio who have competed at the state level and are the leaders of the team this season as well.
Gonzalez fell in the state championship semifinal match as a freshman while the Kittel/Martin team made their foray into the state meet last spring but lost in the quarterfinals.
Lehman has managed to collect a couple of non-district wins over San Antonio Stevens and Seguin over the past few weeks.
Newcomers Olivia Marzullo, Zane Zezulka and Derrick Robertson have added stability to the bottom of the lineup for the Lobos, who finally appear be poised to make a run at the postseason.
“The silver lining is that we are playing much better as a team of late and we still have a chance to win the district tournament,” said DeLaFuente. “I am hoping we can ride that momentum into the last part of the season.”
After squaring off against district leader Alamo Heights, the Lobos will face Schertz Clemens in their final league match before the postseason tournament.
