Mustang Highlights

Six Volleyball Players Earn EPAC/Region19 Recognition

by Amanda Rogers

All six of the starting players on the Montgomery County Community College Mustangs women's volleyball team were awarded either All-EPAC or All-Region honors for the fall season.

The Mustangs compete in the Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (EPAC), which is a subdivision of the NJCAA Region 19. Both the Region and the Conference recognize athletes of high caliber each season. On the Mustangs squad, each of the six 2013 starters were recognized.

Making the All-EPAC Second Team were outside hitters Alex Griffin and Courtney Gill.

Griffin is a second-year player on the team and currently ranked 11th in the country with 0.92 service aces per set. This year so far she's racked up 104 kills, 12 assists, 59 service aces, 105 digs and 6 blocks and has earned 168.5 total points. Griffin's best performances include earning a .500 hitting percentage against rival Harrisburg Area Community College and notching 13.0 points against Bergen Community College.

Gill is a first year player for the Mustangs who has given the squad consistently strong performances throughout the season. She has totaled 88 kills, 40 services aces, 84 digs and 132.5 points. Gill's average hitting percentage is .268, though her best was a .700 on 10 attempts against Lehigh Carbon Community College early in the season. She also collected 12.5 points in that game, her highest tally of the season.

Second year player Jenn Casatelli also earned All-EPAC honors, making the All-EPAC First Team. Casatelli moved from outside hitter in 2012 to setter this season. The adjustment has shown Casatelli's level of talent, as she has, thus far, racked up 498 assists. She is currently ranked 15th in the country for assists per set with a 7.66 average. She is also 20th in the nation in services aces per set with a 0.82 average. One of her best performances included a double-double of 10 service aces and 20 assists against Delaware County Community College. Casatelli's efforts have contributed greatly to the Mustangs' success. In her team's 3-0 win over Middlesex County College in the NJCAA Region 19 Quarterfinals last week, Casatelli earned a career high of 11.7 assists per set.

Middle hitter Maggie Lesinski was named to the NJCAA All-Region Second Team in her first year with the Mustangs. During the course of the season Lesinski has led the Mustangs in kills, totaling 130, and digs, totaling 133. She is also ranked second on the team defensively with 20 blocks. Lesinski's best game of the season was the Quarterfinal match up against Middlesex, during which she earned a hitting percentage of .526 on 19 attempts. She also achieved a double-double twice this season, tallying 12 kills and 10 digs in the Middlesex game and 13 kills and 25 digs in a non-conference match against Penn State Abington.

Additionally, two of the Mustangs' returning players earned spots on both the All-Region First Team and the All-Region Top Ten.

  Photo by Amanda Rogers.

Director of Athletics Bruce Bach was impressed with the level of participation of the student-athletes and coaches in the community service events.

Outside hitter Kendall Gazzo was named to the 2013 NJCAA Region 19 All-Region First Team and was ranked Number 5 in the 2013 NJCAA Region 19 All-Region Top Ten this year. The recognition topped last year for Gazzo, when she was named to the 2012 All-Region Second Team. This season Gazzo is leading the Mustangs in points and points per set with 214.5 points and an average of 3.5 per set. She also leads the team in total blocks with 40 and is one of the Mustangs' top servers, with 58 total service aces. Gazzo's service aces per set average of 0.81 puts her at 21st in the country. Her best performances include earning a double-double of 14 kills and 10 digs against rival Harrisburg and tallying 22 digs and 14.5 points against Penn State Abington. Combined with last year's totals, Gazzo has accumulated 251 kills, 78 service aces, 200 digs, 78 blocks and 438 points.

Lastly, second year outside hitter Liz Herezi was named to the NJCAA Region 19 All-Region First Team for the second year in a row. She was also ranked Number 3 in the 2013 NJCAA Region 19 All-Region Top Ten this year. Currently, Herezi is ranked 27th in the nation in hitting percentage with a .319 average. She is also nationally ranked 15th and 6th in service aces (64) and serviceaces per set (1.02), respectively. Herezi notched two double-doubles this season, earning 10 kills and 10 digs against rival Northampton Community College and 13 kills and 19 digs against Penn State Abington. She also racked up double-digit service aces twice, both times against Harcum College. Combined with last year's totals, Herezi has accumulated 285 kills, 106 service aces, 204 digs and 399.5 points.

