CANANDAIGUA, N.Y., February 24, 2024 – Day 1 of the Finger Lakes Community College Tournament was good to the Monroe College Mustangs men's volleyball team, as the Mustangs picked up a pair of victories to open their weekend upstate. Monroe opened the day with a three-set win over SUNY Brockport Club, and then capped things off by defeating Union College (N.J.) in three. Monroe improves to 11-2 overall with the two victories on Saturday.
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, SUNY Brockport Club 0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-14)
The Mustangs fell into an early 4-0 hole against Brockport, but a 6-0 run soon after had Monroe ahead, 10-7. Monroe later led, 16-13, before rattling off five straight points to go up by eight. Monroe did not let the Beavers get any closer, closing out the opening set with a 25-15 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Mustangs had a better start in the second stanza, taking a 13-8 lead before three straight by the Beavers made it a two-point game. Monroe scored another three to keep their distance, but Brockport managed to get back within two at 18-16. Another three in a row by Monroe made it a 21-16 lead, though the Beavers still managed to keep it close by scoring 3-of-4. Monroe then took care of business, with a kill by
Damian Baker and two straight aces by
Arnau Riu Giralt wrapping up a 25-19 win to go up two sets.
The Mustangs jumped out to an 8-1 advantage in the third frame. The Beavers chipped away at the deficit to get within four at 13-9. Monroe responded by scoring 9-of-11 to go up, 22-11. Both teams then went back-and-forth for the final six points of the set, seeing Monroe cap off a three-set win with a 25-14 victory.
Riu Giralt led the team with 11 kills and five aces in the win.
Briggs Wieboldt was next with nine kills and a pair of blocks.
Timothy Reyes passed around 28 assists to go with three digs, two blocks and an ace.
Ethan Grace had four aces with three kills.
Arthur Rosa led the team with four digs in the match.
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, Union 0 (25-8, 25-13, 25-17)
The Mustangs got off to a hot start in their second match of the day, opening up the first set against Union with a huge 12-1 lead. The lead soon reached 17-3, and the Mustangs never looked back, picking up a dominant 25-8 win to take 1-0 grab in the match.
The Owls got the early edge in the second set, taking a 6-4 lead before the Mustangs found their rhythm. Monroe then scored 9-of-10 to jump ahead, 13-7. A four-point run later in the set gave Monroe an 18-9 lead. The Mustangs then closed out the set by scoring its last five points, taking a 25-13 win to go up, 2-0.
Union once again got off to a strong start in the third frame, going up, 7-2. The Mustangs bounced back in a big way, scoring the next 10 points, leading to a 13-1 run, to go ahead, 15-8. A pair of three-point stretches for Monroe later had the Mustangs up, 21-13, leading shortly after to a 25-17 win for Monroe to sweep the match.
Wieboldt totaled 10 kills with six digs in the win. Riu Giralt had six kills to go with seven service aces and seven digs. Grace also had six kills, serving up a pair of aces as well. Baker registered five kills, three aces and three blocks. Reyes matched Baker's three blocks along with a team-high 27 assists and four digs.
The Mustangs have one more day up in Canandaigua, closing out the Finger Lakes Community College Tournament with two more matches on Sunday, Feb. 25. The day begins at 10 a.m. against host Finger Lakes, followed by a 12 p.m. match against Rochester Institute of Technology.
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 (
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@monroemustangs).
