Middleton, Fla. — In a "do-or-die" contest, The Villages High School volleyball team very much lived Monday night inside the VHS gymnasium.

The Buffalo kept their season alive in a win-or-go-home tilt with Umatilla, cruising toward a 3-0 sweep over the visiting Bulldogs in the Class 4A-District 6 Tournament quarterfinals in Middleton.

VHS moved on to Tuesday night's district semifinal against Class 4A No. 3 Bishop Moore (Orlando) via 25-16, 25-2 and 25-21 decisions over Umatilla, spearheaded by an 11-kill performance from senior Moira Mangum.

"It was a do-or-die situation for us," Mangum said after the win. "Not just because I'm a senior, but everybody here (knew) this was the end of our season if we don't take this game. That lit a fire in all of us and we knew we had to go hard, because we didn't have any other choice."

An opening set of runs saw the Buffalo (9-10 overall) hold a lead of 11-4, later trail 13-12, and then rally even later for a 21-13 advantage late. The final run — a 9-0 unanswered blitz — ultimately lifted VHS to a 25-16 victory in the opener.

It was all Buffalo in the second frame, as the home squad jumped out to a 7-0 lead early. After the Bulldogs (9-8) hit a winner, VHS rattled off the next 17 straight points — the longest consecutive run in more than three seasons — to swamp Umatilla for a 25-2 win and a two-sets-to-none advantage.

With its season on the brink, Umatilla fought valiantly in a third set that featured five ties and six lead changes in the early going. After VHS used a 9-3 run to break open the frame at 18-9, the Bulldogs battled back to eventually pull within a pair of points on two separate occasions.

But it was Mangum who sealed the deal, as she powered home a spike and set up teammate Bailey Wright for the eventual match-clinching kill late.

"Honestly, she just had a different energy," VHS head coach Michele Moreman said of Mangum. "We've been really challenging and hard on her at times. She's a great player, she's a four-year varsity player, and she plays a vital role playing six rotations — setting and hitting — so she's got a lot on her shoulders. I feel like she stepped up to the challenge tonight."

Moreman and the rest of Mangum's teammates will need her to do so again Tuesday night, when the Buffalo host the tournament's top-seeded team, Bishop Moore (17-8), at 7 p.m. inside the VHS gym.

"You cannot play to not lose, we have to play to win," Moreman said. "We have to be aggressive and we have to play our game, and don't worry about what's on the other side of the net."


Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment at cody.hills@tvcs.org or by calling (352) 259-6890.