A 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-7) victory over visiting Bethel was a win-win-win for the Nighthawks on the volleyball court on October 6. In addition to the Newtown High School team triumph, the Hawks supported the Side-Out Foundation, which raises awareness and funds for breast cancer treatment, and everybody on the roster got playing time and contributed to the victory.

This was the team’s Dig Pink match for Breast Cancer Awareness Month; the Hawks wore special uniforms that included a pink ribbon graphic and pink lettering, there was a gift basket raffle, and parents collected more than $1,300 to benefit the Side-Out Foundation. Liberos Bella Rio and Emily Daoust, who usually wear white jerseys at home, had all-pink uniform tops.

“You’d be surprised about how many people have been affected by this, both in our program and around town,” Newtown captain Grace Miller said. “We just want to do our part to help.”

On the court, Miller helped her team defeat Bethel with seven kills. Newtown’s solid offense and sharp serving, along with strong play at the net — 11 aces and ten team blocks when all was said and done — meant little defensive work for the back row; the Hawks recorded just ten digs, four of those by Zosia Teraszkiewicz, who also logged six kills.

Lauren Young had four aces to go along with a pair of blocks; Amaro Beard-Galati and Haley Austermann both had a pair of aces, and Beard-Galati had two blocks.

Annabel Saunders recorded four kills and three blocks. Austermann had three kills and an assist to go along with ten assists. Gabby Soltis had 14 assists to go along with a dig. Liz Anesi had three kills and a trio of blocks. Ella Stubbs had two kills, five blocks, and a dig.

“Everybody got to play and everybody did well,” said Newtown Coach Tom Czaplinski, adding that the Hawks got better as the match unfolded.

Newtown closed out the win by jumping out to an 8-1 lead and never looking back in the third set. Three straight aces by Young sparked the early surge. A cross-court hit and ace by Gianna Galassi pushed the lead to 16-4. Beard-Galati had a pair of late-game aces, Anesi’s kill brought things to match point, and a dig by Young to keep the ball in play led to the match-clinching point.

The Nighthawks extended their winning streak to nine with 3-0 road victories over Woodstock Academy on October 8 and Notre Dame-Fairfield on October 11.

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