Ava Reilly, Thea Mangels lead Port Jefferson girls volleyball past Millbrook in state regional final
The Port Jefferson girls volleyball team celebrate its 3-1 win over Millbrook in the state Class C Southeast Regional final on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Port Jefferson High School. Credit: James Escher
Three years ago, Ava Reilly and Thea Mangels were freshmen on the Port Jefferson girls volleyball team. Their season ended at home with a loss to Millbrook in a state Class C regional final.
Now, as seniors, the pair was in the same position. And they knew it would be different this time. In front of a packed home crowd, the Royals took down Millbrook in four sets, 24-26, 26-24, 25-18, 25-22, in the regional final at Port Jefferson High School on Saturday.
“Our freshman year, we lost to that team in this gym,” Reilly said. “It means so much to have this much support. We’re a small program and it’s like all of our families, everyone from our grade came out to come watch us. It’s a really special moment that I won’t forget.”
A setter, it was Reilly who tipped over the match point. Port Jefferson (22-1) advances to the pool play round of the state championships, beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday at Harding Mazzotti Arena in Glens Falls.
Despite dropping a back-and-forth first set, Reilly said she and her team never had a doubt. She totaled 44 assists on the way to the win.
“I think we all decided that it’s OK, we just got the jitters out,” Reilly said. “We had so many fans here and it was so exciting. Even when we lost the first set, we knew we had it. We looked at each other and said, ‘Why not now? Why not us?’ and we knew we could do it, so we did.”
Mangels tallied nine kills and three aces — and she and Reilly were able to connect when it mattered most. Mangels said their chemistry is a product of years of working together.
“We’ve been working on our connection since ninth grade,” Mangels said. “I started playing middle [hitter] in 10th grade and we just immediately clicked. Everything is so much easier with us because we’re best friends in real life, so that connection just works.”
Coach CJ Hafner said, after being in this position before, his team understood the stakes. Once the Royals shook off the first set nerves, they looked difficult to stop.
“We came out with the mindset to play hard, but I think they were also playing a little under pressure with the big crowd at home,” Hafner said. “But, when they finally settled in, we started to play our volleyball and that’s when we were able to pull it out even when the sets were close.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
