TAMPA, Fla., October 19, 2019 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team saw its 14-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday in a pair of challenging matches during its weekend trip to Florida. The Mustangs pushed No. 13 College of Central Florida to its limit in an 11 a.m. match in Ocala, Fla., but ultimately fell in five sets. Monroe then traveled to Tampa for a 6 p.m. match at No. 14 Hillsborough Community College, where they dropped a three-set match. The Mustangs fall to 18-10 on the season with the pair of defeats.
 
MATCH 1: #13 CENTRAL FLORIDA 3, MONROE 2 (17-25, 25-18, 16-25, 25-13, 15-9)
Saturday's first match at Central Florida got off to a back-and-forth start, reaching a 7-7 tie early in the first set. The Mustangs then scored 7-of-8 points to take a 14-8 advantage. Monroe pushed the lead to eight at 18-10 and later led the Patriots, 22-13, before closing things out with a 25-17 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The Patriots jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second set, but three straight points by the Mustangs got them back within one. The Patriots then pushed its lead to six at 14-8 and eventually went up by nine at 20-11. The Mustangs made a small push late, but were unable to get close enough, falling 25-18 in the second frame to see the match draw even at 1-1.
 
Monroe turned things around quickly in the third game, running out to a 10-3 edge over the Patriots. The Mustangs continued to have control of the third stanza, extending their lead to 11 points at 19-8 before eventually grabbing a 25-16 win to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Central Florida bounced back in the fourth frame, taking an 8-3 lead early on. The lead grew to as many as 12 points at 17-5, and finished up with that margin at 25-13, forcing a deciding fifth set.
 
The final set opened up with a 4-4 stalemate, but a six-point run by the Patriots put them ahead, 8-4, before switching sides. The Patriots were able to keep their momentum going in the second half of the set, picking up a 15-9 win for a comeback 3-2 victory in the match.
 
Alondra Ramos led the Mustangs with 10 kills in the match, while Masoomeh Angooti and Zassmine Birdwell each threw down seven. Angooti added 11 digs and three aces in the match. Yarianne Gonzalez had a team-high 19 assists, while Alondra Garcia passed out 17 of her own. Gonzalez completed a double-double in the match by adding 19 digs as well. Melanie Orsini led the team with 20 digs.
 
MATCH 2: #14 HILLSBOROUGH 3, MONROE 0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-19)
The Mustangs trekked down to Tampa for a 6 p.m. match against No. 14 Hillsborough after a long first match to start the day. Monroe fell into an early 12-5 hole in the opening frame, but four straight points got them back within three. A seven-point run for the Hawks then made it 21-11, and the home team held on to win the opening set, 25-16, to take a 1-0 lead.
 
The Hawks took a quick 6-2 lead in the second set, but the Mustangs scored four in a row to tie it up at 6-6. After Hillsborough held a 13-10 lead, a six-point stretch for the home team made it 19-10. The Hawks then took 6-of-7 to close out the game with a 25-12 win.
 
The Mustangs fell behind in the third frame, 14-5. The Mustangs then began to chip away at the deficit, eventually getting within four at 17-13. Hillsborough then turned the tables again to force match point at 24-15, but the Mustangs kept fighting with four straight points. A service error unfortunately ended the Mustangs' run, giving the Hawks a 25-19 win to claim a three-set victory.
 
Giulia La Longa had a team-high seven kills in the match, while Lillian Olson added six. Birdwell threw down four kills and registered three blocks. Garcia and Gonzalez passed out 11 and 10 assists, respectively. Orsini led the Mustangs with nine digs.
 
A challenging weekend concludes for the Mustangs on Sunday, Oct. 20, when they visit 12th-ranked St. Petersburg College. The match is set to begin at 12 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 12 teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
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).