CRANFORD, N.J., February 14, 2024 – Playing for the first time this season outside the walls of the Monroe Athletic Complex, the Monroe College Mustangs men's volleyball team played just as well as the visiting team Wednesday evening, as the Mustangs defeated Union College (N.J.) in three sets. The Mustangs improve to 6-0 overall with the win, while the Owls drop to 2-3.
Wednesday's match proved to be competitive despite the Mustangs only needing three sets to get the job done. The Mustangs grabbed the lead early in the first set, but the Owls kept within striking distance. After a 5-1 run put Monroe up, 16-10, the home team went on a 5-1 run of its own to get back within two. However, the Mustangs continued to hold off their hosts, going up, 22-17, with the end of the first game in sight. Set point at 24-20 was delayed after the Owls scored two points to stay alive, but a service error by the Owls thwarted their comeback attempt to give Monroe a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Owls had a narrow 6-5 edge over the Mustangs in the second stanza before Monroe rattled off six straight points. Four in a row by the Owls made it a one-point game, though the Mustangs used a 4-1 stretch to later take an 18-14 advantage. Three straight points gave Monroe a comfortable 22-16 lead, and with the score hitting 23-18 soon after, kills by
Briggs Wieboldt and
Aamar Hanif closed out the set for a 25-18 win to go up, 2-0.
The third frame saw both teams go on several extended runs. Monroe scored the first four points of the set before the Owls responded with five straight. The Mustangs picked up 4-of-5 to go up by two, but Union tallied the next three to go up once again. A back-and-forth battle appeared to have the Mustangs pulling away late when they took a 22-18 advantage, but the Owls narrowed the gap at 23-22. After a timeout, the Mustangs got a kill from Wieboldt to force Union to use its last timeout, but it was no help to the home team as a block by
Gabriel Stokes sealed the match for Monroe with a 25-22 win.
Vene Gase took the lead in Wednesday's match with nine kills, adding a pair of aces and four digs. Wieboldt and
Damian Baker each threw down seven kills apiece, while Baker led the team with three aces.
Timothy Reyes dished out 25 assists and made two blocks with four digs. Stokes and Wieboldt matched for a team-high four total blocks.
Arthur Rosa scooped up seven digs to lead the team.
The Mustangs make their first big weekend trip of the season in a couple days, as they head to Glen Ellyn, Ill., to compete in the College of DuPage Tournament. The Mustangs will play four matches across two days. On Saturday, Feb. 17, Monroe opens against Saint Xavier University at 1 p.m. before taking on DuPage at 3 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 (
@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
