The Shelton Gaels will face off against the Newtown Nighthawks at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Shelton will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Shelton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Connecticut's top teams: Masuk, who was ranked ninth at the time (Shelton was ranked seventh). The Gaels put the hurt on the Panthers with a sharp 3-0 victory on Friday.
While Shelton won a shutout, things came down to the wire in the first set they played. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-23, 25-16, 25-18.
Meanwhile, Newtown came up short against Masuk on Monday and fell 3-1. The defeat continues a trend for the Nighthawks in their meetings with the Panthers: they've now lost six in a row.
While Newtown had to settle for second, they sure made a game of it, scoring at least 18 points in every set they played. The match finished with set scores of 25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 25-19.
Shelton will have to keep a close watch on Eli Sullivan and Dima Frunza, a pair of players who had a big impact on Newtown's prior game. Sullivan had 23 digs and four assists, while Frunza had nine digs and two blocks.
Newtown's loss dropped their record down to 12-4. As for Shelton, they pushed their record up to 11-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday's contest: Shelton hasn't let much over the net this season, having averaged 4.5 blocks per game. However, it's not like Newtown struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.9 blocks. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Shelton came up short against Newtown in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 3-1. Will the Gaels have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other volleyball content.
