Even though the atmosphere in Warren Central’s gym was relaxed Thursday night, the level of competition was at a fever pitch.

Warren Central’s volleyball team split into two squads for an intrasquad scrimmage to cap off their summer practice schedule. The away team took the final set 15-9 to win the match 3-2, and provide coaches with everything they hoped to see — hustle, hard work, improvement and some competition.

“I told myself I wanted this to go five sets with how evenly matched the teams are,” Warren Central coach Matthew Gullett said with a laugh. “It just shows how talented our team is and that makes me feel good about myself.”

Six junior varsity players participated in the scrimmage with the varsity and got some much-needed playing time. Assistant coach Jeff Pilgrim said mixing the younger and older players provided plenty of benefits.

“It’s good to build team chemistry, especially with the younger players,” Pilgrim said. “It also helps move the players around to play in positions they aren’t used to playing. This helped tremendously.”

With every scrimmage, there come errors and this one was no exception. The coaching staff expected that and liked to see players make mistakes and build off them. Gullett preached to his players during timeouts to keep the hustle going and work on their form.

The Lady Vikes’ energy diminished as the long match wore on, but Gullett said that would be beneficial down the road as well.

“A match going that long does wonders for us,” Gullett said. “We got a little tired towards the end, but some of that comes from the adrenaline wearing off. I was really proud of the effort all around.”

Besides working on their skills, the scrimmage provided each player with an opportunity to work on their roles on the court. If they weren’t as proficient at one job, Gullett said the scrimmage might reveal another they’re well-suited for.

“It gives us exposure to let us see girls that might show skills that we didn’t know they had,” Gullett said. “It’s good to see where we’re at and it was fun for everyone.”

At the end of the night, Gullett added, the team got exactly what it needed and wanted out of the primetime workout. The season begins in about a month, on Aug. 7 at Ridgeland, and the Lady Vikes will be pursuing the first playoff berth in the five-year history of the program.

“I was overall very happy with what I saw,” Gullett said. “Both teams I thought were very evenly matched. The teams were very even and it was a successful night for us.”