SPARTANBURG, S.C., October 28, 2023 – Competing for the first time in the Region 10 Championship, the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team came away with the title on Saturday, defeating top-seeded Spartanburg Methodist College in four sets to take home the 2023 Region 10 Tournament Championship. The Mustangs and Pioneers both advance to next Sunday's Atlantic District Championship, with the Mustangs entering the district tournament as the higher seed out of the region.
The Mustangs and Pioneers were neck-and-neck to open Saturday's championship match, reaching a 7-7 stalemate early in the first set. The Mustangs then rattled off seven straight points to take a 14-7 lead. That lead held at 17-10 before the Mustangs scored three straight to once again double up the Pioneers at 20-10. One more three-point run had Monroe ahead, 23-11, before closing out the opening set with a 25-13 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The home team came out firing in the second stanza, as the Pioneers jumped out to a big 9-3 lead over the Mustangs. Spartanburg Methodist kept its distance from Monroe, leading 21-12 late before the Mustangs rallied back into the game. The Mustangs scored 8-of-9, cutting the deficit to two at 22-20. The Pioneers then bounced back with two points to reach set point, but the Mustangs scored three straight to draw within one. After a timeout, the Pioneers got one final kill to claim a 25-23 win and knot the match up at 1-1.
The third set got off to an even 5-5 start before the Mustangs tallied five straight. The Mustangs had a 16-12 lead before the Pioneers went on a five-point run to take over, 17-16. The game was knotted up at 19-19 before the Mustangs got hot and scored 6-of-7, taking a 25-20 win to go up a set in the match.
The two teams went back-and-fourth in the fourth frame before the Pioneers managed to take a 9-7 edge. The Mustangs then turned things around with a seven-point run to go up, 14-9. A 4-1 run made it an 18-11 advantage for the Mustangs, but the Pioneers went on to score 5-of-6 to get back within three. The Mustangs scored three straight before the two teams traded the final six points of the set, seeing Monroe claim the tournament title with a 25-19 win.
Three Mustangs finished with double-digit kills in the win.
Gabriela Aimi Zuquelo registered a double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs, adding three aces and two blocks as well.
Darlenys Olivo also threw down 14 kills with three aces.
Manon Braunsteffer finished with 12 kills and a team-high six blocks.
Francesca Andreon handed out 23 assists with three aces and five digs, while
Martina Villani added 18 assists and five blocks.
Alessia Gallo picked up a team-high 18 digs with four assists.
Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso contributed five kills, five digs, two aces and a block. Isabela Wos added six kills, a block and a dig.
The Mustangs now advance to the 2023 Atlantic District Championship, which will be hosted by Florida Southwestern State College in Fort Myers, Fla. The tournament schedule will be announced during the week.
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).
