Newtown High School’s boys’ volleyball team defeated host Shelton in the first round of the Class L state tournament on June 2. The Nighthawks, seeded ninth, prevailed 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-16) and avenged a 3-2 regular-season loss to the eighth-seeded Gaels.

With the win, the Nighthawks earn a visit to No. 1 Darien in the quarterfinals on Friday, June 4, at 1 pm.

Thad Teraszkiewicz had 15 kills, six digs, an ace, and one block; Luke Hannan logged seven kills, two digs and a trio of blocks; Matt Mattera had seven kills, six digs, four aces, and two blocks; and Sawyer Findley registered 34 assists to go along with one dig.

“The boys felt great after the win and are looking forward to keeping the winning streak going. A tough opponent up next with Darien but they boys feel confident that they are beatable and that we are the team to do it,” Newtown Coach Sandy Doski said.

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