Update: This article has been updated with the names of the players who ended the match with a block.

Newtown High School's boys' volleyball team remained unbeaten with a 3-2 (25-22, 20-25, 19-25, 25-23, 15-11) win over visiting Joel Barlow of Redding on Thursday.

It marked Newtown's second five-game win over the Falcons this season, in a preview of the South-West Conference championship match, which the Nighthawks will host on May 25 (time to be determined).

The Hawks fell behind 10-1 in game one before scoring 24 of the next 36 points to seize the early match advantage.

After the Falcons pushed Newtown into a must-win situation, the Nighthawks battled to a hard-fought victory in game four. Barlow went ahead two points, but the Nighthawks took a 5-4 lead and did not trail the rest of the way in the fourth game, although it was close throughout. Ardi Kodzodziku's kill sent the match to a decisive fifth game.

In game five, there were only a pair of ties, at 3-3 and 4-4, but it was a nail-biter throughout. After overcoming 2-0 and 3-1 Barlow leads, for a 4-3 advantage, the Nighthawks never trailed but led by no more than two points until seizing a 13-10 lead on a block by Morten Sande and Eric Moore. After the teams traded points, Kodzodziku made a diving save to keep a ball in play which led to a match-ending block by Silas Decker and Jacob Duffy.

Kodzodziku compiled 29 kills, 16 digs, two blocks, 11 service points, and one ace. Moore racked up 40 assists, 14 digs, nine kills, six blocks, nine service points, and an ace.

Robbie Morrill registered 14 kills, four digs, a block, seven service points, one ace. Decker had 17 kills, seven service points, four blocks, and an ace. Sande had seven kills, three blocks, and one ace.

Matt Principi had a dozen digs. Duffy had four kills and three digs, and Kyle Nicholson and Liam Jones added three and two digs respectively.

Newtown defeated host Shelton in three games the night before. Check back online and in the May 18 print edition of

The Bee for more coverage.