MADELINE BEYER swept her way to a 6-0, 6-0 victory in No. 3 singles against American Canyon.

Benicia High’s girls tennis team continued its strong start to the season with a 7-2 victory over host American Canyon on Tuesday.

The Lady Panthers won each of the top-five singles matches and the final two doubles matches to improve to 2-0 in the Solano County Athletic Conference. It was the 49th straight SCAC victory for Benicia, which hasn’t lost since Oct. 11, 2012.

“We played steady, consistent tennis against American Canyon,” said Benicia tennis coach Lisa Burton. “The scores don’t reflect how close some of the games were, going to deuce often.”

Lily Hayward was pushed to the limit by American Canyon’s Yanci Yanez in No. 1 singles. Hayward won the first set, 6-4, and led 6-5 in the second set before Yanez retired with Hayward leading 40-30.

“Lily was on the attack in the second set and coming back when Yanci retired from injury at match point,” Burton said.

Madison Lammert and Kaitlyn Tang were also tested but came out on top. Lammert won 6-3, 6-3 at No. 4 singles while Tang won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 5. Melanie Fisher and Madeline Beyer cruised in their singles matches, with Fisher winning 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 and Beyer sweeping to a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 3.

Kati Steineman and Neha Yadav teamed up for a 7-5, 6-1 victory in No. 2 doubles. Sam Pacheco and Viva Traver were 6-4, 6-4 winners in No. 3 doubles.

“The practice that some of these players put in this summer is evident in our winners,” Burton said. “Our No. 2 doubles team dug in their heels, changing diagonal shots and better volleys to win the first set and take the second. No. 3 doubles began covering the court from lob balls and getting more balls back to the deeper player to secure the final winning match.”

The Lady Panthers play at Bethel on Thursday.

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