MOBILE, Ala., November 4, 2022 – The No. 19-ranked Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team could not have gotten off to a better start at the 2022 Gulf Atlantic District A/B Championship on Friday, winning its first two matches at the Mobile Civic Center to advance through the winner's bracket of the tournament. The Mustangs won in three sets against Lurleen B. Wallace Community College to open the day, and then took down No. 2-seeded Snead State Community College with another sweep. The Mustangs, now riding a 20-match winning streak, improve to 34-6 overall on the season, and are set for a winner's bracket matchup with Wallace State Community College on Saturday.
OPENING ROUND: No. 19 Monroe 3, Lurleen B. Wallace 0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-14)
After an early back-and-forth start, the Mustangs rattled off nine straight points to go up, 13-3, on the Saints in the opening set. The lead dropped to six at 16-10, but the Mustangs picked up the next three to continue to pull away. Monroe took 4-of-5 to close it out and pick up a 25-14 win and a 1-0 lead.
The start of the second frame looked much like the first, with Monroe using a 7-1 run to go up, 12-6. After trading points once again, the Mustangs scored 5-of-6 to take a 20-11 advantage. After a point by the Saints made it 22-13, the Mustangs picked up the last three points of the game to grab a 25-13 victory and a 2-0 edge in the match.
An 8-1 run for the Mustangs early in the third set gave them another 12-6 lead on the Saints. The Mustangs later scored six straight points to push the lead to 10 at 19-9. The Mustangs chipped away from there to eventually reach a final score of 25-14 to make it a clean sweep in the Mustangs' weekend opener.
Leanisse Solano led the team with 13 kills, narrowly missing a double-double with nine digs. Yaliancis Flores was next with eight kills to go with six digs and two aces. Manon Braunsteffer matched Flores' eight kills while hitting an efficient .583 in the win. Rebecca Jackson had five kills and a team-high three blocks. Francesca Andreon dished out 34 assists and picked up eight digs. Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso led the team with 13 digs, as well as two service aces. Laura Paniagua totaled nine digs and four assists.
WINNER'S BRACKET: No. 19 Monroe 3, Snead State 0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-10)
The Mustangs made sure to have the Parsons off balance right from the jump, storming out to a 10-2 lead, which soon became 13-3, in the opening set. Another four-point run later in the game made it an 11-point lead for Monroe at 18-7. The Parsons were able to chip away and get back within six late in the set, but the Mustangs held on to win it by a score of 25-17.
The Mustangs were picking up points in chunks in the second stanza, with a six-point run putting them up, 17-6. Monroe never let it get close, scoring five of the final six points for a 25-10 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Monroe once again got out to a commanding lead in what proved to be the final frame, taking a 9-1 advantage over the Parsons. Snead State later got within seven at 17-10 before the Mustangs caught fire, tallying the final eight points of the evening for another 25-10 win to complete the sweep.
Flores took the lead offensively in this one with a team-high 15 kills, as well as 10 digs to complete a double-double. Solano joined her with 11 kills and 14 digs in the win. Braunsteffer had another eight kills with three more blocks. Andreon totaled 29 assists, nine digs and two blocks. Paniagua picked up a team-high 20 digs while also passing out eight assists and serving up a pair of aces. Izabela Wos led the floor with four total blocks. Serrano Reynoso scooped up nine digs while leading the team with three aces.
After starting a perfect 2-0 at the Gulf Atlantic District A/B Championship, the Mustangs are now set for a winner's bracket matchup with top-seeded Wallace State on Saturday, Nov. 5, with the winner moving on to Sunday's final. That match is set to begin at 2 p.m. EST.
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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