Benicia High’s girls tennis team tightened its grip on the Solano County Athletic Conference with a 9-0 sweep at Vanden on Tuesday.

Melanie Fisher moved up to No. 1 singles and didn’t disappoint, winning 6-4, 6-2 as Benicia improved to 6-0 in the SCAC.

“Vanden tried everything to disrupt our hitting rhythm and time on the court,” said Benicia head coach Lisa Burton. “Melanie faced every chip shot possible from short court to deep, but in the end out-powered her opponent with smoking shots down the line.”

Lily Hayward was battling a cold and dropped down to No. 2 singles but still came away with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory to remain unbeaten this season. Madeline Beyer rallied back from an early loss in No. 3 singles and won 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.

“Lily got more lob balls than she has seen in a while and prevailed with patience, as did Madeline,” Burton said.

Emily Jewik, who returned after missing three weeks with a foot injury, won 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4 singles. Madison Lammert cruised in No. 5 singles, winning 6-2, 6-0. Kaitlyn Tang was a 6-0, 6-2 winner in No. 6 singles.

Benicia’s doubles teams helped complete the sweep. Katie Voss and Mariah McNally won 6-0, 6-1 in No. 1 doubles. Kati Steineman and Neha Yadav got off to a slow start in No. 2 doubles but rallied for a 3-6, 6-1, 10-8 victory. Sam Pacheco and Viva Traver were 6-2, 6-2 winners in No. 3 doubles.

“All three of our doubles teams keep improving on all fronts,” Burton said.

Vanden was the last team to beat Benicia in SCAC competition way back on Oct. 11, 2012. The Lady Panthers have won 53 straight SCAC matches and have never lost a conference match since Burton became head coach in 2014.

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