NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 18, 2023 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's volleyball team returned home to the Monroe Athletic Complex on Saturday to take on NCAA Div. II American International College (AIC), defeating the Yellow Jackets in three sets in an exhibition match.
The Mustangs and Yellow Jackets were very evenly matched throughout the opening set on Saturday. The Mustangs managed to take a three-point edge at 11-8, but AIC quickly closed the gap at 12-12. Neither team was able to gain any breathing room until late in the set when the Mustangs picked up three straight points to go up, 23-19. The Yellow Jackets fought back to eventually tie the set at 24-24, but the Mustangs were able to regroup and take the last two points for a 26-24 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
After an 8-8 start to the second set, the Mustangs caught fire, throwing down four straight kills to eventually go on a 7-1 run and take a 15-9 advantage over the Yellow Jackets. The Mustangs kept their distance from AIC throughout the set, going on a late 6-1 stretch to reach set point before closing it out with a 25-16 win to take a two-set lead.
The Yellow Jackets took a quick 3-1 lead on the Mustangs in the third frame, but the Mustangs quickly turned that into an 8-7 lead and never looked back. The Mustangs went up by six before AIC put four straight points together, but the Mustangs scored four right back to take a 19-13 edge. The lead was 22-15 before the Yellow Jackets scored four straight to force Monroe to take a timeout. The lead was down to 22-20 before a kill by
Noah Liousfi inched the Mustangs closer to the win. The Yellow Jackets then scored two straight to get within a point, but
Joan Galmes threw down a kill to reach match point. AIC got one point back, but the Mustangs held on with the last point to defeat the Yellow Jackets, 25-23, and earn the three-set win.
Galmes and
Joe Kieler each had 10 kills in Saturday's win.
Timothy Reyes dished out 25 assists and made three blocks.
Moises Jimenez led the team with 14 digs.
Devounte Bennett and Liousfi matched for a team-high four blocks.
The Mustangs will visit AIC on their home court next Saturday, Feb. 25. They will play an exhibition tri-match in Springfield, Mass., taking on Widener University at 1 p.m. before a rematch with the Yellow Jackets at 3 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).
