NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 16, 2024 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's volleyball team set up a good test for itself on Saturday at the Monroe Athletic Complex with a tri-match with a pair of NCAA Division III opponents. The Mustangs dropped their first match to NCAA Div. III No. 9 Vassar College in three sets, but rebounded to close the night with a three-set sweep of Russell Sage College. The Mustangs move to 19-5 overall on the season with the split.
MATCH 1: NCAA D3 #9 Vassar 3, Monroe 0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-21)
The Mustangs fell into an early hole in the opening set, as Vassar rolled out to a 9-3 lead. The Brewers extended the lead to 12-4 before the Mustangs scored 4-of-5 to make it a 12-7 game. The Brewers slowly extended the lead before the two teams went back-and-forth for 10 straight points to reach a 23-15 score. The Mustangs scored a couple more points after the Brewers reached set point, but the visitors closed out the opening game with a 25-17 win.
The Brewers took another big lead early in the second set, going up, 10-4, on the Mustangs. Monroe later made it close at 13-11, but the Brewers then scored 4-of-5 to make it a five-point game. A 7-1 run by the visitors gave them set point at 24-15 before closing out the second stanza with a 25-16 win.
The third frame was neck-and-neck at the start before Vassar used a 6-2 run to go up, 11-7. Trailing by five, the Mustangs scored five straight to tie things up at 15-15. Monroe then jumped ahead, 19-17, before the Brewers bounced back with four straight. The Mustangs got one back on a service error to get within one, but the Brewers scored two to go back up by three.
Briggs Wieboldt provided one more kill for Monroe before Vassar scored the final two points of the match for a 25-21 win.
Arnau Riu Giralt threw down a team-high 10 kills in the match, adding two aces and two digs.
Timothy Reyes dished out 25 assists and led the team with nine digs.
Devounte Bennett had four kills and a block.
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, Sage 0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-17)
After a tight start to the first set, the Mustangs eventually began to pull away, taking a 14-8 lead over the Gators. The Gators kept it close at 18-15, but the Mustangs scored 5-of-6 to take a 23-16 advantage. They later scored the final two points to pick up a 25-17 win to go up a set in the match.
Monroe jumped out to an 8-4 lead early in the second stanza. The Mustangs later took a seven-point edge when they scored four straight to make it 16-9. A 7-1 stretch for Monroe later gave them set point at 24-12, eventually closing out the game with a 25-14 win to take a two-set lead.
Sage used a six-point run early in the third frame to take a 9-6 lead on the Mustangs, but Monroe bounced right back with a 7-1 stretch to go back up, 13-10. The Gators remained close, staying within two late in the game at 19-17. The Mustangs then had a dominant finish to the match, scoring the final six points of the night to claim a 25-17 win and a three-set sweep.
Riu Giralt led the team again with eight kills in the win, adding a team-high eight digs to go with two aces and a block. Wieboldt tallied five kills and three digs. Reyes totaled 25 assists, four digs, three blocks and three kills.
Gabriel Stokes also had three blocks and three kills.
The Mustangs are back on the road this coming Monday, March 18, with a trip down into New Jersey to visit Ocean County College in Toms River. Monday evening's match is set to begin at 6:30 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 (
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