By Kim J. Harmon

With Stratford, Bunnell and Joel Barlow all on the schedule this past week, the Newtown High School volleyball team had a unique opportunity to experience three different perspectives on the game.

The Nighthawks had a chance to see what it was like to sweep someone (that being Stratford).

The Nighthawks had a chance to see what it was like to be swept by someone (that being Bunnell).

And the Nighthawks had a chance to see what it was like to tough out a grueling, five-game match against someone (that being Joel Barlow).

The sum total of all that? The ‘Hawks won two, lost one, and pushed their record to 3-3, 3-2 in the South-West Conference.

It all started down in Stratford last Thursday. The ‘Hawks eased through a 15-4, 15-11, 15-5 win over the Red Devils. Well, maybe eased isn’t exactly the correct term, because the ‘Hawks did have to rally back from a 6-1 deficit in Game 2.

With strong service from Ally Gellert (one ace, six points), the Nighthawks jumped out to a 6-1 lead in Game 1. With Caitlyn Elf and Kristin Correa taking over behind the service line, Newtown quickly extended its lead to 10-2.

Stratford – which had some decent hitters, but inconsistent service – made a slight push, but Shannon Kohn, Gellert and Correa all registered aces to put the match away. Gellert had also made two spectacular sideout kills to keep Stratford at bay.

In Game 2, Jenn Murphy put Newtown ahead, 1-0, with some fine service but Stratford reeled off six straight points to take a 6-1 lead. The ‘Hawks – somewhat well known for slipping into a funk after winning a game – struggled back. With a Jaime Lindquist kill and a Kohn ace, the ‘Hawks were on their way. But it wasn’t until Murphy was back behind the line that the ‘Hawks took charge of the game.

Murphy led the ‘Hawks through a seven-point rally that put them on top, 10-9. Moments later, with the game tied 11-11, a kill by Erin Carolan and a great block from Jessica Phillips helped the ‘Hawks scored the final four points to win, 15-11.

The ‘Hawks seemed to be on a real roll. In fact, with Elf registering a kill, Gellert and ace, and Logan two more kills to put them ahead, 7-1, there seemed to be no stopping the ‘Hawks. Then a pair of aces by Elf put the ‘Hawks ahead, 10-3.

But things bogged down – bogged down hard – after that. Stratford wasn’t doing anything to improve its chances in the match, but Newtown wasn’t eight. Four serves in a row hit the net and there were several sideouts before Carolan and Jacky Curran both scored both to put Newtown ahead, 12-5.

Inch by inch, Newtown searched for some consistency. It took a while, but an ace from Elf, a kill from Kate Anderheggen, and a dink from Lindquist finally gave the Nighthawks their 15th point and a 3-0 win.

The tables were turned a day later when the Nighthawks traveled back to Stratford to take on Bunnell. The Lady Bulldogs recorded a 15-9, 15-6, 15-9 win. Gellert had four kills and 10 digs and Carolan had eight kills and two blocks, but the Lady Bulldogs – always strong in the SWC – were solid at the net.

With their record at 2-3, the ‘Hawks needed a win over Joel Barlow on Monday to even things out.

They got that win, but it wasn’t easy. They had to rally back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Lady Falcons, 3-2 (6-15, 15-9, 12-15, 15-12, 15-12), in the ‘Hawks first five-game match of the 2001 season. Joel Barlow jumped out to quick leads in Game 1 and Game 2 and while the ‘Hawks did not recover in Game 1, they did in Game 2. From there on, it was a tough battle to an almost epic finish.

Gellert registered an amazing 19 kills with 10 digs while Anderheggen had 11 kills and three blocks. Murphy, a back row specialist already, had 14 digs and 15 service points.

The ‘Hawks will host Weston on Friday and then travel to Brookfield on Monday. The ‘Hawks, who were on the road for the first five matches of the season, will then host New Fairfield on Wednesday and Notre Dame on Friday.