Middleton, Fla. – The Villages High School volleyball team returns home this weekend on a hot streak.

VHS is set to host the Buffalo Stampede Showdown both Friday and Saturday, with a total of 16 teams preparing to compete at the two-day event held inside the Buffalo Sports Complex in Middleton.

The Buffalo enter the four-pool tournament with a 10-8 overall record and a four-match winning streak to their credit, as they return home for the first time since Sept. 8.

"We've hit that point where we've said it's time, we can't keep waiting and it's now or never," said VHS head coach Michele Moreman. "We've put that pressure on ourselves and we're really talking team first in everything we're doing right now. It's all about the team."

The Villages began its streak with a bounce-back effort at the Florida Gem Tournament last weekend in Wesley Chapel, rattling off three consecutive wins – including a pair in bracket play – to take home the Bronze Division title. The Buffalo added a 3-0 sweep over East Ridge on Tuesday night in Clermont to extend their win streak to four.

"We had a rough start on Day 1 (at the Florida Gem) and that was a little frustrating," Moreman said. "The thing I can say that we learned about ourselves, though, is our resilience. We had to play two matches Saturday to win the Bronze bracket and medal at the tournament, and we were able to do that pretty easily. I was thrilled by the end of the day."

Eighth-grade star Bailey Hunt – who was named a team co-captain last week – earned all-tournament honors at the Florida Gem Tournament, which stands as one of the largest high school volleyball events in the country.

"She's a generational-type player," Moreman said. "You think of her as this amazing, elite athlete and she's so versatile. She can do anything you need her to do position wise. But she's also just a middle-schooler, so she doesn't really have the weight or pressure that a lot of girls do. She just goes out there and plays with this incredible love for the game."

The win streak for VHS potentially puts an end to an up-and-down first half of the season, which saw the Buffalo start 3-0 before dropping eight of its next 11 matches.

"One of the (team) pillars we chose at our retreat before the season started is that we want to be resilient players and resilient women," Moreman said. "When we get knocked down, how do we get back up the next day? We've had to face that plenty of times this year and I'm proud of how they've done."

The Buffalo will open the second annual Buffalo Stampede Showdown at 3 p.m. Friday against Cocoa Beach, before taking on South Lake at 5 p.m. and West Port at 8 p.m. to close out round-robin pool play. VHS and its 15 competitors will then be sorted by Friday's results into four separate brackets ahead of Saturday's finale in Middleton.

"I think playing at home and just being back here will really help," Moreman said. "Last year, the tournament was a blast and we're hoping to do really well this year, and get some momentum back on our side."

For more information on the Buffalo Stampede Showdown and a full event schedule, click HERE.


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