GAINESVILLE, Fla., August 27, 2022 – Two weeks into his 11th season at the helm of the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball, Head Coach
Nephtali Delgado Reyes has reached a major career milestone, winning his 300th match as the Mustangs' head coach. Sitting two wins away heading into the day, the Mustangs picked up a three-set victory over Spartanburg Methodist College (SMC) before a four-set win over host Santa Fe College on the final day of the Campus USA Credit Union/Redpoint Apartments Santa Fe Classic. The Mustangs improve to 8-2 on the season with the wins, having won the final four matches of their Florida trip.
Coach Delgado Reyes entered his 11th campaign with the Mustangs with a 292-86 overall record for an incredible winning percentage of .772. He adds 300 victories to a long list of accomplishments, which includes nine Region Championships, 10 District Championships, seven NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championship appearances, seven District Coach of the Year awards, and plenty more. Coach Delgado Reyes was instrumental in Monroe's transition from NJCAA Div. II to Div. I, and has recently built the Monroe Mustangs men's volleyball program, which is expected to begin competition with the Winter 2023 season.
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, Spartanburg Methodist 0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-13)
The Mustangs fell behind early on in Saturday's opener, as the Pioneers grabbed a 12-8 lead. After calling a timeout, the Mustangs rattled off six straight points to go ahead, 14-12. SMC tied it back up at 15-15, but then the Mustangs turned on the jets, scoring nine straight points and 10-of-11 to close out the opening frame with a 25-16 win.
It was all Mustangs from this point forward in the match. They stormed out to a 12-3 advantage in the second stanza. A 10-point lead became 15 after a five-point run put Monroe up, 23-8. The Pioneers tried to stay in it with four straight points, but the Mustangs held them off with a 25-13 win to go up, 2-0.
Monroe quickly took another big lead in what proved to be the final frame, going up, 10-3, before six straight points made it a 16-4 edge for the Mustangs. The teams traded points down the stretch in the third set, but the Mustangs earned another 25-13 win to pick up the sweep.
The Mustangs hit .239 in the match while holding the Pioneers to a -.008 clip.
Yaliancis Flores led the team with 12 kills to go with her nine digs.
Leanisse Solano was next with 10 kills and eight digs.
Manon Braunsteffer followed with seven kills while matching
Rebecca Jackson for a team-high of three blocks.
Francesca Andreon dished out 25 assists while adding nine digs, two aces, two blocks and two kills.
Laura Paniagua led the team with 16 digs, while
Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso picked up 10 digs and served up three aces.
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, Santa Fe 1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-15)
The Mustangs struggled early in the opening set, falling behind, 8-4. A 5-1 run then knotted things up at 9-9. The game was later tied up at 13-13, but the Saints turned in four straight points. Monroe was within one at 19-18, but another four straight by Santa Fe had the home team up by five. The Mustangs tried to fight back once more, getting within a pair at 23-21, but the Saints got the last two points they needed to win the set, 25-21.
Game two looked to be heading in the same direction, as the Saints jumped out to a 6-2 lead. But the Mustangs found their rhythm, scoring 10 of the next 12 points to take a 12-8 edge. The Mustangs continued their push, going up, 17-10, but the Saints made it close again at 18-16. That was no problem for Monroe, as the Mustangs scored the next three to take a more comfortable lead, hanging on to win, 25-20, and tie the match up at a set apiece.
The momentum continued in the third set for the Mustangs, as they took a big 14-6 advantage midway through the game. The Saints were able to get back within five at 17-12, but that was as close as the Mustangs let them get, rolling to a 25-17 win to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth frame was neck-and-neck early on with a 6-6 tie. The Mustangs never yielded the lead to the Saints, but it remained close at 11-9 until Monroe went on a 5-1 run to take a 16-10 edge. The home team responded with 4-of-5, but the Mustangs made quick work of their hosts from there, scoring 8-of-9 to close out the match with a 25-15 conquest.
Flores had a huge match, totaling 18 kills and 12 digs for a double-double, adding two service aces as well. Solano also registered a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Andreon had a team-high 35 assists. Paniagua picked up a team-high 17 digs to go with two aces and two assists. Serrano Reynoso once again had three aces for the Mustangs, adding nine digs as well. Braunsteffer totaled five kills and three blocks in the win.
The Mustangs now come back home for the week. They will host St. Joseph's College-L.I. on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at the Monroe Athletic Complex for a 7 p.m. match. Monroe will then host the Monroe College Volleyball Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 3, and Sunday, Sept. 4, with five matches to be played each day at the MAC.
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).
