NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., August 20, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team played 12 sets this weekend at the Monroe Preseason Invitational, winning them all to start the year 4-0. Monroe capped off the weekend with three-set victories over Nassau Community College and Frederick Community College on Saturday at the Monroe Athletic Complex.
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, Nassau 0 (25-7, 25-5, 25-5)
The Mustangs made quick work of the Lions in the opening set, rolling to a 25-7 win after getting off to a dominant 15-1 start in the set. The Mustangs then rattled off 14 straight points to start the second stanza, going up as many as 20 points down the stretch to pick up a 25-5 win. It happened once more in the final frame, with the Mustangs going up, 13-1, to eventually close things out with another 25-5 victory.
Gabriela Aimi Zuquelo,
Kiara Figueroa and
Izabela Wos all matched with six kills in the win. Aimi Zuquelo had five aces, while Figueroa added four.
Maja Diop dished out 28 assists while serving up eight aces.
Laura Paniagua led the team with 19 digs, adding two aces as well.
Rebecca Jackson and
Vanja Stefanovic each had five kills, with Stefanovic doing so in just one set.
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, Frederick 0 (25-8, 25-9, 25-16)
A back-and-forth start saw the Mustangs and Cougars knotted up at 5-5 in the first set. The Mustangs then scored four straight on three kills and an ace. A 9-6 score quickly turned into a 17-7 edge for the Mustangs, who managed to keep their momentum from the morning nearly seven hours later. After one more point by the Cougars, Monroe took the final eight points of the game to pick up a 25-8 win and lead the match, 1-0.
Monroe continued to roll in the second set, going up 19-4 late in the game. The Cougars managed to get five more points down the stretch, but the Mustangs were never in danger, earning a 25-9 win to go up two sets to none.
The third frame was tight in the early goings, with Monroe holding a narrow 12-9 advantage on the Cougars. The Mustangs then went on a 6-1 run to go up by eight. The two teams went back-and-forth to close it out, with the Mustangs grabbing a 25-16 win to cap off a perfect weekend.
Leanisse Solano led the Mustangs with eight kills in the win, adding three aces.
Yaliancis Flores threw down six kills, while each of Jackson, Stefanovic,
Manon Braunsteffer and Kiara Figuerao had three.
Francesca Andreon passed out 15 assists, while Diop registered 12.
Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso served up a team-best six aces, while
Alessia Gallo had four. Paniagua picked up nine digs to lead the team.
Monroe will look to take the momentum from a flawless weekend with them down south, as they head to Florida next week for a pair of challenging tournaments. The week will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 24, when the Mustangs play twice in the Daytona State College Tournament. They open against Eastern Florida State College at 1 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. match against Daytona State.
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).
