COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa, October 15, 2021 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team had this weekend circled on the calendar all season long, knowing it would be one of their greatest tests of the season. The Mustangs opened up play at the Dennis South Memorial Classic, hosted by Iowa Western Community College, against No. 10 New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) and No. 19 Indian Hills Community College on Friday. Monroe suffered a close four-set defeat to NMMI to start the day, but bounced back in the evening with a three-set victory over Indian Hills. The Mustangs move to 27-5 overall on the season with the split.
 
MATCH 1: #10 New Mexico Military, Monroe 1 (21-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-14)
The Mustangs were off to a great start in Friday's first match. After a back-and-forth start in the opening frame, four straight points for Monroe put the Mustangs ahead of the Broncos, 10-7. NMMI later tied the game at 13-13, but the Mustangs then took 4-of-5 to regain a three-point advantage. It was once again tied up at 20-20 late in the set, but the Mustangs took back the momentum and picked up five of the last six points to take a 25-21 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Monroe fell into an early 6-2 hole in the second stanza, but later used a seven-point rally to take a 14-9 edge. The Broncos turned it around with six straight points of their own to go back up, 15-14. Another big run for NMMI left Monroe down, 20-15. Facing set point at 24-18, the Mustangs took advantage of some mistakes by the Broncos to get back within two, but the Broncos got one more kill to close out a 25-22 win to tie the match.
 
The Broncos once again jumped out to an early lead, this time going up, 8-2. The Mustangs trailed for most of the game, but a late four-point run put the Mustangs ahead for the first time in the third set, 20-19. The Mustangs ended up reaching set point at 24-22, but the Broncos were able to turn the tables back in their favor, scoring three straight to go up, 25-24. The Mustangs tied again, but the Broncos picked up the next two for a 27-25 win and a 2-1 lead over Monroe.
 
NMMI once again jumped out to a 6-1 edge in the fourth frame. The Broncos later scored nine straight points for an 18-7 lead, eventually holding on for a 25-14 victory to win the match, 3-1.
 
Yaliancis Flores led Monroe in their first match of the day with 15 kills, adding seven digs and a block. Alisha Callender had a double-double with 15 assists and 12 digs, while also registering five kills, three aces and three total blocks. Alondra Ramos threw down seven kills and matched Valeria Trinidad with four total blocks to lead the team. Leanisse Solano added six kills, two blocks, two aces and nine digs. Lyanis Rios led the Mustangs with 17 assists and had two aces of her own. Laura Paniagua picked up a team-high 29 digs.
 
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, #19 Indian Hills 0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-23)
Coming off a close match against the 10th-ranked Broncos, the Mustangs were determined to leave Friday with a win. They came out firing in the first frame, galloping out to a 13-7 advantage. The Warriors got as close as 18-14 late, but the Mustangs rattled off seven straight points to close out the set with a 25-14 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The Mustangs looked to have control of the second set once again, but an 8-4 lead was quickly erased with four straight points by Indian Hills. The Mustangs responded with five in a row, but four for the Warriors made it a one-point game at 13-12. After a 14-14 stalemate, Monroe scored 5-of-6 to take a 19-15 edge. After going up, 24-21, the Mustangs lost the next two points, but managed to get one more with a kill by Callender to hang on for a 25-23 victory and a 2-0 advantage.
 
The Mustangs got the early jump on the Warriors once again in the third set with a quick 6-1 lead, but Indian Hills came right back and got within one at 7-6. The Mustangs rebounded with 6-of-7 for a 13-7 edge, but the Warriors matched that run to once again draw within a point. The set was tied up at 20-20, but the Mustangs took three of the next four for a 23-21 lead. The Warriors picked up the next two points to tie things up, but Monroe closed it out with the final two points for another 25-23 conquest and a clean sweep of the Warriors.
 
Ramos and Flores matched with 11 kills apiece in the win, with Ramos hitting a team-best .375. Flores completed a double-double with 10 digs. Solano was next with eight kills, adding five digs. Callender and Rios matched for a team-high 16 assists. Paniagua totaled 27 digs, seven assists and four aces in the win.
 
The Mustangs head into another challenging day on Saturday, Oct. 16, as they wrap things up at the Dennis South Memorial Classic with two more matches against nationally ranked opponents. They open Saturday against Division II's No. 5-ranked team, Johnson County Community College, at 2 p.m. EST, followed by a match against the tournament hosts, No. 2 Iowa Western, at 4 p.m. EST.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 39 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 18 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 Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).