New Rochelle, NY – The Monroe men's volleyball team continued its win streak in a straight-set victory over Atlantic Cape Community College (25-13, 25-13, 25-20) on Sunday, capping off a strong finish to the Monroe Invitational.
The Mustangs were dominant offensively, racking up 41 kills compared to Atlantic Cape's 13. Freshman
Santiago Valenca compiled an impressive 19 kills on 32 attempts, while fellow freshman
Erick Concepcion tallied 11.
Defensively, the Mustangs limited kills with an impressive count of 55 digs. Concepcion and Valenca each had ten digs, while freshman
Roy Cepeda led the team with 16.
In the first set, the Mustangs couldn't shake the Buccaneers early. But a 9-1 run late in the set proved to be a major difference maker. Errors did the Buccaneers in during that stretch run, while Concepcion tallied two kills during the nine-point outburst.
Early on in set two, it was once again a bit of struggle for Monroe to outpace Atlantic Cape. But once again, it took some time before the team really got moving cohesively. Leading 16-13, the Mustangs embarked on a 9-0 run to cap off the set. Valenca and Concepcion each recorded two kills during the run, with freshman
Chijiaku Ndukanma contributing to the cause as well.
To wrap up the night, Atlantic Cape made it competitive deep into the third set. The Buccaneers led 17-16, yet another late stretch moved the needle for Monroe, taking a 20-17 advantage and forcing the Buccaneers to talk things over.
The match was closed out by a kill from freshman
Glenn Gandarillas and a tandem block courtesy of freshman
Murilo Gibeli and sophomore
James Ross.
The Mustangs wrap up the weekend with a 4-1 record. They'll take on American International College next, which is scheduled for Friday, February 7 at 5:00 pm.
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 as 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).
