Volleyball Game Preview: Newington Nor'easters vs. Joel Barlow Falcons

The Newington Nor'easters will face off against the Joel Barlow Falcons on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.

Newington is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Connecticut's top teams: Wolcott RVT, who was ranked 19th at the time (Newington was ranked ninth). The Nor'easters were the clear victors by a 3-0 margin over the Wildcats on Friday. The Nor'easters haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

One reason for the win was Newington's just kept getting better, winning each set by more points than the last. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-23, 25-22, 25-14.

Tristan Gorman

Assists

06/06/25 vs Wolcott RVT	41
06/04/25 vs Norwich RVT	35
05/28/25 @ Maloney	38
05/27/25 vs Hall	52
05/23/25 vs Southington	37
+ 38 more games

Newington relied on the efforts of Adam Redman, who had 15 digs and two assists, and Tristan Gorman, who had 41 assists and nine digs. Gorman is on a roll when it comes to assists, as he's now posted 14 or more in each of the last 43 games he's played dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Joel Barlow rose to the challenge on Friday. They put the hurt on the Nighthawks with a sharp 3-0 win. The game was the first time the Falcons have beaten the Nighthawks on their court since April 17, 2023.

Newington's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-5. As for Joel Barlow, they are on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 13 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-5 record this season.

Newington might still be hurting after the 3-0 defeat they got from Joel Barlow when the teams last played back in June of 2022. Can the Nor'easters avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.