Warren Central will still have to put in some work to lay claim to a city championship, but it made easy work of one of its competitors Thursday.
The Vikings only lost one set en route to a 7-0 shutout of crosstown rival Vicksburg in a match at Halls Ferry Park.
“It was a good day,” WC coach Lindsey Finn said. We could have played better, but it was good for them right before we get to some of our district matches.”
It was also a good tune-up for Saturday’s Julie Abraham Memorial Tournament. The 22nd annual event features WC, Vicksburg and St. Aloysius battling for bragging rights. Natchez Cathedral has been added to the mix this year to turn it into a four-team competition.
WC will play Cathedral in the first round, while St. Al and Vicksburg meet on the other side of the bracket. The winning teams will then meet for the tournament title, while the losers play a consolation match.
“It’s definitely a big deal. I’ve heard a lot of players get excited for that one,” Finn said.
In Thursday’s match, George Wilkerson beat Vicksburg’s Jared Bell 6-3, 6-3 in boys singles and Federrica Ardizzoia beat Caroline Williams 6-1, 6-3 in girls singles.
WC’s boys doubles tandems Sherman Stuart and Baxter Richardson, and Alex Velazquez and Jack Richardson, also won in straight sets. So did the mixed doubles team of Rachel Rhett and Joseph Jabour, and the No. 1 girls doubles team of Mattea Mobley and Avery Lynn Liddell.
The closest Vicksburg came to winning a point was in No. 2 girls doubles. Vicksburg’s Amy Dickson and Destiny James took the second set from WC’s Sarah Hunter Fordice and Michaela Mobley before losing the third set tiebreaker. Fordice and Mobley won that match 6-4, 3-6, 12-10.
Warren Central improved its season record to 3-1, while Vicksburg fell to 1-1. VHS coach Vickie Bailey said part of her team’s struggles stemmed from a lack of playing time because of bad weather and spring break.
“This is really our first match, and we’re just coming out of the chute. It’s good hitting, good practice, and there were some things we can capitalize on,” Bailey said. “It’s a short season, and we’ve had to deal with weather and spring break. We’re looking forward to getting some matches under our belt.”