NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., October 7, 2021 – In its first home match since early September, the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team dazzled the home crowd at the Monroe Athletic Complex with a three-set victory over Queensborough Community College Thursday evening. The Mustangs improve to 23-4 overall with the win, while the Tigers take their first loss of the season and fall to 7-1.
 
The Mustangs got off to a dominant start on Thursday, scoring the first six points, three via service ace by Lyanis Rios, forcing the Tigers to call an early timeout. Queensborough managed to get on the board, but the score soon reached 12-3 in favor of the Mustangs, prompting the Tigers to use their final timeout of the set. The Mustangs did not miss a beat, picking up another 10 points in a row to go up, 22-3. The Tigers were able to pick up a few points down the stretch, but the Mustangs closed out the opening game with a 25-6 win.
 
The Tigers kept it close at the start of the second set, trailing by just a point at 3-2. The Mustangs then rattled off seven straight points for a 10-2 lead before the Tigers got back on the board. Monroe followed that up by taking 6-of-7 points for a 16-4 edge, leading to a Queensborough timeout. A four-point run later in the game made it a 21-6 advantage for the Mustangs, who eventually went on to claim a 25-8 victory and take a 2-0 lead on the night.
 
It was another hot start for the Mustangs in the third frame, as a 9-3 lead led to Queensborough's first timeout. The Mustangs later used a seven-point run to take a 17-4 edge, pushing the Tigers to the brink. The Tigers got as close as 21-7 late, but the Mustangs closed it out from there with a 25-7 win for the straight set conquest.
 
Alondra Ramos, Leanisse Solano and Yaliancis Flores share the top spot for the night with six kills apiece, while Solano added two blocks and two digs. Tereza Strnadlova followed behind them with five kills. Rios finished with 12 assists and seven aces, while Alisha Callender had 10 assists, seven aces and four digs. Delaney Killeen matched Solano with two blocks on the evening. Laura Paniagua picked up 11 digs to lead the Mustangs.
 
The Mustangs head down to West Virginia for the rest of the weekend for three matches in two days at WVU Potomac State College in Keyser, W.V. They begin their weekend on Friday, Oct. 8, with a 7 p.m. neutral-site match against Southern Maryland College.
 
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).