NORTH BRANCH, N.J., September 21, 2024 – The Monroe University Mustangs women's volleyball team turned in a brilliant performance in Saturday's tri-match at Raritan Valley Community College, defeating Atlantic Cape Community College and host Raritan Valley each in a quick three sets. The Mustangs improve to 11-3 overall with their fourth and fifth straight wins.
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, Atlantic Cape 0 (25-7, 25-12, 25-6)
The Mustangs were dominant in their first victory of the day over the Buccaneers. They hit .412 in the match, while holding their opponent to a -.106 clip. They won the opening set, 25-7, before going up 2-0 with a 25-12 win. An efficient 25-6 victory in the final frame sealed the win for Monroe.
Flavia Pecora had another very efficient match, hitting .818 with nine kills on 11 swings to go with an ace and four digs in the win.
Fabiana Lopez totaled eight kills (.571), three aces and four digs of her own.
Jelena Peric was next with six kills (.556), adding four aces and a team-high seven digs.
Kristhaly Torres hit .600 with four kills, a team-high five aces, two digs and a block.
Mileyshka Melendez handed out 21 assists and picked up five digs.
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, Raritan Valley 0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-14)
The home team made things a little tougher on the Mustangs in their second match of the day, but the Mustangs remained efficient in defeating the Lions in three sets. Monroe hit .320 in the match, while Raritan Valley hit at a .060 clip. The Mustangs opened the match with a 25-14 win, going up by two sets with a closer 25-19 victory in the second set. The final frame saw Monroe pick up another 25-14 win to close out the second sweep of the day.
Lopez led the team with 10 kills in the Mustangs' second win of the day, adding eight digs and an ace.
Natalia Rodriguez and
Madison Smith each threw down nine kills in the match. Rodriguez also tied for the team-high with 10 digs and served up a pair of aces, while Smith led the team with a .538 hitting percentage and two blocks. Pecora tallied another eight kills with six digs and an ace. Peric totaled six kills, two aces and 10 digs. Melendez dished out 31 assists in the victory. Torres served up a team-high three aces to go with eight digs.
The Mustangs return to New Rochelle for their final home match of the season this Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the Monroe Athletic Complex, where they will celebrate Sophomore Night ahead of a match against rival Harford Community College. Tuesday's match is set to begin at 5 p.m.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 20 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe University 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.MonroeUMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (
Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
