JESSICA BLAKEMAN returns for her senior year after leading the Lady Panthers with 268 kills last season.

Benicia High’s varsity volleyball team has owned the Solano County Athletic Conference in recent years, winning five straight SCAC championships. Several key members are back from a team that went 14-1 in SCAC play last year and made it to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs.

Leading the way are senior outside hitter Jessica Blakeman and senior libero Ramona Glatzel. Both players were All-SCAC First Team selections last season, with Blakeman leading the Lady Panthers in kills (268) and Glatzel leading in digs and serve receiving.

“We hope to see Jessica go out with a bang and show some great senior leadership for us this year,” said Benicia head coach Jamie Hadenfeldt. “And Ramona is a great defensive player for us and a great passer. Between the two of them, they bring a lot of heart and energy to the team.”

Two other key returning players are juniors Emily Maher and Karah Fisher. Maher, an opposite hitter, had 95 kills last season while Fisher led the Lady Panthers in aces and assists.

“I think they’ll be a little more comfortable this year and hopefully we’ll see some strong things from them,” Hadenfeldt said.

Other key returning veterans include seniors Taylor Lewis (a four-year varsity player), Darian Dudley and Semele Hargis, and junior setter Natalie Sluga. All four will play much bigger roles in 2016, with Sluga joining Fisher on the court when Benicia goes to a two-setter lineup.

The Lady Panthers must replace their two top middle blockers from last season and are counting on junior Kyianna Collins to fill the void. Collins was pulled up from the junior varsity for the SJS playoffs last season and had five blocks in a Foundation Game victory at Napa on Monday, Aug. 29.

“She doesn’t have a lot of training but she’s tall and athletic and has a ton of energy,” Hadenfeldt said of Collins. “Volleyball is a sport of size and we’re thankful to have some size up front. We’re hoping she can continue to be a physical presence for us in the middle.”

There’s a whole new generation of Lady Panthers on the 2016 squad. Freshman Sara McBride, an outside hitter who had 11 kills and 10 digs against Napa, is the younger sister of former Lady Panther volleyball player Shannon McBride. Junior libero Joy Fukushima, promoted from the JVs, is the younger sister of Eden Fukushima, a former All-SCAC volleyball player who graduated from Benicia in 2015. Freshman Reagan Lewis is the younger sister of senior starter Taylor Lewis and is a middle blocker.

Sophomore Amanda Ajari got a late call-up to varsity last season and is a back-up setter this year.

Benicia got off to a slow start at Monday’s Foundation Game but took over late in a 22-25, 25-19, 25-10, 25-8 victory. Blakeman led the way with 15 kills and 10 digs. Maher had 13 kills, Glatzel had 13 digs and Fisher added 24 assists.

“We were a little bit nervous in the first set but we were able to find some consistency and take control of the match,” Hadenfeldt said. “We did a really good job of passing and serving and keeping the ball in play.”

Benicia’s home opener is Wednesday, Sept. 7 against Albany.

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