Volleyball Recap: Joel Barlow Falls Short Against Ranked Newtown

Joel Barlow faced Newtown in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Falcons fell just short of the Nighthawks by a score of 3-2. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Falcons of the 3-1 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in May of 2024.

Joel Barlow took Newtown into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking six-point loss. The match finished with set scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 15-9.

Newtown's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Dima Frunza led the charge by getting 60 assists and 18 digs. Frunza is crushing it when it comes to assists: he's posted at least 18 every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Aj Zatulskis, who had 18 digs, 13 kills, five aces, and one block.

Joel Barlow's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 5-4. As for Newtown, the victory (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 7-1.

We've got plenty of inter-league action coming up soon. Joel Barlow will square off against rival Kolbe-Cathedral at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, Newtown is set to take on their familiar foe New Milford at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.