NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 3, 2022 – The No. 20-ranked Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team extended its winning streak to seven matches on Saturday, picking up a pair of victories on the first day of the Monroe College Volleyball Invitational. The Mustangs opened the day with a three-set victory over Montgomery College, and then got back to work nearly seven hours later, defeating Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in straight sets. The Mustangs improve to 11-2 overall with the wins.
MATCH 1: #20 Monroe 3, Montgomery 0 (25-15, 25-8, 25-13)
The early morning start saw the Mustangs struggle at the jump, with Montgomery taking a 6-5 edge. The Mustangs then had a big surge, throwing down seven straight kills, leading to a 9-0 run that put Monroe ahead, 14-6. After a point for the Raptors, Monroe got right back on track with another six straight points for a commanding 20-7 advantage. The Raptors had a late run in the set, but only got as close as nine points, as the Mustangs held on to win the opening frame, 25-15.
The Mustangs and Raptors were knotted up at 3-3 in the second set before the Mustangs went on their first big run of the game, an 11-1 stretch that put Monroe up, 14-4. The Mustangs steadily worked their way toward 25 points and continued to expand upon their lead, eventually picking up a 25-8 win to go up two games to none.
Once again, the third stanza got off to a back-and-forth start, resulting in a 6-6 score early on. The Mustangs quickly turned this into a 13-6 lead. The Raptors later got back within five at 17-12, but Monroe quickly ended the match after that, going on an 8-1 run to win the final set, 25-13.
Yaliancis Flores registered a double-double in the win, leading the team with 12 kills while picking up 11 digs.
Manon Braunsteffer had nine kills and three blocks in the match, while
Leanisse Solano had seven kills to go with nine digs.
Francesca Andreon handed out 17 assists, while
Maja Diop finished with 11, as well as a pair of aces.
Alessia Gallo led the team with 18 digs, while
Laura Paniagua scooped up 15.
MATCH 2: #20 Monroe 3, Fashion Institute of Technology 0 (25-10, 25-10, 25-8)
The Mustangs jumped out to a big 11-1 advantage to kick off the opening set against FIT. The lead was never less than nine points the rest of the way, with Monroe soon turning a 15-6 lead into a 21-7 edge. The Tigers picked up a few more points down the stretch, but the Mustangs closed them out in the opening game with a 25-10 win to go up, 1-0.
Monroe tallied the first eight points of the second stanza before the Tigers got on the board. The Tigers went on an 8-6 run, but the Mustangs turned it back around with an 8-1 stretch to go up, 22-9. The Tigers picked up a point after a timeout, but the Mustangs slammed three straight kills to wrap up the second set with another 25-10 win.
The Mustangs grabbed a 6-0 lead to start off the third frame in Saturday's finale. The lead steadily grew, reaching 10 points at 14-4 and forcing the Tigers to take a timeout at 16-5. The Tigers got back within 10 again at 17-17, but the Mustangs scored five straight, which turned into 8-of-9, to close out the final set with a 25-8 win.
The Mustangs got the entire roster on the court in Saturday's final match. Flores led the team with seven kills and hit .545 in just two sets, adding three aces as well.
Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso followed with six kills and eight digs.
Gabriela Aimi Zuquelo had five kills in the win. Andreon registered 17 assists in the match, while Diop added 14 to go with three aces. Paniagua led the team with 11 digs. Braunsteffer hit 1.000 on three swings, delivered two aces and led the team with three blocks.
Monroe is back at it twice more on Sunday, Sept. 3, on Day 2 of the Monroe College Volleyball Invitational. Monroe opens the day once again, this time against Fayetteville Technical Community College at 9 a.m. The Mustangs then wrap up the day with a 5 p.m. match against Harford Community College.
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).
