Local mother-daughter duo ranked nationally

Carson High teacher Linda Hixenbaugh can say something that not to many other daughters can claim: Being nationally ranked with their 70-year-old mother.

Hixenbaugh, a biology teacher at CHS, and her mother, Peggy Lucero, placed in the top three in two different divisions at the United States Tennis Association's Mother-Daughter Indoor Tournament in Vancouver, Wash.

In divisions determined by the mother's age, the duo took third in the Super Senior Division for 70 and over and second in the Senior Division for 60 and over. Players ranging from ages 12 to 75 participated in the event. "It's just neat to be able to play with my mom when she's 70," Hixenbaugh said.

With their finishes in each division, respectively, the duo are now ranked second and third in the nation. To keep their ranking they must play at least one more of three USTA events later this year: A hard court event in Texas, a grass court event in Rhode Island and a clay court event in Florida. Hixenbaugh said she and her mother plan to play in at least one of those events.

In the Super Senior Division, Hixenbaugh and her mother lost in the semifinals to the No. 1 seeded team that went on to win the title 4-6, 6-4, 4-6.

Hixenbaugh's mother was a tennis pro at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club and played professionally. Hixenbaugh also coached at the Air Force base in Torrance, Calif., and coached boys and girls tennis for eight years during the late 1980s and early 1990s at CHS.