ANNANDALE, Va., September 15, 2017 – Head coach
Nephtali Delgado Reyes secured the 200th win of his career at the helm of the Monroe College women's volleyball team on Friday, as the Mustangs took down both Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and Potomac State College of West Virginia University in straight sets. Delgado Reyes grabbed win 200 after the first victory of the day. The Mustangs improve to 6-2 on the season with Friday's pair of triumphs.
MATCH 1: MONROE 3, Northern Virginia 0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-11)
The Mustangs showed no rust after a lengthy bus ride down to Virginia on Friday, as they quickly jumped out to an 8-1 lead on the host Nighthawks in the opening set. A six-point run later in the frame put Monroe ahead, 22-8, and they later closed it out with the final three points to claim the first game, 25-11.
The Nighthawks took the early advantage in the second stanza, grabbing a 6-4 lead. The Mustangs rattled off the next five points to take control, and later went on a seven-point run to double up NOVA, 16-8. The rest of the set went nearly point-for-point, seeing the Mustangs finish on top, 25-14, to go up 2-0 on the afternoon.
Monroe looked to put the Nighthawks away quickly in the third set, taking a commanding 10-1 edge from the jump. The lead grew to 14 points when the Mustangs held a 19-5 advantage, and they later secured the last four points to close out the match with a 25-11 victory.
The Mustangs were incredibly efficient in Friday's opener, hitting a combined .325 against the Nighthawks, while holding their hosts to a -.088 hitting percentage.
Keyshla Laureano Perez led with eight kills, while
Nerealice Quirindongo added seven of her own.
Brianna Chin hit .667 and contributed six more kills.
Kyra Kaloi and
Danairi Malave matched with four blocks apiece to lead all players.
Nashally Eleutiza picked up a match-high 15 digs, while
Alexis Baer handed out 14 assists and five aces.
MATCH 2: MONROE 3, Potomac State 0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-9)
The Mustangs kept their momentum rolling right through Friday's second match. The opening set started off close, with the Mustangs holding just a two-point lead at 11-9. Just a few moments later, that lead grew to 17-11, and Monroe kept its distance the rest of the way for a 25-17 win.
A seven-point rally put the Mustangs up, 11-3, quickly in the second frame. The lead improved to 21-10 before the Catamounts put four straight points together to get back within seven. The Mustangs responded with four straight points of their own to close out the set and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set three was knotted up early at 4-4 before the Mustangs scored 7-of-8 to take a 10-5 lead. The Catamounts were within four at 12-8 before Monroe scored seven in a row to take a commanding 19-8 advantage. Potomac State scored one more, but the Mustangs then shut the door with the final six points of the evening for a 25-9 win and a clean sweep of the match.
Karla Figueroa hit an impressive .579 with 12 kills and three digs in the win. Laureano Perez added eight kills, while Quirindongo led with three blocks. Baer dished out 18 assists, while
Daline Rios contributed 14 of them.
The Mustangs return home on Tuesday, Sept. 19, when they host Northampton Community College at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Tuesday's match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's rugby, and the newly added club women's rugby team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, will have six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level beginning in the fall of 2017.
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at
www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (
Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (
@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
