NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 13, 2019 – On the second day of the Monroe College Volleyball Invitational at the Monroe Athletic Complex, which included six total matches, the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team split its matches, dropping a 3-1 decision to St. Johns River State College before bouncing back with a 3-0 victory over Northern Virginia Community College. The Mustangs move to 4-7 on the season with the split.
 
MATCH 1: ST. JOHNS RIVER 3, MONROE 1 (25-17, 25-23, 24-26, 25-11)
The opening set got off to a fairly even start, reaching a 10-10 score early on. The Vikings then rattled off four straight to go up, 14-10, forcing Monroe to take a timeout. After St. Johns River took a 16-11 advantage, the Mustangs won 4-of-5 to get within two at 17-15. Things then turned back in favor of the Vikings, who took eight of the final 10 points for a 25-17 win.
 
The second game looked just like the first, once again reaching a 10-10 stalemate. The Mustangs took a 15-14 lead before three straight points by the Vikings led to a timeout for Monroe. The Vikings held a 19-16 lead before the Mustangs scored the next four to go up, 20-19. The Vikings were then able to reach set point with a 24-22 lead, but the Mustangs got one to keep the game going. The Vikings then put it away on the next point for a 25-23 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Mustangs jumped ahead early in the third frame, holding a 13-8 lead, and later, a 14-10 advantage. The Vikings evened the match at 14-14, but Monroe was able to take a 19-16 edge shortly after. The Vikings closed the gap at 22-22, and the match later reached a 24-24 score, requiring extra points to decide the winner. The Mustangs picked up the final two points of the set, taking a 26-24 win to keep the match going.
 
The Vikings took a 10-5 advantage early in the fourth set to cause Monroe to take its first timeout. The Vikings continued to have control throughout the game, rolling to a 25-11 win to pick up a 3-1 match victory.
 
Zassmine Birdwell threw down a team-high 10 kills in the match. Alondra Ramos and Juliana Minota matched with six kills apiece, while Ramos added 14 digs. Yarianne Gonzalez provided 19 assists, while Masoomeh Angooti added 10, as well as three aces. Melanie Orsini had a team-best 17 digs.
 
MATCH 2: MONROE 3, NORTHERN VIRGINIA 0 (25-16, 25-6, 25-14)
The Mustangs rolled to a 10-2 lead to kick off their second match of the day. The Nighthawks then clawed their way back, getting within two points at 16-14 to force the Mustangs to burn a timeout. The Mustangs took the next three points off their break, causing the Nighthawks to take a timeout of their own with Monroe ahead by five. The momentum never swung back toward the Nighthawks, as the Mustangs picked up a 25-16 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Monroe had another big start in the second set, scoring the first eight points and taking an 11-1 lead. The Mustangs never yielded in the second frame, trotting to a 25-6 win and a 2-0 lead.
 
After some even play at the start, the Mustangs began to pull away with a four-point run that put them up, 9-5, in the third set. Six straight points later on gave the Mustangs a 16-8 advantage, and another four points shortly after put Monroe ahead by 11. The Mustangs closed it out with a 25-14 win to wrap up the three-set victory.
 
Birdwell and Minota each had eight kills in the match, with Minota leading the way with a .438 hitting percentage. Gonzalez passed out 23 assists, while Orsini finished with 16 digs. Orsini also had a team-high six aces.
 
The Monroe College Volleyball Invitational wraps up with five more matches on Saturday, Sept. 14, beginning with Nassau Community College vs. St. John's River at 9 a.m. The Mustangs' will play their only match of the day at 5 p.m. against Catawba Valley Community College.
 
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).