BOAZ, Ala., November 2, 2019 – For the second straight year, the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team has battled its way to the final day of the Gulf Atlantic District Championship in Alabama, winning a pair of elimination matches on Saturday at Snead State Community College.
 
Facing elimination the rest of the weekend, the Mustangs stayed alive by defeated Coastal Alabama Community College-South in three sets to open the day. The Mustangs were then challenged by top-seed, and No. 15-ranked Wallace State Community College-Hanceville, the only team the Mustangs were unable to defeat in last year's District Championship. Monroe avenged its losses from last year, staving off a potential comeback by the Lions to win in five sets and move on to Sunday.
 
MATCH 1: #3 MONROE 3, #4 COASTAL ALABAMA 0 (25-7, 25-18, 25-19)
Things could not have gotten off to a better start for the Mustangs on Saturday, as they jumped out to a quick 15-4 lead in the opening set, including an eight-point run to reach that score. A five-point run shortly after made it a 20-5 game, and the Mustangs closed things out swiftly with a 25-7 win to go up, 1-0.
 
The Sun Chiefs were able to gain an early advantage in the second set, outscoring their first game to take an 8-4 lead. The Mustangs slowly chipped away at the deficit before scoring four straight points to take a 13-12 lead. The Mustangs were able to hang on to a narrow lead, and led, 21-18, before finishing things off with four straight points to win, 25-18, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Mustangs gained the edge early in the third frame, taking a 10-4 lead. The Sun Chiefs were able to narrow the gap shortly after, getting within a point at 15-14. Monroe then scored 4-of-5 to take a 19-15 advantage. It was 22-19 late in the set before the Mustangs rattled off the final three points for a 25-19 win and a three-set sweep, eliminating Coastal Alabama from the tournament.
 
Alondra Ramos and Lillian Olson matched for a team-high eight kills in the win. Masoomeh Angooti had five kills, four service aces and 12 digs in the Mustangs' opener on Saturday. Alondra Garcia and Yarianne Gonzalez matched with 14 assists apiece. Melanie Orsini picked up a team-high 15 digs.
 
MATCH 2: #3 MONROE 3, #1 WALLACE STATE-HANCEVILLE 2 (25-19, 25-15, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10)
Wallace State entered the Gulf Atlantic District Championship as the top seed, but dropped a 3-0 decision to Lawson State in its first match of the weekend Friday afternoon. Facing elimination, the Lions picked up a three-set win over Snead State Community College earlier on Saturday to stay alive, setting up an elimination match between the Lions and Mustangs.
 
Riding momentum from their opening win and taking advantage of a couple hours of rest, the Mustangs used a six-point run to take a 16-7 lead over the Lions in the opening set. The Lions managed to chip away at the Mustangs' sizable advantage, but Monroe was able to hang on for a 25-19 win to open the match with a 1-0 lead.
 
The Mustangs were again able to jump into the lead in the second set, going up, 9-5, before the Lions picked up three points to get within one. Five points in a row for Monroe then put the Mustangs ahead by six. The lead kept growing for the underdog Mustangs, who went up by 10 at 22-12, before eventually rolling to a 25-15 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The third set went back-and-forth for a while, reaching a 16-16 stalemate. After the Lions picked up back-to-back points, the Mustangs scored the next three to jump ahead, 19-18. Wallace State then grabbed 4-of-5 points to go up, 22-20, but the Mustangs got the next two to tie it up once again. The Lions then took advantage of three straight Mustang miscues to win the set, 25-22, and keep the match going.
 
The Mustangs took a 10-9 lead in the fourth frame after both teams traded scores. Four straight for the Lions put them ahead by three, and then Wallace State took 3-of-4 to push the lead to 16-12. A four-point run later in the game put the Lions up, 21-15, but the Mustangs took 5-of-7 to get within three at 23-20. The Lions followed by scoring two of the last three points to pick up a 25-21 win and tie the match up at 2-2, forcing a deciding fifth set.
 
Neither team was able to gain a big advantage early in the final set, trading the lead back-and-forth before four straight points by Monroe put the Mustangs ahead, 8-5, before switching sides of the court. The Lions took three of the next four to get within one, but the Mustangs regained the momentum with three straight points to force the Lions to use a timeout with the score at 12-8. Wallace State then took 2-of-3 to get within three, but Monroe coach Nephtali Delgado Reyes chose to use his timeout to figure out a plan to close out the match. Monroe responded with a kill by Giulia La Longa to force match point, and then Angooti served up a timely ace to wrap things up and advance the Mustangs to Sunday.
 
La Longa led the way with 16 kills for the Mustangs, while Ramos followed with 15, as well as three blocks and eight digs. Angooti finished with a double-double, totaling 13 kills and eight digs in the win. Olson finished with 10 kills and three blocks. Chiara Mottola was a force on the front line, tallying six blocks in the match. Zassmine Birdwell threw down eight kills and added three blocks. Orsini picked up a match-high 39 digs. Garcia handed out 35 assists, while Gonzalez passed out another 25.
 
The Mustangs have now advanced to the final day of the Gulf Atlantic District Championship for the second year in a row. The Mustangs are one victory away from earning a bid to the 2019 NJCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship as at least the District B Champions, and three wins from the District A Title. Monroe will take on Lawson State Community College at 11 a.m. EST on Sunday, which fell in Saturday evening's winner's bracket match to Gadsden State Community College. The winner will take on Gadsden State immediately following that match.
 
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).