TOMS RIVER, N.J., March 18, 2024 – A battle of two of the NJCAA's best records this season went the way of the Monroe College Mustangs men's volleyball team on Monday, as the Mustangs defeated a challenging Ocean County College team in four sets on the road. Monroe improves to 20-5 on the season with the win, while the Vikings fall to 11-3.
After an early 7-7 stalemate in the opening set, the Mustangs scored 6-of-8 to take a 13-9 lead on the Vikings. Another three-point run made it a 16-10 game, with the Mustangs continuing their upward trajectory en route to a 21-13 advantage. The Vikings put together a rally, scoring 7-of-8 to make it a 22-20 score. Monroe scored the next two points to reach set point, eventually closing things out with a 25-21 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Mustangs struggled to get into a rhythm in the second stanza, but took advantage of some miscues by the Vikings to grab a 7-6 edge. The Mustangs later fell behind by three, but came right back to tie it up at 12-12. Neither team was able to pull away from the other, eventually setting up both teams trading the advantage after both scores surpassed 24 points. The Mustangs held the first advantage, but Ocean County quickly tied at 25. The Vikings took the next lead, but Monroe scored two straight to go up, 27-26. The Vikings picked up the next two for a 28-27 edge, but the Mustangs took over from there, ending the set with three straight points to secure a 30-28 victory and a two-set lead.
The Mustangs held a 10-6 lead in the third set, but saw it dwindle away when the Vikings managed to go up, 13-12. The Mustangs scored three straight but the Vikings responded with four in a row after a timeout to go back up, 17-15. The game was tied up at 20-20 late, but the home team rattled off five of the final six points to claim a 25-21 win and extend the match to a fourth set.
After an even 4-4 start, the Mustangs caught fire, tallying 10 straight points for a 14-4 advantage. The match was not over just yet, as the Vikings rallied all the way back to reach an 18-18 draw. The Mustangs rebounded by scoring 4-of-5 to go back up, 22-19. After a point by the Vikings, the Mustangs hunkered down and scored the final three points to pick up a 25-20 win and a match victory.
Briggs Wieboldt threw down a season-high 16 kills in the win, adding four digs, a block and an ace to a solid night.
Arnau Riu Giralt was next with 10 kills with seven digs, two blocks and an ace.
Ethan Grace and
Damian Baker each had nine kills apiece. Grace led the team with 10 digs and six aces, while Baker added four digs and two blocks.
Timothy Reyes dished out 47 assists to go with eight digs, a team-high three blocks, three kills and an ace.
Devounte Bennett totaled five kills with two blocks.
After a challenging road victory, the Mustangs will be back at home this Wednesday, March 20, when they return to Region 15 play against Nassau Community College. Wednesday's 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 (
@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
