Following a season-ending visit to nonconference foe East Lyme on Friday, October 27, at 6 pm, Newtown High School's girls' volleyball team will turn its attention to the South-West Conference tournament. The Nighthawks, seeded second, will host No. 7 Brookfield, on Monday, October 30, beginning at 4:30 pm.

Newtown beat host Brookfield in four games on October 6. With a playoff rematch win, the Nighthawks will take on either third-seeded Stratford or No. 6 Bunnell of Stratford in the semifinals, on Wednesday, November 1. In the regular season, the Hawks beat Stratford in four games and Bunnell in three.

"In order to have success in the tournament we need to find that sense of urgency that we've been missing and getting more of a dominant playing style," Newtown Coach Tom Czaplinski said.

The Bunnell match took place this past week, with the Nighthawks going on the road on October 18, and winning 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-21).

Zoe Beals had 15 kills and 12 digs; Kim Buttery compiled 39 assists, eight digs, and three aces; and Julia Anderson had five kills and two digs.

Newtown beat visiting Bethel 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-19), on October 20, to improve to 13-5 overall.

Tess Mubarek had seven kills and seven digs; Sarah Dowling had seven kills and three blocks; and Rachel O'Grady had six kills and five digs.

"The biggest thing that I've liked about the team these past few days is that lots of players are getting playing time and, more importantly, much-needed experience. All of that seems to be making us stronger as a team moving forward," Czaplinski said.

Newtown carried a five-match winning streak into the finale.