The Bowling Green volleyball team broke through against South Warren with a hard-fought 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-21) victory Thursday at Bowling Green High School.

Bowling Green (6-1 overall, 1-1 District 14) used a balanced attack at the net to control the tempo and beat South Warren for the first time since 2013, snapping a string of eight straight losses to the Spartans.

“This is very big, the best we have played all season,” BG senior McKinley Bice said. “I’m so proud of my team. “

South Warren (3-2, 2-1) never led by more than two points the entire night as Bowling Green kept the pressure on from the opening point.

Game one featured eight ties and two lead changes before Bowling Green used a 4-0 spurt to make the score 13-10 and take the lead for good in the game.

Neither team led by more than a point in game two until an ace from Brelynn Wright gave the Lady Purples a 20-18 advantage. South Warren scored four straight to surge ahead, but Bowling Green rallied – regaining the lead on a Grace Murphy kill and clinching game two with a kill from Kobie Duncan after a diving save on the previous volley from Riley Marshall.

Bowling Green jumped out to a 10-3 lead in game three before South Warren tried to rally. The Spartans closed to two points on several occasions but couldn’t get any closer, allowing the Lady Purples to hold on for a fourth straight win since losing to Greenwood on Aug. 22.

“It was really fun to see the girls having fun,” BG coach Amy Wininger said. “It’s what our program needed at this point of the season. Greenwood was such a beatdown for us and we did change some things, talk about the importance of trusting each other. We talked about the importance of aggressive serving.

“I feel like they needed to have the confidence out on the court. They can’t look at us on the sidelines all the time, so it was fun.”

Bowling Green had 34 kills, with four players recording at least four kills. Bice led the way with 10 kills, while Murphy added nine kills. Kaetlyn Moore had five kills and Marshall added four kills and an ace.

“That is not one of our strengths typically,” Wininger said. “We’ve been focusing on cleaning up around the net, jousting drills. Half of it is attitude at the net too, so it was fun to watch.”

Hannah Yonts led South Warren with 12 kills, while Alex Pardue had 14 assists.

“Give credit to Bowling Green, they played really well,” South Warren coach Justin Griffin said. “They kept the pressure on us all night and when we gave them some easy points, they were able to take care of it. They made it tough for us all night long.

“It’s a competitive atmosphere, probably one of the most competitive matches we’ve had all year. We will take something from it, learn from it, and hopefully get better from it later on.”

Both teams return to action Sept. 7 against district foes. Bowling Green will host Warren Central, and South Warren will host Greenwood.