KAUFMAN, Texas — The Kaufman High School varsity tennis team has once again won their way to the semifinal match of the UIL 4A Team Tennis state tournament. The Lions will take on Hereford at the Hamilton Court Tennis Center in Wichita Falls on Friday morning.
With a season of 22-2 and making their third appearance at the state tournament since 2015 among a host of other accomplishments, Lion tennis has built a reputation as one of the area’s powerhouse programs.
Coach Michael Lott, Kaufman’s head tennis coach for the past 6 years, says that his program is consistently working to make an appearance at the state tournament.
“Every year, we talk about being at the state tournament, and how important it is to maintain that standard and legacy of Kaufman Tennis. We knew going into the season that we had an opportunity for the state tournament because our team was deep on both sides,” Lott tells inForney.com “On the girls side, we had four senior girls that have been on varsity for all four years. That level of experience is huge when it comes to big matches. Likewise, our boys' side is equally as impressive.”
Under Lott's leadership, the Lions have a 128-28 record, won 6 district championships and 3 regional championships. In 2016 Lion Tennis received the silver medal at the state tournament after winning the bronze the year before.
Ranked as one of the top 4A area teams during the preseason, the Lions have faced some tough competition throughout the bracket defeating Lindale (10-6) in the quarterfinals and Anna (10-2) in the regional semifinals. This past Friday, the Lions defeated Wills Point during the regional finals held at Forney High School.
However, Lott is taking nothing for granted.
“Region 1 and 4 appear to be the toughest regions in class 4A so we will certainly have our hands full on Friday against Hereford. However, I believe our kids are up for the task. Anything is possible at this stage,” Lott says.
Other Kaufman county teams in both 4A and 5A tournament brackets were all eliminated during the first round.
“So far, they have improved tremendously over the course of a season. More importantly, these young men and women are fun to coach,” Lott says. “They compete at the highest level and demonstrate that day in and day out.”
