TENNIS / WENDY WITHERSPOON : They All Love Lucy at College of Desert

Lucy Dettmer had a significant edge over most of her junior college opponents this season--about 50 years.

Dettmer, a 74-year-old grandmother of six, is the No. 2 singles player for College of the Desert. Although her age makes her an unlikely candidate for junior college tennis, she was undefeated in singles and doubles in Foothill Conference play this season.

Dettmer is the reigning 70-and-over hard-court national champion, and what she lacks in strength against players less than one-third her age, she makes up for in experience.

“I can usually figure out their weak spot, and I play it right to the hilt,” she said.

Dettmer, who lost in the second round of the community college doubles division of the Ojai Valley tournament on Friday, has been besieged by reporters of late.

Once her story appeared in a local newspaper in Palm Desert, fans packed the stands at Desert’s matches to watch her play.

Dettmer had only one question:

“What’s the big deal?”

Dettmer and her husband of 53 years, Phil, are avid outdoor enthusiasts. They have lived all over the world because of Phil’s job as a mining engineer and never found a mountain too big for hiking. They enjoy downhill skiing and served as wilderness rangers for several seasons in the San Jacinto Mountains. Their three children, who range in age from 37 to 45, were mildly concerned when the Dettmers bought motorcycles several years ago. The motorcycles have been sold--after about 20,000 miles in trips, Lucy didn’t want to push her luck any further. But the way the Dettmers see it, life’s just beginning to get exciting.

“Our calendar seems more full now than when we were raising our kids and I was working,” Phil said.

Much of their time the last three years has been spent traveling around the country to tennis tournaments. While Lucy plays, Phil attends to details such as accommodations and fielding press calls--”She supported me in all my adventures,” he said, explaining that he’s gladly returning the favor.

Lucy says she is looking forward to playing in the 75-and-over age group next season.

Coach Craig Hays, 40, found Dettmer when he was looking for players at local clubs to fill his roster. He hoped she could refer any players to him.

She surprised him by telling him she was interested.

“I thought, ‘Well, gee, why not? It’s a new challenge, perhaps I can get better,’ ” Dettmer said. “I didn’t know if they would blow me off the court.”

They didn’t.

“It took me all of five minutes to realize she could play,” Hays said.

Dettmer’s teammates include several women who have gone back to school in their later years, including Judy Carnevale, 50, who was Dettmer’s doubles partner for most of the season.

Dettmer is eligible because she never played athletics in college, so the NCAA’s eligibility clock never started ticking.

“She’s there every day, always on time,” said Hays, who makes no special amendments to his grueling, two-hour workout for Dettmer. “I think she missed one practice this year because I told her that I wanted her to take the day off.”

And there are other advantages to coaching a player such as Dettmer, who travels with Phil to the team’s away matches.

“I don’t have to worry about her sneaking a boyfriend into the rooms when we’re on the road,” Hays said.

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After much ado, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Andre Agassi’s hometown, was selected this week as the site for the United States’ match with Sweden in the Davis Cup semifinals in September.

The United States Tennis Assn. was supposed to name a site 15 days after Agassi and Pete Sampras led the United States to a 5-0 victory over Italy, in the quarterfinals at Palermo, Sicily, April 2. The International Tennis Federation granted the USTA an extension until April 25, and the USTA finally made its announcement on April 27.

“(Ceasars Palace) made a very attractive offer to the USTA,” said Russ Cline, who will serve as a local organizer, “and secondly, there was a feeling that this would be a good place to put the event, with a lot of glitz and glamour.”