April 1, 2025
Buffalo Stampeders Volleyball Team Qualify for Junior National Championships
By Kyle Coppola
Buffalo Stampeders Volleyball Team Qualify for Junior National Championships
OXFORD, Fla. — The Buffalo Stampeders Volleyball Club is making history. In just their third year competing in USA Volleyball (USAV) tournaments, the club’s 18U team has secured its first-ever bid to the Girls Junior National Championships (GJNC). The national tournament will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, from April 25-27.
“This is a huge accomplishment for our program,” said Michelle Moreman, Director of Buffalo Stampeders Youth volleyball. “To earn a bid this soon is a testament to the dedication and resilience of our players.” Moreman currently oversees over 14 different teams and counting for the Buffalo Stampeders Youth Volleyball programs. She is also the head coach of The Villages Charter High School girls team.
(The Buffalo Stampeders Program has grown every year and is producing top volleyball talent in our area. Photo Credit – Buffalo Stampeders.)
The team, made up of athletes from Oxford, Leesburg, Wildwood, Ocala, Gainesville, Crystal River, and Inverness, battled through tough competition to secure a place on the national stage. Their success has sparked excitement throughout the Buffalo Stampeders program, inspiring younger teams to set their sights on similar achievements.
“Seeing the 18’s team push through all the obstacles and earn a bid gives all our younger teams something to strive for!” says Michelle Moreman. “Coach Joe Darley has pushed this team so hard…and we all know that hard work pays off. I am thrilled to join the team in Salt Lake City and see how we match up against the best teams in the Nation.”
With their ticket punched for Salt Lake City, the Buffalo Stampeders are ready to take on the nation’s best teams. The Girls Junior National Championships take place on April 25th-27th. Buffalo Stampeders 18 Armour joines fellow Lake County team American Athletic Club as the other local team headed to the National Championships. This is a very exciting time for the sport of Volleyball in our community. This is a huge accomplishment to have two great local quality teams headed to represent Lake & Sumter County Florida!
Let’s go Buffalo and American Athletic Club!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
