ROCKVILLE, Md., September 27, 2019 – After eight days off, the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team had no rust to shake off, taking down Montgomery College-Rockville in three sets Friday evening to kick off the team's weekend trip to the Maryland/Virginia area. The Mustangs improve to 6-8 with the win, while the Raptors take both their first set losses and first match loss to fall to 11-1.
 
The opening set was close from the start, reaching an 11-11 stalemate. Monroe then scored four straight points to take a 15-11 edge. After a point by the Raptors cut Monroe's lead to three at 19-16, the Mustangs caught fire and picked up the final six points of the game for a 25-16 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The Mustangs immediately jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, but the lead slowly shrank until the Mustangs were up by just one at 11-10. Four straight points then put Monroe up by five and forced the Raptors to take a timeout. The Raptors scored a point to halt the streak, but the Mustangs started a new one with six straight points to go up, 21-11. The Mustangs finished up the game with that same 10-point lead for a 25-15 win to go up, 2-0.
 
Once again, the Mustangs kicked off the third frame with a 4-0 lead. Monroe later led, 15-11, before a five-point run put the Mustangs up, 20-11. Four points by the Raptors made it a five-point game, but the Mustangs grew closer and closer before reaching the final score of 25-18 to pick up the 3-0 victory.
 
Giulia La Longa led the Mustangs with 13 kills in the win, adding a pair of blocks and a pair of digs. Chiara Mottola and Lillian Olson each registered eight kills, while Olson picked up 10 digs. Yarianne Gonzalez passed around 18 assists, while Alondra Garcia added 12 of them. Melanie Orsini scooped up a team-high 23 digs while adding five assists and two aces.
 
The Mustangs will play twice more in Virginia tomorrow, Sept. 28, in a tri-match at Richard Bland College. The Mustangs open against Richard Bland at 10 a.m., followed shortly after by a match against Northern Virginia 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).