PETERSBURG, Va., September 25, 2021 – The hot streak lives on for the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team, which grabbed two more wins on Saturday at a tri-match at Richard Bland College for its 11th and 12th straight victories. The Mustangs defeated host Richard Bland in three sets to open the day before picking up a straight set win over Div. II No. 17 Catawba Valley Community College. The Mustangs improve to 18-3 overall with two more wins.
 
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, Richard Bland 3 (25-8, 25-15, 25-21)
The opening set saw Richard Bland took an early 4-3 lead, but the Mustangs quickly turned that around with five straight points to go up, 8-4. Shortly after, a 10-point run by Monroe gave the visitors a commanding 18-5 edge, which they eventually turned into a 25-8 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Richard Bland once again got an early lead in the second stanza, but seven straight points by the Mustangs put them up, 7-2. The lead continued to expand, with a four-point run pushing Monroe's lead to 19-11. The teams traded points from there, resulting in a 25-15 win for Monroe to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Richard Bland held a 12-9 lead in the third game before the Mustangs scored 7-of-8 points to go on top, 16-13. The home team kept it close, staying within three at 23-20, but Monroe managed to close out the match with a 25-21 win.
 
Leanisse Solano led the Mustangs with 12 kills in the win, adding two aces and five digs. Yaliancis Flores was next with 10 kills and five digs of her own, as well as two blocks. Alisha Callender threw down seven kills, dished out 16 assists, served up a pair of aces, registered two blocks and picked up six digs. Valeria Trinidad had a team-high three blocks. Lyanis Rios handed out 16 assists and grabbed six digs. Valeria Negron led the team with 11 digs, while Laura Paniagua had 10 digs, two aces and seven assists.
 
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, Catawba Valley 0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-17)
Even playing two matches in a row could not stop the Mustangs on Saturday. They were never in danger in Saturday's finale, winning the three sets by scores of 25-16, 25-9 and 25-17.
 
Alondra Ramos led the Mustangs in their second match of the day with eight kills and a pair of blocks, hitting a team-high .412 in the win. Callender hit a double-double with 12 assists and 16 digs, adding six kills and three aces as well. Solano and Flores matched Callender's six kills, while Solano also had 12 digs. Rios finished with 12 assists and three digs, while Paniagua picked up 13 digs and handed out four assists.
 
The Mustangs will take a trip out to Long Island on Monday, Sept. 27, to take on St. Joseph's College – LI at 7 p.m. They will then head down to Florida for the rest of the week.
 
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).