(PARIS) — The Newton volleyball team had to wait until the final night of Little Illini Conference play, but the Eagles finally made their way back to the top of the league standings.

Thursday night, Newton defeated Paris, 2-0, to finish 6-1 in LIC games, good for a first-place tie with Mt. Carmel in the final standings. The Eagles have figured into the title picture, either won or shared, in nine of the last 10 years. This year, however, after losing to Mt. Carmel, 2-1, at home on Oct. 7, the Eagles had to battle their way back through the standings. They defeated Marshall on Oct. 9 and Olney on Oct. 16 to set the stage for the Paris game.

Mt. Carmel, which has now shared the LIC crown in three of the last four years, has never won it outright. The Golden Aces had lost to Casey-Westfield , 2-0, in their third conference start of the season on Sept. 25.

Elsewhere on Thursday, Casey-Westfield defeated Olney, 2-0, and Marshall beat Lawrenceville, 2-1.

There are non-conference games involving Olney and Casey-Westfield sscheduled for Saturday, then IHSA state tournament play begins Monday with play at the regional level.

Newton became the third LIC team to reach the 20-win plateau on Thursday. Paris and Marshall each have 22 wins overall to lead the way.