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Warren Central's Melissa Herrle bumps the ball during a preseason volleyball scrimmage against St. Aloysius on Wednesday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius volleyball player Olivia Trcka serves during a preseason scrimmage against Warren Central on Wednesday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central's Ellie Tennison waits for the ball during a preseason volleyball scrimmage against St. Aloysius on Wednesday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central's Alexis Ables (2) goes up for a shot at the net against St. Aloysius' Camille Jeffers (8) and Teresa Wilson during a preseason volleyball scrimmage on Wednesday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central's Melissa Herrle sets the ball during a preseason volleyball scrimmage against St. Aloysius on Wednesday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius' Raegan Thornell (28) hits the ball during a preseason volleyball scrimmage against Warren Central on Wednesday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central volleyball players celebrate after winning a point against St. Aloysius during a preseason scrimmage on Wednesday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central's Arrionna Jenkins hits the ball back over the net during a preseason volleyball scrimmage against St. Aloysius on Wednesday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius’ volleyball team got a competitive match against a quality opponent. Warren Central got a chance to see things it’s been working on pay off.

The result of their preseason scrimmage Wednesday didn’t count, yet everyone left a winner.

Warren Central beat St. Al 2-0 (25-6, 25-15) in a junior varsity match and 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-8) in the varsity half of the doubleheader at WC. How they played was more important than the outcome, though, as both teams officially began the run-up to their season openers in two weeks.

“For a second-year program to be within five points for most of that game, I think that’s pretty good for us,” St. Al coach Allison McSherry said. “I think we may have shocked them and made them work a little harder than what they thought they were going to have to tonight. Last year we played Warren Central and might have scored four or six points in all three sets.”

St. Al did not win a match in its inaugural season in 2023, but is hoping to break the ice in 2024. It has most of its roster returning with a year of experience under its belt. Showings like the one Wednesday should add some confidence as well.

Warren Central comfortably won all three games in the varsity match, but needed a couple of big runs in the middle of the first two to gain some separation.

“They came off of the (Mississippi) State camp, we came out of the Ole Miss camp the week before and you could tell a lot of the things we worked on at camp were definitely implemented tonight,” McSherry said. “Good teamwork, good talking, passes were elevated which was what we were shooting for. There were some really good rallies that happened. Some really good serves that happened.”

Warren Central finished with a program-record 22 wins last season. It stayed busy this summer with practices and camps — it attended the Mississippi State camp in Starkville last weekend — and was pleased with the first live action of the 2024 season.

Assistant coach Madison Carpenter said the Lady Vikes, like St. Al, put what they’ve been working on into practice.

“We haven’t been working on a lot of hits lately, just because we’ve been trying to focus on serve receive and defense because that’s where we’re weakest at,” Carpenter said. “Their hits were really good, so I’m really proud of them for setting each other up, getting a pass and hit instead of dinking the balls back and forth. They like playing table tennis and this isn’t table tennis.”

Carpenter was also pleased with the junior varsity team’s performance. The Lady Vikes routed St. Al in the first game, then grinded out a more competitive 25-15 victory in the second.

“The JV did really good. I was surprised, just because the JV hasn’t had a lot of practices. It was awesome to see,” Carpenter said. “We just went to the Mississippi State camp and you could see everything working together.”

St. Al and Warren Central will play each other again on Aug. 8, in a regular-season game that counts. Each side will hit the court a few times before then, however.

Warren Central will play in the MHSAA Invitational Tournament at the Jackson Convention Center on Aug. 2 and 3, and the season opener is Aug. 6 at Jackson Prep. It’ll also play another scrimmage at home vs. Central Hinds on July 30.

St. Al goes to McLaurin High School in Rankin County for a preseason jamboree on July 29, then has 10 days off before facing Warren Central.

“That’ll be good for us to get some more practice in before the season starts,” McSherry said.

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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