PETERSBURG, Va., October 14, 2023 – In a rare women's volleyball doubleheader, the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team picked up back-to-back three-set victories over Richard Bland College on Saturday at Statesman Hall. The Mustangs improve their record to 16-8 on the season and run their win streak to nine straight matches and 27 consecutive sets, while the Statesmen fall to 24-6 overall.
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, Richard Bland 0 (25-10, 25-14, 25-16)
The Mustangs got Saturday morning off to a strong start by taking a quick 10-3 lead over the Statesmen in the opening set. Richard Bland was within six before a 5-1 run by Monroe make it an 18-8 game. The Mustangs later scored the final five points of the set to claim a 25-10 win and a 1-0 lead in the opening match.
Monroe carried the momentum of the first set into the next, taking an immediate 10-1 edge. The Statesmen made a run to get back within five, but the Mustangs scored four straight to go ahead, 18-9. Another four in a row helped Monroe reach set point before closing out a 25-14 victory for a two-set lead.
The Mustangs earned another big lead right from the jump in the third frame by scoring the first six points of the game. The Statesmen managed to keep it close for much of the set, remaining within four points at 19-15, but the Mustangs closed out the match with a 6-of-7 run to pick up a 25-16 win.
Gabriela Aimi Zuquelo led the Mustangs with 15 kills in the win, while
Darlenys Olivo was close behind with 13 of her own. Both hitters finished the match with five digs and a block apiece.
Manon Braunsteffer totaled seven kills and three blocks, while
Izabela Wos hit a perfect 1.000 on five swings, adding two blocks as well.
Martina Villani totaled 35 assists, her highest total in a three-set match this season, to go with two aces, four digs and a block.
Alessia Gallo picked up a team-high 16 digs with four assists and an ace.
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, Richard Bland 0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-15)
Saturday's second match proved to be a more tightly contested faceoff than the first one. The Statesmen got an early jump on the Mustangs in the opening set with a 9-6 lead, but Monroe scored four straight to take over. The game was knotted up at 14-14 before a 5-0 run by Monroe, but the home team kept it close with a three-point response. The Mustangs manage to go up, 23-18, which was too much for the Statesmen to overcome, seeing Monroe grab a 25-19 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Richard Bland once again got ahead early in the second stanza with a 5-2 advantage. The score was later tied up at 7-7 before Monroe got in a rhythm and picked up seven consecutive points to take a 14-7 edge. Richard Bland later used a 7-1 run to get back within a point, and later tied things up at 19-19. Monroe responded with a four-point stretch before the Statesmen scored two straight to keep it close at 23-21. The Mustangs then got back-to-back kills by Olivo and Zuquelo to wrap up the second set with a 25-21 victory.
Though the Statesmen grabbed another lead early in the third frame, the Mustangs went on a big run and never looked back. A 5-3 deficit was soon a 12-6 advantage after a 9-1 run. Five straight points later on saw the Mustangs take a commanding 19-8 lead. Richard Bland was able to battle back late in the game, but the Mustangs held off any extended runs to win the final set, 25-15.
Olivo took the lead in Saturday's finale, totaling 11 kills with two blocks and two digs. Braunsteffer threw down nine kills and three blocks in the win. Zuquelo matched her with nine kills. Villani dished out another 32 assists, picked up five digs and led the team with five total blocks. Gallo led the Mustangs with 10 digs.
Morelia Diaz contributed a team-high two aces.
The Mustangs face one big final test for the regular season next weekend when they take a trip out to Council Bluffs, Iowa, for the Dennis South Memorial Classic, hosted by Iowa Western Community College. The Mustangs' five-match weekend begins on Thursday, Oct. 19, when they take on No. 16 Indian Hills Community College at 7 p.m. ET.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 20 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven 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).
