Newtown High School’s boys’ volleyball team visited the defending South-West Conference Champion Joel Barlow of Redding Falcons on May 7. The Nighthawks fell in three sets to the Falcons, whom they had defeated in five sets in late April. Then came a 3-0 win at Brookfield on May 8, a 3-1 loss to visiting Masuk of Monroe on May 12, and a 3-0 setback to host Shelton on May 13.

The Nighthawks kept it close in set one, falling 25-23, before losing 25-8, and 25-18 in the Barlow match.

Against Brookfield, set scores were 25-13, 25-15, 25-20. Noel McLeod had nine kills and six digs; Nate Twitchell had six kills, seven digs, and four of his team’s 13 aces; Warner Bacon registered six kills and seven digs; Cole Sgagliardich had five kills and four blocks; Eli Sullivan logged eight digs; A.J. Zataluskis recorded three kills, six digs, and a trio of aces; and Kade Dearney registered 29 assists to go along with five digs and two aces.

Masuk and Newtown split the first two sets and set three was a tight one throughout. The set scores were 25-18, 20-25, 25-22, and 25-19.

The Panthers won the pivotal third set by three points despite neither team leading by more than just one or two from start to almost finish. Things were tied at 22 apiece before the Panthers got the last three points. Newtown overcame a few late-set, two-point deficits to finally tie things at 21-21 on a Sgagliardich block at the net. Strong hits by Twitchell and a block for a point by Dima Frunza helped keep the set close throughout.

Newtown could not force a decisive fifth set despite taking an early lead and withstanding some Masuk runs. The Panthers responded to a 4-2 deficit with a 5-0 spurt for a 7-4 lead. McLeod’s kill was part of a mini 3-0 Hawk run that tied things at 7-7. The Panthers went ahead 11-7 and eventually 15-8. The teams traded points much of the rest of the match.

Against Masuk, Twitchell finished with 13 kills, two aces, and 15 digs; Zatulskis had eight kills, two blocks, and 16 digs; McLeod logged eight kills and 19 digs; Sgagliardich had four blocks; Bacon had seven kills, four blocks, and five digs; Sullivan racked up 23 digs; Frunza had three blocks and nine digs to go along with 26 assists.

Newtown has a record of 12-5 heading into the final three matches of the regular season, and will look to avenge those setbacks to Masuk and Barlow if the teams meet again in the South-West Conference Tournament.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.