Rounding out the Mustangs squad are first year players Jodi Hillsinger and Krysta Wellington. Hillsinger is from Collegeville, Pa. and plays at the outside hitter position and Wellington is a middle who came to the Mustangs from King of Prussia, Pa. While neither Hillsinger nor Wellington gained recognition this season, Head Coach Misti Volpe is confident in their talents and will look to them for leadership and strong performances in their sophomore appearances in 2014.

Overall, the Mustangs are ranked number 1 in the country in services aces per set, with a 5.21 average. The team is also 4th in the country for aces (354), 8th in the country in points per set (16.0) and 10th in the country with a .304 hitting percentage. The Mustangs are also ranked among the top 50 teams in the nation in a number of other statistics including 48th in blocks (78), 45th in blocks per set (1.15), 35th in kills (654), 33rd in assists (602), 30th in total points (1086.0), 25th in kills per set (9.62) and 19th in assists per set (8.85). The team currently boasts an overall record of 18-3 and an EPAC record of 11-3.

The Mustangs put on a good game but lost against the Harrisburg Area Community College Hawks in the NJCAA Region 19 Semifinal match on Oct. 26.

Men's Soccer Drops 1-3 to Blues in Region 19 First Round

by Amanda Rogers

In the NJCAA Region XIX First Round, the no. 11 seeded Montgomery County Community College Mustangs was scheduled to take on the no. 6 seeded Jersey Blues of Brookdale Community College.

On Oct. 26, the Mustangs arrived in Lincroft, N.J. to play the Blues, one of the top 15 teams in the nation. Going in against such a highly-ranked opponent, the Mustangs' strategy was to overload the Blues' two most dangerous players.

Freshman midfielder Jaron Kicinski was assigned to cover the Blues' Ryan Bailey, who scored 26 goals in the regular season, while freshman Elijah Johnson was to cover Marco Fernandez, who had racked up 10 goals and nine assists for the Blues.

Led by Head Coach Obed Arango and Assistant Coach Edgar Martinez, the Mustangs executed the strategy perfectly in the first half, taking out the Blues' strongest players and neutralizing their offensive strength. For 45 minutes of play, the Mustangs and the Blues shared possession evenly, with both teams coming up with attacks and counterattacks.

  Photo by Amanda Rogers.

Going into the second half down by one, the Mustangs aimed to keep the midfield strong, while moving lines up to try to tie up the game. The players were instructed to take more chances and while the risky play afforded the Blues more chances, it also allowed the Mustangs to keep better possession of the ball. At the 70:00 mark, the Blues capitalized on one of their counterattacks to bump the score up to 2-0. In the 35th minute of the game, the Mustangs were given a free kick at the 27 yard line. Sylvester took the shot which was redirected into the top left corner of the goal by Shim. The play brought the game to a score of 2-1 in favor of the Blues.

In the final nine minutes of the game the Mustangs pressured every ball, creating opportunities as the second most offensive team in the league. It looked as if the Mustangs would get the game-tying goal any moment. However, an uncalled foul set the Mustangs into confusion, allowing the Blues to score a game clinching third goal with just under two minutes remaining in the match.

The Mustangs pressed forward but ultimately concluded their playoff run with a 1-3 loss to the Blues.

Coach Arango reflected on the season, noting that much was accomplished to move the program forward.

"Early in August we put together the team goals for the season and we said that we wanted to be the best Mustangs team in recent years and we did it. We wanted to be in the top 100 teams in the nation, and by the statistics, we were ranked 34th. Our offensive stats show that we were also ranked the second most offensive team nationwide with number of shots on goal," noted Arango.

"However, beyond the numbers, what really counts is that we discovered our own talent and, in that, we discovered our own style and we were faithful to it. We played the ball on the ground like the best teams in the world, such as Brazil in 1982 and Barcelona in 2012. We played soccer as gentlemen, by trusting in each other, and we decided that intensity was the key to success." "In the First Round game we deserved more, and we should have been continuing the journey to the national championship," said Arango. "However we are proud of what we accomplished and the lessons that we learned together. This 2013 Mustangs squad has left a great heritage to the 2014 squad. The soccer program has earned attention throughout the College community and has gained respect outside the College as well."