HUTCHINSON, Kansas, November 17, 2017 – The 12th-seeded Monroe College women's volleyball team fell to No. 4-seed Western Nebraska Community College Friday afternoon in the first Consolation Bracket round of the NJCAA National Championship Tournament in a five-set thriller at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. The loss eliminates the Mustangs from the tournament, while Western Nebraska will continue competing to earn a ninth-place finish.
 
Western Nebraska grabbed the first three points in Friday's match, but the Mustangs bounced back with four in a row to take a 4-3 lead. Both teams traded points until Monroe went on a six-point run to go ahead, 16-11. After a timeout, the Cougars took 4-of-6 points to cut Monroe's lead to 18-15. Western Nebraska later got within one at 19-18 before Monroe put together three straight points for a more comfortable 22-18 advantage. The Mustangs closed things out with a 25-21 win to go ahead, 1-0, in the match.
 
The second frame got off to a similar start, going back-and-forth until the set reached a 6-6 stalemate. The Cougars then rattled off four in a row to take a 10-6 lead, eventually pushing things out to 15-8. Monroe was unable to string together a rally, falling in the second set, 25-16.
 
The Mustangs fell behind in the third frame, trailing by two at 12-10 midway through the set. They then turned things around with four straight points to go ahead, 14-12. After the Cougars tied things up, Monroe went on a six-point run to take a 20-14 edge over their opponents. After going ahead, 23-15, Western Nebraska started to battle back, winning four straight points to get within four. The Mustangs then called timeout, and came out of the break with newfound momentum, picking up the final two points on kills by Keyshla Laureano Perez to win the set, 25-19, and go ahead, 2-1.
 
The fourth frame was knotted up the whole way through after continuous back-and-forth play, seeing the score still tied up at 21-21 late. After the Cougars took a 23-21 lead, the Mustangs got one point back, but Western Nebraska put things away with the final two points to claim a 25-21 win and force a deciding fifth set.
 
Monroe fell behind, 3-1, before coming back to tie things up at three. The Cougars once again took a two-point lead, but Monroe took the next point to stay within one. Western Nebraska then ran off the next four points to take a strong five-point edge, which they held later on at 11-6. The Mustangs put up one more point, but the Cougars rattled off the final four for a 15-7 win to take the match.
 
Laureano Perez led the Mustangs with 13 kills, while Maria Camila Salazar added 11 and Karla Figueroa threw down 10. Alexis Baer handed out 32 assists, while Nashally Eleutiza picked up 20 digs. Salazar and Hackett each contributed four blocks.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's rugby, and the newly added club women's rugby team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, will have six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level beginning in the fall of 2017.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs), and follow Mustang women's volleyball on Instagram (@monroecollege_wvb).