COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa, October 20, 2023 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team pushed its winning streak to 11 matches on Friday with a three-set victory over Missouri State University-West Plains, making it 33 consecutive set wins for the Mustangs, but the Mustangs saw that streak come to an end with a four-set defeat to Hutchinson Community College to close out Day 2 of the Dennis South Memorial Classic at Iowa Western Community College. Monroe moves to 18-9 overall with the split.
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, Missouri West Plains 0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-23)
The Mustangs and Grizzlies had a back-and-forth start to Friday's opener, reaching an 8-8 stalemate early on. The Mustangs then scored the next three to jump into the lead, eventually turning that into a 10-1 run to go up, 18-10. After Monroe took a 21-11 advantage, the Grizzlies scored four in a row to cut the deficit to six. The Mustangs then scored 4-of-5 to close out the opening set with a 25-16 victory.
The Mustangs jumped out to a big 9-2 lead in the second set. A five-point run made it a 15-4 score. Later on, the Mustangs held a 20-12 lead before scoring the final five points of the game, claiming a 25-12 victory to go up two sets in the match.
The Mustangs had the advantage again in the third frame, going up, 13-8. The Grizzlies then chipped away at Monroe's lead, scoring 4-of-5 to make it a 14-12 score. Monroe responded with three straight points, but a 4-0 run shortly after by the Grizzlies cut Monroe's lead to just one point. The Mustangs followed that with a 4-1 run to go up, 23-19, reaching set point at 24-20. The Grizzlies tried to battle back, scoring three straight to get back within one, but the Mustangs were helped out by a service error to end the match with a 25-23 third-set win.
Manon Braunsteffer had another big match after a strong one Thursday evening, finishing with eight kills (hitting an efficient .889) with a team-high five blocks in the win.
Gabriela Aimi Zuquelo led the team with 10 kills and picked up six digs.
Darlenys Olivo totaled eight kills and two blocks.
Izabela Wos added five kills with a block.
Martina Villani dished out 20 assists to go with four digs, four blocks, three kills and an ace in a productive outing.
Alessia Gallo scooped up a team-high 11 digs and added two assists and an ace.
MATCH 2: Hutchinson 3, Monroe 1 (25-19, 21-25, 29-27, 25-19)
The opening set of Friday's finale was the toughest one so far this weekend for the Mustangs. Both teams were knotted up at 9-9 before the Blue Dragons scored five straight. Hutchinson led by as many as six points before the Mustangs made a comeback to cut the deficit to 17-16. The Mustangs were still within a point at 20-19 before the Blue Dragons took the next five points to close out the opening set with a 25-19 win for a 1-0 lead in the match, ending Monroe's set streak at 33 consecutive set wins.
After falling behind in the second set, 3-0, the Mustangs took over the game, slowly working their way into the lead. The Mustangs took 5-of-6 to grab a 15-11 advantage, though the Blue Dragons later cut the deficit down to two at 19-17. The Mustangs scored the next three to go up by five, and the two teams traded points the rest of the way, seeing Monroe take a 25-21 win to tie the match up at one set apiece.
The Mustangs grabbed an early lead in the third frame when they went up 6-2. A three-point run for Hutchinson later on cut Monroe's lead to 8-7. The Mustangs continued to narrowly hang on to their lead until the Blue Dragons scored four in a row to jump ahead, 13-11. The Blue Dragons continued to keep their distance from the Mustangs until a 4-0 run by Monroe cut the deficit to 20-19. The Mustangs later scored two straight to tie the set up at 23-23 before the Blue Dragons used a timeout. The teams then needed extra points to decide the set, with Hutchinson taking the lead and the Mustangs tying it up until Monroe jumped ahead, 27-26. The Blue Dragons then hit a rhythm, scoring three straight points to pull off a 29-27 win and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Blue Dragons rode that momentum into the fourth game to take an early 6-1 advantage. The Mustangs cut the difference to 12-8, but the Blue Dragons went on a 6-1 run to go up, 18-9. The Mustangs made a late run in the set, scoring 6-of-7 to get within four at 23-19, but it was unfortunately not enough, as the Blue Dragons closed it out with a 25-19 win to take the match in four.
Olivo led the floor with 18 kills in the match, narrowly missing a double-double with nine digs. Braunsteffer had another great match with 13 kills and six blocks. Zuquelo added eight kills and 11 digs, as well as two blocks. Villani handed out 35 assists, while
Francesca Andreon added 12. Gallo led the team with 16 digs and three aces. Wos had another two blocks and four kills.
The Mustangs will look to close out the weekend in the win column when they take on host Iowa Western on Saturday, Oct. 21. Monroe's weekend finale will begin at 12 p.m. ET (11 a.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 (
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