NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 27, 2023 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's volleyball teams got its first-ever regular season started on the right foot on Friday, defeating the College of Mount Saint Vincent in three sets at the Monroe Athletic Complex to kick off the inaugural NJCAA men's volleyball season. The Mustangs start the year at 1-0, while Mount Saint Vincent falls to 0-2 on the season.
The Mustangs got off to a hot start, rolling to a 9-1 lead early in the first set. After a couple points for the Dolphins, the Mustangs went on a 7-2 run to go up, 16-4. The Dolphins got one more point before the Mustangs made a statement with the final nine points of the game to take a 25-5 win and go up, 1-0.
The second set got off to a more even start, but after a 3-3 stalemate, the Mustangs scored 6-of-7 to take a 9-4 lead. The Dolphins chipped away a bit to get back within two, but the Mustangs began to run away with an 11-1 run for a commanding 20-8 advantage. The Mustangs did not waiver, rolling to a 25-11 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Monroe kept the momentum going in the third frame, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. After Mount Saint Vincent closed the gap to get within five, the Mustangs began to pull away, with the lead reaching 10 points at 19-9. The Dolphins scored four of the next six points, but the Mustangs responded by taking four of the final five to claim a 25-14 win and their first-ever regular-season victory.
The Mustangs hit .302 in the win, while holding the Dolphins to a -.270 clip.
Noah Liousfi,
Joan Galmes and
Aoki Lopez Fujikawa all matched with a team-high four kills in the win.
Michael Pena,
Joe Kieler and
Devounte Bennett each had three kills.
Timothy Reyes dished out a match-high 17 assists, while
Moises Jimenez contributed five. Galmes, Reyes and
Israel Alonge each had two service aces in Friday's victory. Bennett led the team with a pair of blocks. Jimenez and Kieler both had four digs in the win.
The Mustangs will host a first of its kind tournament next weekend, the Monroe College Men's Volleyball Invitational, featuring all NJCAA teams competing at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The three-day tournament begins on Thursday, Feb. 2, kickoff off with the Mustangs taking on Union College at 12 p.m.
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).
