NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 4, 2022 – Make it nine straight victories for the No. 20-ranked Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team after picking up a pair of three-set victories over Fayetteville Technical Community College and Harford Community College on Sunday on the final day of the Monroe College Volleyball Invitational at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 13-2 overall with the pair of wins.
MATCH 1: #20 Monroe 3, Fayetteville Tech 0 (25-10, 25-20, 25-8)
Play was even early in the first set on Sunday, with both teams knotted up at 6-6. Three straight points by the Mustangs forced the Trojans to take a timeout, but Monroe still turned that into a 9-1 run to take a 15-7 lead. 15-8 quickly became 23-8 with eight straight points for the Mustangs, who went on to claim a 25-10 win to go up, 1-0.
The second stanza was neck-and-neck until the midway point, with the Mustangs and Trojans tied up at 15-15. Fayetteville Tech scored three straight and looked to have the momentum, but the Mustangs quickly turned the tables with the next four points to jump back into the lead. With the score tied again at 19-19, The Mustangs scored four straight and 6-of-7 to close out the game with a 25-20 win to go up two sets to none.
The Mustangs had a 5-4 lead in the third frame before tallying eight straight points for a commanding 13-4 advantage. They continued to have a big lead throughout the set, but still managed to close out the match with another eight-point run, earning a 25-8 win for the sweep.
Francesca Andreon registered a double-double in the win with 25 assists and 10 digs.
Yaliancis Flores threw down nine kills and picked up eight digs.
Leanisse Solano,
Vanja Stefanovic and
Manon Braunsteffer each had seven kills and a block in the win.
Rebecca Jackson paired six kills with two blocks.
Laura Paniagua led the team with 12 digs.
Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso served up a team-high four aces.
MATCH 2: #20 Monroe 3, Harford 0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-16)
The Mustangs jumped out to an early 8-3 lead in the opening game in Sunday's finale. The Fighting Owls kept it close, but Monroe turned a 17-13 lead into a 22-14 edge before Harford used a timeout. The Mustangs took three of the final four points after that to go up, 1-0, with a 25-15 win.
Monroe once again took an early lead in the second set and never looked back. After Harford cut the deficit to 10-7, Monroe scored the next four to double up the Fighting Owls, 14-7. The lead reached double-digits after four straight points put Monroe up, 19-9. The Fighting Owls picked up one more point, and then the Mustangs rattled off five straight to reach set point. Harford stayed alive after an attack error by Monroe, but a kill by
Kiara Figueroa put Harford away to put Monroe up, 2-0.
Harford put the first point of the third set on the board, but that was followed by five straight for the Mustangs. Monroe later led 11-6 before scoring 9-of-10 to take a 20-7 advantage. The Fighting Owls kept battling, picking up eight of the next nine points to make it a 21-15 game. Monroe then took over once more, closing it out with 4-of-5 for a 25-16 win and a three-set victory.
Braunsteffer led the team with 10 kills and two blocks in the weekend's final match. Flores was next with seven kills, while
Rebecca Jackson,
Leanisse Solano and
Vanja Stefanovic each contributed five. Andreon tossed around 24 assists, while
Maja Diop added 11 herself, as well as three aces. Paniagua picked up a team-high 14 digs.
Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso totaled four aces, four digs and two kills.
The Mustangs will head back on the road next weekend, taking a trip out to Twin Falls, Idaho, for the Starr Corporation Invite, hosted by College of Southern Idaho. They will begin a five-match weekend on Thursday, Sept. 8, when they take on host Southern Idaho at 9 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 (
Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
