NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 25, 2023 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's volleyball team completed its first-ever NJCAA regular season on Saturday, defeating Union College in three sets at the Monroe Athletic Complex to finish with a perfect 11-0 record in NJCAA competition.
The Mustangs found a rhythm quickly in Saturday's match, running out to a 12-3 advantage before the Owls used their first timeout. Union cut the deficit to seven before the Mustangs rattled off five straight to go up, 19-7. A 22-8 lead for Monroe led to another timeout for Union, but it was of no help to the visitors, as the Mustangs picked up the final three points for a 25-8 win to go up, 1-0.
Union kept it close early in the second set, with the Mustangs leading by just four at 11-7. The Mustangs then went on a 9-1 run, going up by 12 points at 20-8. Monroe's lead peaked at 13 points at 23-10 before the Owls scored 3-of-4. The Mustangs then picked up the final point for a 25-13 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Mustangs showed no mercy in the third frame, scoring the first seven points and opening up on a 15-1 run. Union bounced back with a 4-1 run to get back within 11 points. The Mustangs then scored 3-of-4 to go up by 13. The Mustangs finished things off with 4-of-5 to claim a 25-10 win to sweep the match in three sets.
The Mustangs spread the wealth on Saturday, with
Joan Galmes,
Joe Kieler,
Devounte Bennett and
Joriel Delgado all finished with five kills. Kieler also had seven aces and four digs in the win.
Timothy Reyes registered 26 assists, four kills, four aces and seven digs.
Michael Pena had four kills, two blocks and two digs.
Alex Nunez led the team with five blocks on the evening.
Moises Jimenez led the team with 16 digs, adding five assists.
The Mustangs will compete next in late April when they participate in the first-ever NJCAA National Invitational, hosted by the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill. The two-day invitational will take place on Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22.
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).
