-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Lauren Gibb of St. Edmond compete against Webster City Joslin Gourley on Tuesday at Butler Courts

The St. Edmond girls got their season off to a strong start here Tuesday afternoon.

After suffering a loss in dual action the Webster City last year, the Gaels earned an 8-1 victory over the Lynx this time around.

Newcomer Manuela Rodriguez got things rolling for St. Edmond, earning a victory at the No. 1 singles spot, 8-1. The freshman also paired up with Lauren Gibb to secure a win at No. 1 doubles in a super tiebreaker.

Gibb followed with an 8-1 victory at the No. 2 singles position, with Anna Kolacia, Katie Flaherty, Cambree Lunn and Payton Bradley also earning wins in singles.

Kolacia and Flaherty scored a doubles victory, while Lunn and Bradley dropped a super tiebreaker in doubles.

“It was a great first meet,” SEHS head coach Shawn Neverman said. “I thought that we played great in singles, but we showed some inconsistencies in doubles.

“That is something we can work on and develop as the season progresses.”

The Gaels lead the series 6-3 over the last nine matches played between the two.

St. Edmond returns to the courts on Monday when they host Storm Lake, while Webster City welcomes in North Polk the same day.

These two teams will gather in May for the North Central Conference Tournament, hosted by St. Edmond on May 3 at Dodger Courts.

Earning junior varsity wins for the Gaels were doubles teams of Ava Andrew and Ava Underberg, Maggie Flaherty and Sophia Dutcher, Maddy Cripe and Ella Mundie, and Delaney O’Connor and Hadley Oswald.