The Warren Central tennis team had high hopes for last season, but ran into a buzzsaw at Tupelo once they got into the state tournament. How they’ll fare in this year’s Class 6A tournament remains to be seen, but so far they’re beating all comers.

The Vikings swept the boys doubles points, won a girls doubles match in a 10-point tiebreaker set, and beat Florence 5-2 Thursday at Halls Ferry Park.

The victory kept Warren Central (5-0) undefeated at the midway point of the season. They’ve only lost six out of 35 individual matches this season, with three of the losses coming in three-setters.

The team’s junior varsity has also been successful, going 16-2 in individual matches. It won 5-0 against Florence.

“I’m extremely happy. We had high expectations last year and came up a little short. Our players have worked hard in the offseason,” Warren Central coach Jeff Pilgrim said. “It shows with not just victories, but we have only lost six individual matches. We are competitive across the board, from our No. 1 starter to our 12th starter.”

The backbone of the Vikings’ success has been a strong doubles program. Pilgrim mixes and matches his players, moving them throughout the lineup and even into singles depending on the matchup. The result has been a balanced lineup with players capable of filling any role.

“We mostly teach doubles since there are five doubles matches. Our singles is very competitive, but you can’t win team events on singles alone,” Pilgrim said. “You have to mix them up from time to time, but we have three or four different lineups that we think are viable options.”

Warren Central was playing its third match this week, and had a tougher time than in wins over Ridgeland and Greenville on Monday and Tuesday. WC only lost nine games against Greenville, and only lost one doubles game against Ridgeland.

Against Florence, three of the seven matches went to a third-set tiebreaker and Lauren Davis won a close two-setter 6-4, 6-4 in girls singles.

Alexa Jeffers and Olivia White lost their tiebreaker in No. 1 girls doubles 2-6, 6-3, 9-11. In the No. 2 slot, Madison Kendall and Skyler Gibson turned the tables on Florence and won 3-6, 6-1, 10-8 after dropping the first set.

Alex Velazquez also played a three-set match in boys singles and lost 6-4, 1-6, 6-10.

The rest of the Vikings’ lineup had an easier time. Matthew Register and William Wooten cruised in No. 1 boys doubles 6-1, 6-1 and George Wilkerson and Brent Styles did likewise in No. 2 boys doubles by winning 6-0, 6-0.

The mixed doubles team of Joseph Jabour and Amanda Boleware won 6-0, 6-0.

Warren Central will have another busy week next week, with four matches in five days. It will go on the road to play Newton County on Monday and Madison-St. Joseph on Tuesday, then return home to Halls Ferry Park to face Brookhaven on Thursday and Vicksburg on Friday.

St. Al loses to St. Andrew’s

Jackson Oakes won 6-3, 5-7, 13-11 in boys singles and Adrienne Eckstein won 3-6, 7-5, 10-3 in girls singles, but St. Aloysius’ tennis team lost 4-3 to St. Andrew’s in a match Wednesday.

St. Al’s other point came in No. 2 girls doubles. Ann Stewart Piazza and Ashley Jarrett won 6-4, 3-6, 11-9.