ANNANDALE, Va., September 23, 2023 – An efficient weekend for the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team saw them pick up another pair of three-set victories on Saturday in a tri-match hosted by Northern Virginia Community College. The Mustangs defeated the host Nighthawks to open the day before taking down Anne Arundel Community College to wrap up the weekend road trip. The Mustangs improve to 10-8 overall with the wins.
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, Northern Virginia 0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-7)
The opening set was the toughest of the match for the Mustangs against the Nighthawks on Saturday. NOVA managed to take a 12-11 lead, but Monroe turned things around with a 7-1 stretch to go up, 18-13. The home team narrowed the gap later with a 5-2 run that left Monroe up, 23-20, but the Mustangs took 2-of-3 down the stretch to claim a 25-21 win.
The second stanza appeared to be going the same way with an early 6-6 stalemate until the Mustangs found a rhythm with four straight points. The Mustangs later scored 7-of-8 to take a big 21-11 lead on the Nighthawks. It did not get any closer for the home team, as the Mustangs closed it out with a 25-14 win for a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Mustangs then had a decisive win in the final frame in Saturday's opener. They immediately jumped out to a 6-0 lead, and later used an 8-0 run to take a commanding 16-3 advantage. Another six straight points shortly after made it a 22-4 advantage for Monroe. The Mustangs wrapped up the match with a 25-7 victory.
Darlenys Olivo led the Mustangs in Saturday's opener with 12 kills, while
Gabriela Aimi Zuquelo was close behind with 10 of her own. Olivo added two blocks and four digs in the match.
Manon Braunsteffer and
Kiara Figueroa matched with six kills and a .667 hitting percentage.
Martina Villani dished out 24 assists and served up two aces in the win.
Alessia Gallo also had two aces with a team-high 15 digs.
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, Anne Arundel 0 (25-14, 25-5, 25-7)
Monroe's second match of the day got off to a strange start, as the Mustangs fell in an early 6-0 hole, trailing 9-2 before turning things around. They responded with an impressive 11-1 run to take a 13-10 advantage on the Riverhawks. The Mustangs' 16-13 lead soon became 24-13 with eight straight points, leading to a 25-14 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Mustangs made sure the second set did not look like the first, sprinting out to a 12-1 edge and never looking back. After Anne Arundel scored to make it a 17-5 score, the Mustangs rattled off the final eight points of the game for a dominant 25-5 win.
Monroe once again took a big lead from the jump in the third frame, scoring 7-of-8 to open the game. The Mustangs had their biggest run of the day after turning a 10-5 score into a 24-5 advantage with 14 straight points. The Riverhawks stayed alive with two more points, but the Mustangs finished off the day with a 25-7 victory.
Zuquelo took the lead this time around with eight kills and three digs in the win, while Olivo provided six kills.
Doriangelis Serrano Reynoso added five of her own.
Francesca Andreon led the team with 17 assists to go with two aces, while Villani registered 14 assists with three service aces.
Rebecca Rosculet filled up the stat sheet with eight digs, five aces, four kills and two assists in Saturday's finale. Gallo picked up 13 digs and served up three aces. Serrano Reynoso,
Marilenny Lugo Polanco,
Izabela Wos and
Morelia Diaz each scored a block in the match, while
Valeria Soto contributed an ace and three digs.
The Mustangs will visit Harford Community College in Bel Air, Md., for their next match on Tuesday, Oct. 3. That match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
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).
