Playing doubles together for the first time this season, Benicia’s Michelle Li and Samantha Beyer swept through their bracket en route to a Solano County Athletic Conference championship Wednesday at the Millennium Club in Vacaville.
Li and Beyer ended up facing off against Lady Panther teammates Katie Voss and Gabriella Traver in the finals. Voss and Traver were Benicia’s No. 1 doubles team throughout the regular season and beat teammates Melanie Fisher and Madeline Beyer, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), (10-6), to reach the finals.
In one of the best matches of the tournament, Li and Beyer outlasted Voss and Traver for a 6-2, 5-7, 10-2 victory.
“It was awesome tennis,” said Benicia head coach Lisa Burton. “They all made some amazing shots. They felt comfortable playing each other and there was no tension. They were just out there making shots with some incredible rallies.”
Li and Beyer, along with Voss and Traver, advanced as doubles teams to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II Individual Tournament, which begins Nov. 6 at Johnson Ranch Racquet Club in Roseville.
Benicia sophomore Lily Hayward, seeded fourth in the SCAC Singles Tournament, beat No. 1 seed Linda Stybnarova of Fairfield in Tuesday’s semifinals to reach Wednesday’s finals. Hayward put up a good fight against defending singles champion Kiwi McDaniel of Vanden, but McDaniel pulled out a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory.
“I didn’t expect Lily to do as well as she did, but her tennis is getting a lot stronger,” Burton said. “Beating Linda was kind of a breakout match for her. She played really well under pressure. It’s exciting to have a sophomore who is so strong already.”
Hayward and McDaniel also advanced to the Division II Individual Tournament.
Benicia as a team will host either Valley or Cosumnes Oaks in the quarterfinals of the Section Team Tournament on Tuesday.
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