Freedom's volleyball team may have had a slow start to the spring, but the Patriots have picked things up as of late.

The Patriots recorded their fifth straight win Monday night, defeating Nazareth in three games to keep them in the hunt with division leader Easton. The Pates (5-2, 4-1) are still a game back of Easton (6-1, 4-1), who own a victory over the Pates earlier this year. Head coach John Yanek is pleased with how things have turned around for the Pates as they head into Wednesday's matchup with a talented Northampton (6-1, 4-1) squad."

"We started off inconsistent, but have now settled in and are following the game plan," Yanek said. "We've been working extremely hard in practice to fix mistakes, picking each other up and being positive. We just need to stay mentally tough and work for every point."

Getting back in the win column was important for Freedom after their brief 0-2 start to the year.

"We hit our first mini goal of winning three last week," Yanek said. "We have another mini goal of winning three before the Northampton match on Wednesday."

The Pates have been the bright spot for Bethlehem teams in the Lehigh Valley Conference, as Liberty (2-6, 0-5) and Bethlehem Catholic (2-3, 2-2) have been playing catch-up. Bethlehem Catholic was dealt another loss on Monday night, falling to Northampton (25-16, 25-18, 28-26) to start off the week.

For head coach Jarred Kostic, it's all about the Hawks growing this season.

"I have high expectations with every team I coach," he said. "I knew coming in that this team was inexperienced. We have a ton of potential and just need to play consistent ball. We do some really great things at points and some not so great things at points.

"We just need to play one point at a time and make sure we control the things we can control."

Liberty (3-6, 2-6) snapped a six game skid with a win over Delaware Valley last Friday in three games, before adding Monday's victory in four games over Allen a 23-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-20.

The win gives the Hurricanes some momentum heading into a Thursday tilt with Central Bucks West.