FORT MYERS, Fla., August 25, 2023 – The No. 14-ranked Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team got to avenge a previous loss and make a good impression on its first day at the Adventures in Paradise Battle at the Beach, hosted by Florida Southwestern State College. Monroe opened the day with a bounce-back three-set victory over Hillsborough Community College after falling to the Hawks on Wednesday in five, and closed out the day with a four-set win over Polk State College. The Mustangs now head into Saturday with a 5-2 overall record.
 
MATCH 1: #14 Monroe 3, Hillsborough 0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-22)
The Mustangs were a rejuvenated team in Friday's morning opener as they rebounded from Wednesday's tough five-set loss to Hillsborough by defeating the Hawks in just three frames. The Mustangs pulled away midway through the opening set to pick up a 25-17 win, and then closed out a tight game with an 8-2 run for another 25-17 victory in the second stanza. Monroe had set point at 24-18 in the third set before the Hawks made a push with four straight points, but Manon Braunsteffer closed the door with one final kill to secure the sweep.
 
Darlenys Olivo had a strong start to her day with a team-high 15 kills in the win, adding nine digs and two blocks. Gabriela Aimi Zuquelo was next with nine kills, while Braunsteffer threw down eight and hit .615 while making two blocks of her own. Martina Villani passed around 26 assists and registered a double-double with 11 digs, while also serving up four aces. Alessia Gallo picked up a team-best 12 digs. Ariana De Jesus matched Olivo and Braunsteffer with two blocks in Friday's opener. Morelia Diaz contributed three aces.
 
MATCH 2: #14 Monroe 3, Polk State 1 (25-19, 25-22, 14-25, 25-21)
Monroe got off to a slow start against Polk State after taking a few hours off between matches. The Eagles managed to take a nine-point advantage on the Mustangs at 17-8, but the Mustangs managed to completely flip the script, going on a 9-2 run to close the gap at 19-19. They made that a 15-2 run by scoring the last nine points of the set to claim a 25-19 comeback victory and go up 1-0 in the match.
 
The Mustangs fell behind early in the second set again, but never let it get away from them. They trailed 14-11 before rallying to jump ahead and never look back to pick up at 25-22 victory to up two sets to none. Polk State flipped a switch during the third stanza, gaining all the momentum midway through the set to roll to a 25-14 win and keep the match going. The Eagles then took a 9-5 lead in the fourth frame, but the Mustangs soon tied it up at 11-11. The set stayed tight, later reaching an 18-18 stalemate before the Mustangs managed to jump ahead for good, putting the Eagles away with a 25-21 win.
 
Zuquelo led the way this time around with a career-high 17 kills to go with six digs, three aces and a block in the win. Olivo had another big outing as well, totaling 16 kills, six digs and five blocks. Villani keeps setting a new standard for herself, dishing out a season-best 40 assists in the win. Gallo picked up 18 digs and handed out five assists. Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso tallied 12 digs and a pair of aces. Izabela Wos was crucial at the net, leading the team with six blocks in the match while adding a pair of kills.
 
The Mustangs have a big day ahead of them on Saturday. They open the day with a 9 a.m. match against the defending NJCAA Champions, No. 1 Florida Southwestern. They will then wait until 2 p.m. to close out their weekend against Daytona State College.
 
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). Read Full Article