GameTime CT

Connecticut's premier high school sports website

Girls Volleyball

Nowacki, Newtown hold off New Milford for SWC North title, perfect season

|

NEWTOWN — Sarah Nowacki and her Newtown volleyball teammates ended the season on top, capturing a long-awaited title with a 3-1 victory over New Milford to claim the SWC North Championship Friday.

Newtown claimed its first SWC title since 2011 and completed its season 14-0, losing just four sets.

“It feels really good, this whole season this is what we wanted,” Nowacki said. “In years past it hasn’t happened, but this year our team chemistry was so good and I am so happy to end it with this team.”

Newtown was propelled by Nowacki’s match-leading 20 kills and sophomore Keyera Smith’s six kills and four aces.

“Sarah has been a starter for us since her sophomore year,” Newtown coach Tom Czaplinski said. “She has been a rock for us, especially this season. I don’t know if we go undefeated without her. She has been the one that has kept the team together and she is fun to watch.”

Newtown decisively took the first set 25-8, and jumped ahead to a 2-0 lead after winning the second set 25-27.

In the third set Newtown forced championship point with a 24-19 lead, but New Milford showed its resilience.

“I just told the girls, we’ve had seasons where we won more games or had a better percentage,” New Milford coach Tony Nocera said. “But this team, the way they carry themselves, the way they fight. The positivity and confidence they play with is the best I’ve ever had.”

On the brink of elimination, New Milford won five consecutive championship points to even the score before taking the next two points to claim the third set.

“It is going to sound corny, but I wasn’t surprised,” Nocera said. “They do that all the time. They just keep on and that’s why I love them. They don’t quit, and coaches say that all the time, but that set was an example right there.”

Newtown refused to let momentum swing in the fourth set however, fighting off another New Milford comeback attempt with a 23-17 lead.

Though New Milford closed the gap, Newtown finished what it had set out to do, denying the Green Wave 25-22.

“It was a fun night, we played against a great team and to win was even better,” Czaplinski said. “I think with the way that everything has been, for us to come out here and remain undefeated was something special to be a part of this year.”

Nowacki and her four fellow seniors suffered losses in the 2017 and 2018 SWC finals at the hands of Joel Barlow, which has dominated the league, having won eight years in a row.

While Newtown was fighting for the SWC North title, Barlow was in the midst of capturing the SWC South title over Masuk, a team it had lost to twice this season.

Newtown did not have an opportunity to play Barlow this season.

“We know the spring teams didn’t get to a chance to play at all and we don’t know what the future holds for winter and spring again,” Czaplinski said. “There is disappointment, but at the same time, to be able to have a season is something that the girls will always remember.”

Rather than focusing on uncontrollable factors, Newtown players appreciated the opportunities they were given.

“When I found out that we were only going to play half of the SWC, I was upset,” Nowacki said. “But this team really came together knowing we can’t control it, so we focused on doing what we can and played as hard as we can every day.”

Czaplinski noted that his Newtown team largely benefited from strong team chemistry in the unorthodox season.

“I think the comradery on the team was one of the biggest things for us this year,” said. “The girls just got along, they were all pushing for each other. It didn’t matter who was playing and who was sitting, I think just being a team and being around each other was the best thing this year.”