A crosstown rivalry was renewed on the volleyball court Thursday, with Warren Central blowing past Vicksburg to claim early-season bragging rights. The Lady Vikes used powerful service and solid net play to sweep the Missy Gators in three games.

“I’m really proud of our serving. We put a lot of effort into our serving practice this summer. Last year as a team we served 85 percent,” Warren Central head coach Matt Gullett said. “Our first game against Ridgeland we served at 89 percent. Tonight, it’s got to be even higher than that.”

The first game was filled with action as the two teams traded points before a kill by Brittany Craft unknotted the action. Craft then stepped up to the line and served back-to-back aces, giving Warren Central a lead it never relinquished.

In the second game, the Lady Vikes burst out of the gate with a 10-2 lead that set the tone for the rest of the evening. A kill by Destiny Allen stopped the bleeding, but the Missy Gators couldn’t come back from the large deficit.

The decisive victory came just minutes later. Warren Central exploded for a 6-0 run punctuated by Kayla Mayfield’s spike to go up 9-1. Vicksburg refused to mail it in, however, and battled back with a set of rallies to eventually tie the game at 14 with Lexi Stewart serving. But, after scoring a point on an unforced error, Warren Central stormed ahead to win the game 25-17 and take the match.

Despite losing, Vicksburg assistant coach Aimee Scribner said she’s happy with the way her team competed and the progress it’s made.

“These girls have done everything that I’ve asked of them from day one since I got here. Whenever I first got here, they could barely pass a ball. They could barely serve a ball, much less overhand,” Scribner said. “These girls were excited to learn and they give a good, hard effort every day in practice and in games.”

For Warren Central, the win relieved some anxiety as the squad heads into the meat of the schedule and division play.

“We’re getting better every game. It was nice to get my first win under my belt,” Gullett said. “That felt good but I’m hoping we can get a lot more this year.”