Back on October 6, Newtown High School’s girls’ volleyball team upset Weston in four games, sparking the team’s ten-match winning streak which led the Nighthawks into a conference tournament rematch with the Trojans with a spot in the championship on the line.

On October 29, Weston turned the tables on the Nighthawks, as the South-West Conference’s third seed executed a mild upset of the No. 2 Hawks, earning a 3-1 (25-18, 15-25, 25-18, 25-18) victory in the tournament semifinals at Monroe’s Masuk High School.

Newtown bounced back from the game one loss as Alexa Reilly held serve for five straight points late in the game to put it away. Newtown held 7-5 lead before getting three straight points. The teams traded points until Newtown tacked on to an 18-13 advantage with Reilly (four aces) helping the Hawks even things at a game apiece.

In game three, Weston erased a 14-11 deficit and ran off nine consecutive points, aided by the strong serving of Melissa Welsh, to claim a 19-14 lead. Weston’s strong defense and blocking game gave the Trojans a 2-1 edge, pushing Newtown into a must-win situation.

After a Kyle Dandrea spike got things started in game four, Weston reeled off five straight points and never looked back. On multiple occasions, the Hawks closed to within two or three points, only to see the Trojans rebuild their lead. Leading 23-16, Weston committed a rare service error, making it 23-17, and Reilly stepped in and picked up an ace to give Newtown some late hope. It ended there as Weston got the last two points to advance.

Among the big differences between the regular-season meeting and this playoff clash was Weston’s propensity to keep the play alive, along with Newtown’s uncharacteristic miscues.

The Trojans did a nice job of keeping balls in play, Newtown Coach Tom Czaplinski said. “They waited for us to make mistakes,” he noted. “We sure as heck took advantage of that.”

Another difference-maker was Weston’s blocking game. Dandrea still mustered 20 kills, but clearly would have compiled many more if not for the at-the-net efforts of Weston’s front line.

Czaplinski said at the beginning of the season that he expected Weston to be among the best in the conference and that the team would reach in the SWC finals.

He was hoping the other team in the championship match would be his, but the way the bracket broke down, Newtown needed to overcome Weston to get there.

“I just wish we didn’t play them in the semifinals. When they put it together, they’re a very strong team,” said Czaplinski, adding that the Trojans seemed like a different team from the one his squad saw earlier in the month.

Czaplinski said Jamie Calandro was one of his better passers, and one of Newtown’s better all-around performers in the match. She had five kills and five digs, and repeatedly got the ball to teammates. Dandrea, in addition to her 20 kills, had a 19 digs; Molly McCoy had 25 assists; Clara Whaley had six kills; and Reilly added a trio of digs.

Newtown will try to get back to its winning ways in the state tournament opener in early November (seedings and matchups to be announced at casciac.org on Friday, October 31).