Middleton, Fla. — The Villages High School volleyball team opened its 2025 season with a 3-1 victory over Gainesville on Monday night in Middleton.

The Buffalo rang in the new campaign by way of 25-23, 22-25, 25-18 and 25-20 decisions, debuting a new-look squad replacing five graduated seniors from a year ago in front of a hearty crowd inside the VHS Gymnasium.

"It's huge for us to start 1-0," VHS head coach Michele Moreman said. "It was point-for-point and we couldn't ever really relax or take one second off. Gainesville did a great job and brought the energy, but it was a fun one."

VHS survived a back-and-forth opening set that started choppy with miscues and unforced errors on both sides, but it was ultimately the play of Alexia Laws that helped turn the tide. The junior turned away a pair of Gainesville attempts for two blocks to lead 18-15, sparking a run of six straight points to extend the advantage to 21-15.

Laws then delivered a thunderous spike to break a 23-23 tie late in the first frame, before Eva Dariano notched the winner.

Gainesville battled back to take the second set, despite VHS holding a pair of healthy advantages early. The Buffalo jumped out to a 4-0 lead and later led by four points again, but each time the Hurricanes rallied and eventually forced VHS into a rash of mistakes late.

The Buffalo jumped back in front at two sets to one, as a pair of strong service runs from Anastasia Harding and Saylah Childers broke open a competitive third frame late. Childers recorded three aces during the offensive onslaught.

It appeared the season-opening match was destined for a decisive fifth set, but the Buffalo had other ideas midway through the fourth frame. After trailing 17-14, an unforced error by Gainesville opened the floodgates for VHS, who rattled off a string of six straight points to lead 20-17. 

Reese Bryan and Dariano once again came up big during the pivotal stretch, with match point eventually decided when Laws sent the VHS fans home happy with a kill.

"One of the things we've said should be a pillar for our team this year is having grit," Moreman said. "Maybe when things aren't going well, still having that determination to push through and fight through whatever it is. I feel like that's what our team did tonight."

The Buffalo will look to make it two wins in as many nights to open the season on Tuesday, when VHS hosts The First Academy (Orlando) at 7 p.m. in Middleton.


Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment at cody.hills@tvcs.org.