Benicia High’s girls tennis team dropped its first game of the season but still cruised to an 8-1 victory over visiting Fairfield last Thursday.
Benicia No. 1 singles player Michelle Li missed the match due to soccer practice in Sacramento, so sophomore No. 2 Lily Hayward filled in at the top spot. Hayward put up a good fight against Fairfield’s Linda Stybnarova but ended up losing to the Czech Republic foreign exchange student, 6-3, 6-1.
“Power and accuracy from Stybnarova proved too much for Lily,” said Benicia tennis coach Lisa Burton. “It was a great match to watch showcasing the intensity of girls tennis in Solano County.”
The Lady Panthers (6-0) followed their regular script the rest of the day. Madeline Beyer (No. 3) and Melanie Fisher (No. 4) each won 6-0, 6-0. Sam Beyer was a 6-1, 6-2 winner in No. 2 singles, Nicole Go won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5, and Katie Steinman won her singles debut, 6-2, 6-3.
Katie Voss and Gabriella Traver won 6-0, 6-1 in No. 1 doubles. Adeline Morley and Madison Lammert cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 victory, while Milagros Esmerode and Megan Klein won by default.
Benicia hosts Vallejo on Tuesday.