Warren Central won division championships in three events, and qualified for the MHSAA Class 6A state tournament in two others, at the Division 4-6A tennis tournament Tuesday at Halls Ferry Park.

Sisters Taylor and Laney Smith won the girls doubles title, George Wilkerson and Audrey Jennings won mixed doubles, and Ian Gordon won boys singles.

Warren Central coach Steve Summers said he was excited to see his players continue and get a chance to face high-level competition.

“It’s always good and a special opportunity when you get to play in the state tournament,” Summers said. “If we win three matches we’re in the state championship, so that’s encouraging.”

Gordon advanced by beating Clinton’s Zachary Gray 7-5, 6-0 in the first round, and Greenville’s Karon Cooks 6-2, 6-2 in the championship match.

In mixed doubles, the senior Wilkerson teamed with the seventh-grader Jennings. They routed Kegan Henderson and Laisay Husband of Provine 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals, then dispatched Clinton’s J.D. Camillo and Katie Henze 7-5, 6-0 in the finals.

Meanwhile, the girls doubles team won 6-0, 6-1 in its first match against Clinton, and followed that up with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Clinton’s Kate Camillo and Breana Norton in the championship match.

Summers saw a few keys to continuing their hot streak going into the postseason.

“Our net play is going to be big at state,” Summers said. “Doubles are played and won at the net. We were very aggressive at the net today. It’s the reason our girls dominated the way they did,” Summers said. “My mixed I have a seventh grader, so it’s going to be a good experience for her.”

Summers said the Vikings would be approaching singles and doubles preparation in completely different ways in the month leading up to the state tournament.

“In doubles, you have to get to the net as quickly as you can. In singles it’s all about consistency,” Summers said. “My singles player is a 10th grader. It’ll be his first time to compete at state as well. Between doubles and singles, it’s a different approach, but I think what I’m most excited about is the extension of our season.”

The regular season ended last week, but the Vikings who qualified will continue to play individual matches. The team is still competing as well, and will be traveling to Oxford to compete in the Class 6A playoffs on Monday.

There are separate team and individual state tournaments. The individual tournament is May 7-9 in Ridgeland and Jackson.

“The more athletes who can get on the court and get to compete against real high-level competition, that’s what I’m most looking forward to,” Summers said. “Especially our girls, we can practice, and we can be intense in practice, but there’s only so much that you can look across the court from one of your teammates and stay excited. So it’s good to play really high-quality opponents. That’s what I try to do during our regular season, but at this point in the postseason, everyone is good, so I’m really looking forward to that.”

Warren Central had a lot of turnover from last year’s team, losing a stacked senior class. It’s Summers’ hope that with a lot of younger players seeing time this year, it will pay off down the road as well.

“Last year, any event we played I had seven seniors on the court. This year any event we play, like today, I have seven athletes that are 10th grade or younger,” Summers said. “I had a seventh-grader and an eighth-grader playing today. Very encouraging with such a young team to see them competing. Even on the courts that we didn’t win, when you see young people get in there and scrap it out and compete, it always makes you feel good as a coach.”