It’ll be a battle of the unbeatens when Freedom and Bethlehem Catholic square off on the court this week in girls volleyball.

The Patriots (6-0) and Hawks (8-0) have a Tuesday-Thursday series this week, in what should be the best showdown in the conference over the next few days.

“There is no doubt that Beca is the team to beat this season in our division,” said Freedom head coach Donna Roman. “They had no major player losses from last season and added a strong player from Stroudsburg, Jodi Hewitt. They are a strong offensive and defensive threat and we are looking forward to the challenge. We expect dynamic play on both sides of the net and the match will certainly be a barometer as we close with rival Liberty and proceed into a very competitive postseason.”

Freedom has had little trouble opening the season in wins over Northampton, Nazareth and Easton. They’ve only lost two games so far this season, which is a pleasant surprise for Roman, considering the circumstances this year.

“I envisioned a strong start based on having an experienced starting lineup, but feared a little “learning curve” based on limited indoor practice time due to Covid regulation in the school district,” Roman said. “I am very proud of our girls’ maturity to make the most of each practice and grow as a team.”

Becahi has beaten Central Catholic, Easton, Liberty and Nazareth so far, falling only three times in games this year.

With both teams sitting near the top of the standings in their respective District 11 4A and 3A power ratings, this week’s back-to-back tests will be good competition for both programs.

“The hardest thing about playing teams back-to-back is everyone’s play is fresh in the mind,” said Roman. “It is important to not be overconfident after wins nor defeated after a loss, and it is important to remember that opponents may be organizing their practices based on what they saw from your team just the day prior. It allows teams to key on players or exploit weaknesses more than a typical season.”

Liberty (3-3) hopes they can string together wins this week, as they take on Easton in a series. The Hurricanes knocked off Northampton twice last week to stop a three-game losing streak.

Two wins this week would help push them in the right direction before taking on Freedom next week.