NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Monroe College Volleyball team went 3-1 at the Iowa Western Tournament over the weekend. The Mustangs picked up victories over Southeastern College, Pratt Community College, and Colby Community College, but fell to Iowa Western Community College in four sets. The tournament featured four nationally ranked programs.
Monroe opened with a 3-0 win over Southeastern College. The scores were 25-13, 25-16, and 25-10. Carla Soufront posted a double-double, with 26 assists and 13 digs.
The Mustangs defeated Pratt Community College in game two, 3-0. The sets went 25-17, 25-20, and 25-18. Anyela Aquino collected a season-best 11 digs, while Cristen Coryatt totaled 17 kills.
In their third game, the Mustangs lost 3-1 to Iowa Western Community College, who ranked #4 in the NJCAA poll entering the contest. Monroe gave them their toughest opposition of the tournament, taking the first set 25-15, but lost the next three with scores of 25-21, 25-20, and 25-19. Coryatt had her best game of the season, posting match bests in kills (24) and digs (13). Soufront had 39 assists and 8 digs, while Marissa Hackett chipped in with 3 aces.
Monroe defeated Colby in the final game of the tournament, 3-0. They took the sets, 25-20, 26-24 and 27-25. Neysha Gonzalez got 17 digs in the match. Coryatt and Aquino each had 11 digs.
With the season winding down, head coach Nephtali Delgado-Reyes shared his thoughts on the tournament and the year as a whole, saying, “I’m so proud of the way my team played last weekend against very tough competition at the Iowa Western Tournament. I arranged their most competitive schedule ever, and the team accepted the challenge and finished with a positive record!”
“During the tournament, we played great teams from the Midwest, like the host, #4 Iowa Western, and though we lost in four sets, we showed that we are capable of competing with nationally ranked teams. Now, we turn our eyes to the upcoming regional tournament in Baltimore and then, if we win that, we will host the district championship with the opportunity to go to the national tournament! ”
The Monroe College Volleyball team is now 17-11 on the season. They will close out the regular season on Friday, October 21st, against St. Joseph’s College of Long Island at 7:00 PM in Patchogue.
