ORANGE PARK, Fla., October 22, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball is a perfect 4-0 so far at the St. Johns River Viking Invitational after a pair of three-set victories over Lurleen B. Wallace Community College and St. Johns River State College on Saturday, running Monroe's winning streak to 16 straight victories. The Mustangs improve to 30-6 overall with the wins.
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, Lurleen B. Wallace 0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-13)
After taking a quick lead in the opening set, the Mustangs fell behind the Saints shortly after, 6-5. They then took 5-of-6 to take a 10-7 edge, but the Saints got the next two to stay within one. The Mustangs responded with seven consecutive points to go up by eight. They later closed out the set with five straight points for a 25-13 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second stanza got off to a back-and-forth start, seeing Lurleen B. Wallace go up, 8-7. The Mustangs then took five in a row and 6-of-7 to take a 13-9 lead. A six-point run shortly after made it a 19-11 score. The Saints worked their way back a bit later in the game, but the Mustangs halted their opponents' run with the final three points of the set to take a 2-0 lead after a 25-17 win.
The Saints scored the first point of the third frame, but then the Mustangs scored the next 12 to take a huge lead. The Saints made it as close as five points at 16-11, but Monroe did not let them get any closer. The Mustangs once more scored the final five points of the game, closing out the match with another 25-13 win to secure their 15th straight victory.
Yaliancis Flores and
Manon Braunsteffer were incredibly efficient in Saturday's first match. Flores hit .727 en route to a match-high 16 kills, while Braunsteffer hit .714 with 10 kills. Flores added eight digs, two blocks and an ace in a stellar match.
Francesca Andreon passed out 27 assists with five digs.
Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso picked up a team high 11 digs while also leading the team with four aces.
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, St. Johns River 0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-23)
The opening set of Monroe's second match of the day looked much like the first, as the home team was able to get an early edge at 5-4. The Mustangs soon took the lead, and eventually separated themselves from the Vikings with five straight points that put them up, 16-10. The lead peaked at nine points at 21-12, and again at 24-15 before the Mustangs wrapped up the first set with a 25-17 win.
The second set was once again neck-and-neck early on, with the Mustangs and Vikings knotted up at 9-9. The Mustangs then scored 6-of-7 to take a 15-10 advantage. The Mustangs kept their distance, leading by as many as seven at 20-13 before picking up a 25-22 win.
Another close set saw the Vikings take an early 11-8 lead, but the Mustangs quickly closed the gap. The Vikings led for most of the game, including a late 21-19 edge, but the Mustangs scored the next three to take the lead. After a 22-22 stalemate, the Mustangs picked up the next two to reach match point, though the Vikings delayed it with one more point. The Mustangs then got a kill from Braunsteffer to hang on for the 25-23 victory to sweep the match.
Leanisse Solano took the lead in Saturday's finale with 10 kills, adding three digs in the win. Flores threw down another nine kills to go with eight digs and three blocks. Andreon dished out 30 assists with nine digs in the match.
Laura Paniagua and Serrano Reynoso matched for a team-high 15 digs, while Paniagua led the team with four aces.
The Mustangs will close out their weekend in Florida with one more match on Sunday, Oct. 23, when they take on Lake-Sumter State College. The match is set to begin at 11 a.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 (
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