PETERSBURG, Va., October 15, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team ran its winning streak to an impressive 11 matches on Saturday after picking up a pair of victories in a tri-match at Richard Bland College. The Mustangs were pushed to their limit in the opener, but got it done late to win a five-set match against Richard Bland. Monroe then turned things around to pick up a three-set sweep of Montgomery College. Monroe improves to 25-6 overall on the season with the wins.
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, Richard Bland 2 (25-15, 23-25, 25-23, 17-25, 17-15)
Despite falling behind, 4-0, to start the match, the Mustangs quickly turned the tables to take an 8-7 lead, and soon after used another run to go up, 14-11. Six straight points later gave Monroe a 21-13 edge, leading to a 25-15 win to go up, 1-0.
The Statesmen stayed even with the Mustangs in the second game, but managed to take the momentum late to turn Monroe's 19-17 lead into a 20-19 advantage for the home team. With the score even at 23-23, Richard Bland picked up the final two points to win the set and tie the match at 1-1.
The Mustangs looked to be fully in control in the third set and en route to an easy win, but the Statesmen had different plans. The Mustangs reached set point at 24-16, but the Statesmen nearly erased the deficit entirely with seven straight points to get back within one. A kill by
Yaliancis Flores helped Monroe hang on for a 25-23 win, giving the Mustangs a 2-1 edge in the match.
Though the Mustangs held on in the third frame, the Statesmen had all the momentum and used it to go up, 8-1, in the fourth set. Monroe's deficit grew to 16 points when eight straight points by Richard Bland made it a 20-4 game. The Mustangs then went on two big runs, first scoring seven straight points to make it a 21-12 score. Monroe later picking up 5-of-6 points to get within seven, but it was not enough, as the Statemen managed to get one final kill to even up the match at 2-2.
Both teams scored back-and-forth in the deciding fifth set, seeing Richard Bland go up, 13-12, late in the game. Kills by
Vanja Stefanovic and Flores put Monroe back up on at 15-14, but the Statemen got a point to stay alive. A service error gave Monroe match point once again, and Flores made sure it did not slip away with one final kill to secure a 17-15 win to claim the match.
Flores finished with 16 kills and 10 digs for a double-double in Saturday's opener.
Leanisse Solano was next with 13 kills and nine digs of her own. Stefanovic added another nine kills for the Mustangs, as well as three blocks.
Francesca Andreon handed out 35 assists in the match, while
Laura Paniagua led the team with 17 digs, as well as three aces.
Alessia Gallo matched those three aces and also picked up eight digs.
Manon Braunsteffer had a match-high four total blocks, as well as six kills.
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, Montgomery 0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-18)
The Mustangs looked to have a quicker match to close out their day, and got things started on the right foot with an early 8-1 advantage in the opening set against the Raptors. However, Montgomery managed to slowly chip away at the deficit, getting within two at 13-11. The Mustangs picked up 7-of-9 to take a seven-point lead, but five straight by the Raptors once again made it a two-point game. Monroe later reached set point at 24-20, but the Raptors did not make it easy, scoring the next two before a kill by
Rebecca Jackson put it away for Monroe with a 25-22 win.
After the Mustangs went up, 15-10, the Raptors scored four straight to get within one. The Mustangs went on a 6-0 run shortly after to take a 22-15 lead, and then scored the final three points of the set for a 25-16 victory.
The Raptors managed to take an 8-6 lead in the third frame, but the Mustangs scored five straight to take a three-point edge. The Raptors later tied it up at 15-15, but the Mustangs scored 6-of-7 to take a 21-16 advantage. Monroe later took four of the last five points to claim a 25-18 conquest to sweep the match.
Braunsteffer led the team with 12 kills in Saturday's finale, adding a pair of blocks as well. Flores had another double-double with 10 kills and 14 digs. Solano and Jackson matched with seven kills apiece.
Maja Diop dished out a team-high 26 assists, while Andreon added 18 in two sets. Paniagua totaled 22 digs with three assists and two aces.
Gabriela Aimi Zuquelo served up a team-high five aces.
The Mustangs will play next on Tuesday, Oct. 18, when they take a trip down to Bel Air, Md., to take on Harford Community College. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 35 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well 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 11 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).
