Having come close to winning several times, including in four matches that went the full five games, Newtown High School's boys' volleyball team put it all together and picked up its first win in 13 matches this season with a 3-2 (25-16, 26-28, 25-23, 15-25, 15-12) win over visiting Amity of Woodbridge (which fell to 2-11) on May 9.

"The kids were just ecstatic," Newtown Coach Sandy Doski said. "They've worked so hard and we've been so close so many times. They finally said enough is enough - let's do this."

With the fifth and deciding game even at 9-9, the Nighthawks took the lead on an errant Amity serve and never looked back as Nick Lansing scored a couple of key points for the Nighthawks to help win the match.

A key in the victory for the Nighthawks was the implementation of a triple-block defensive setup in which all three front-row players moved to the middle to deny Amity's tallest player easy kills at the net. This forced Amity to look for tips over the net, rather than hard hits, in order to avoid being blocked by the Nighthawks. The strategy worked well as Newtown's players on the wings were ready to dig tips around the blockers.

"They played as a team," Doski said. "They got the job done."

Freshman Ardi Kodzodziku was a major factor in the win. He had nine kills, a trio of blocks, and five digs.

Jake Lapp logged 27 kills and 16 assists to go along with six service aces; Gavin Stubbs and Robert Katrinak each had eight kills; Lansing racked up 31 assists; Jackson Fletcher led the defense with a whopping 45 digs, and Liam Jones and Matt Principi had 12 and seven digs, respectively; and Silas Decker and Stubbs combined for five blocks.

The Nighthawks are scheduled to visit Shelton on Wednesday, May 11, beginning at 6 pm, and will visit Oxford on May 18, beginning at 4 pm. The final home match of the year is scheduled for May 19 when Masuk of Monroe comes to town for a 5:15 pm start. The Nighthawks close out the slate with a May 23 visit to Joel Barlow of Redding, beginning at 4 pm.