GLEN ELLYN, Ill., April 12, 2024 – The top seed in Pool B at the 2024 NJCAA Men's Volleyball Invitational got off to a flawless start in the tournament on Friday, as the Monroe College Mustangs men's volleyball team defeated both Ocean County College and Nassau Community College in three sets apiece at the College of DuPage's Physical Education Center Arena. The Mustangs can secure a perfect Pool-Play round on Saturday when they take on host DuPage before heading into the championship bracket.
POOL B MATCH 1: #1 Monroe 3, #3 Ocean County 0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-14)
The opening match of Pool B got off to a back-and-forth start on Friday. After Monroe took a 6-3 lead, the Vikings bounced back with a 7-2 run that put them ahead, 10-8. The Mustangs responded with five straight points to take the lead back, later using another three in a row to go up, 16-12. With the set still close, the Mustangs rattled off another five in a row to reach set point at 24-16. Ocean County stayed alive with three more points, but
Briggs Wieboldt shut the door with one more kill to take a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-19 win.
Monroe held a 9-4 lead in the second stanza before the Vikings scored four straight to get within one. Monroe then bounced back with a big 10-1 run to take a 19-9 advantage over the Vikings. The run continued after a point by the Vikings with the Mustangs scoring another four to take a 23-10 lead late in the game, eventually claiming a 25-14 win to go up two sets.
The Mustangs stayed in rhythm in the final frame. After Ocean County got within two at 12-10, the Mustangs rolled to nine straight points for a commanding 21-10 edge over the Vikings. Ocean County scored three straight, but the Mustangs responded with three of their own to reach match point. A kill by
Vene Gase wrapped up the match with another 25-14 victory.
The Mustangs turned in some impressive numbers in their invitational opener.
Ethan Grace hit .538 en route to a team-high nine kills, adding four blocks, three aces and a pair of digs.
Damian Baker had a huge match, hitting .615 with eight kills, eight blocks, two aces and two digs.
Arnau Riu Giralt totaled eight kills with six digs, a block and an ace. Wieboldt threw down seven kills with three blocks and two digs.
Timothy Reyes dished out 29 assists in the win, adding six digs, two blocks and three kills.
Arthur Rosa matched Reyes and Riu Giralt with six digs, adding three assists as well.
Devounte Bennett totaled three kills, three aces, two digs and a block.
POOL B MATCH 2: #1 Monroe 3, #4 Nassau 0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-14)
The Mustangs got off to a very quick start in their second Pool Play match of the day, running out to a 9-1 lead on the Lions in the opening set. The lead shrunk to five points when Nassau made it a 13-8 game, but the Mustangs never wavered, eventually going back up by 10 at 21-11. The teams traded points late in the set, seeing the Mustangs pull off a 25-16 win to take a one-set lead in the match.
The Mustangs steadily built their lead in the next set, eventually doubling up the Lions at 14-7. A 5-1 run later made it a 19-9 score, though the Lions responded with a. 5-1 run of their own to bring it to 20-14. The Mustangs took care of business from there, closing out the second game with a 25-17 win to go up, 2-0.
Monroe took another huge lead in the third frame, using six kills, three aces and a block to take a commanding 12-1 advantage over the Lions. The Lions responded with five straight, but the Mustangs bounced right back with the next seven for a 19-6 edge. The Lions managed to find a rhythm, but it was too little, too late for the No. 4 seed, as the Mustangs went on to claim a 25-14 win to secure their second three-set victory of Day 1.
Baker had another terrific outing against Nassau, leading the team with 10 kills (.615 clip) and four blocks in the win. Riu Giralt was next with six kills, two aces, two digs and a block. Wieboldt totaled five kills, five digs and two aces. Grace and Bennett each added five kills apiece. Reyes passed around 26 assists with fours digs. Rosa picked up three digs of his own.
The Mustangs will wrap up Pool Play tomorrow morning at 12 p.m. ET when they take on host College of DuPage. After Pool Play concludes, the tournament will be re-seeded and the championship bracket will begin with quarterfinal matches later in the afternoon. The semifinals and finals of the NJCAA Men's Volleyball Invitational will then be held on Sunday, April 14.
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).
