GAINESVILLE, Fla., August 26, 2022 – Each set got better and better on Friday, as the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team earned a three-set victory over Pensacola State College on the first day of the Campus USA Credit Union/Redpoint Apartments Santa Fe Classic, hosted by Santa Fe College. The Mustangs improve to 6-2 on the season with the win, while the Pirates fall to 2-2.
The Mustangs looked to be in for a battle in the first set, but an early lead proved to be all Monroe needed in the opening game. The Mustangs broke a 3-3 tie with three straight points and managed to keep their distance the rest of the way. The Pirates got within a point at 15-14, but kills by
Leanisse Solano and
Yaliancis Flores held the lead for Monroe. The Pirates got close once more at 23-21, but the Mustangs picked up two of the final three points to claim a 25-22 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Pirates took the first two points of the second stanza, but the Mustangs then put eight straight points on the board to take a sizeable lead. The Mustangs continued to control until a five-point run by Pensacola State made it a four-point game at 15-11. Monroe went back up by seven before another short run by the Pirates once again made it a four-point difference, but the Mustangs finished off the set with 4-of-5 to claim a 25-18 win and go up, 2-0.
The momentum carried over into the final frame for the Mustangs, who ran out to a quick 7-2 advantage. The Pirates scored two straight, but Monroe then went on a 7-1 run to jump ahead, 14-5. An 8-1 stretch for the Mustangs gave them a commanding 22-8 edge, leading to a 25-9 win to close out the match.
Solano had a big match, hitting .458 to lead the team with 13 kills, adding 11 digs to register a double-double. Flores followed with 11 kills to go with six digs.
Vanja Stefanovic was next with eight kills, while
Manon Braunsteffer contributed seven. Both hit .400 in the match.
Francesca Andreon handed out 34 assists in the win. Doriangelis Serrano led the team with 20 digs and six aces.
Rebecca Jackson had a team-high floor blocks in the win.
The Florida trip wraps up on Saturday, Aug. 27, with two more matches for the Mustangs at the Santa Fe Classic. Monroe will open the day against Spartanburg Methodist College at 12 p.m., followed by a 5 p.m. match against host Santa Fe.
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).
