COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa, October 19, 2023 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team opened its weekend at the Dennis South Memorial Classic in grand fashion, as the Mustangs took down No. 18-ranked Indian Hills Community College in three sets on Thursday at Iowa Western Community College's Reiver Arena. The Mustangs continue to roll with their 10th straight win and 30th consecutive set victory, improving their record to 17-8 overall, while the Warriors drop to 24-9.
The Mustangs showed no ill effects from their travel to Iowa, opening up Thursday's match with a quick 10-5 lead over the Warriors. They then went on a big 10-1 run to take a commanding 20-7 lead. The Warriors tried to chip away at the deficit, but it was too big a gap to close, as the Mustangs won the opening frame by a convincing 25-13 score.
The tables appeared to turn in the second stanza, as Indian Hills rolled to a 14-6 advantage on the Mustangs. Monroe later used a 5-0 run to make it a three-point game at 17-14, but the Warriors managed to hold off the Mustangs until taking a 24-18 lead to force set point. The Mustangs took the next three points, two of which via
Darlenys Olivo kill, to force Indian Hills to use a timeout. Olivo had another kill on the other side of the break to keep the Mustangs alive, and then an ace by
Francesca Andreon brought Monroe within one. Olivo and
Ariana De Jesus combined for a block to tie the set at 24-24. Olivo had another block on the next point to put the Mustangs ahead, and then an attack error by the Warriors ended the game, giving the Mustangs an improbable comeback victory, 26-24, to take a two-set lead.
The third frame was neck-and-neck to start, as the two teams reached a 9-9 stalemate early on. The Mustangs then scored 6-of-7 to go up, 15-10. The Mustangs began scoring two points for every one for the Warriors, continuously expanding the lead before reaching set point at 24-17. Indian Hills stayed alive after a service error, but
Manon Braunsteffer threw down one final kill to end the match with a 25-18 win.
Olivo finished with 13 kills, five digs and three blocks in the win.
Gabriela Aimi Zuquelo was close behind, narrowly missing a double-double with 10 kills and nine digs to go with three blocks of her own. Braunsteffer was a brick wall on the net on Thursday, making eight blocks with nine kills in a big night for the sophomore.
Martina Villani and Andreon had matching 18-assist, two-ace, one-block evenings.
Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso contributed eight digs, three aces, two blocks and two kills.
Alessia Gallo picked up eight digs and served up an ace. De Jesus finished with three blocks.
The Mustangs will look to keep their streak going on Friday, Oct. 20, when they take on a pair of tough opponents in Missouri State University-West Plains and Hutchinson Community College back-to-back in the afternoon. The first of those two matches will begin at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT).
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).
