TYLER, Texas, September 30, 2017 – After a tough start to the weekend, the Monroe College women's volleyball bounced back with a big finish at the Holiday Inn South Broadway - TJC Invite, hosted by Tyler Junior College. The Mustangs opened the day with a four-set victory over Missouri State University-West Plains, followed by another four-set win against No. 13 Navarro College. The Mustangs improve to 12-7 on the year with the pair of wins.
 
MATCH 1: MONROE 3, WEST PLAINS 1
The Mustangs picked up the first two sets with scores of 25-17 and 25-19. West Plains was determined to keep the match going, and won a tough third set, 25-23. The Mustangs rebounded to close out the match with a 25-19 win.
 
Karla Figueroa led the Mustangs with 11 kills in Saturday's opener, while Marissa Hackett, Kyla Kaloi and Nerealice Quirindongo each slammed down nine kills. Keyshla Laureano Perez registered seven blocks, while Hackett and Quirindongo each recorded six. Nashally Eleutiza picked up 24 digs, while Alexis Baer dished out 33 assists.
 
MATCH 2: MONROE 3, #13 NAVARRO
The Mustangs finished off the weekend with one of its toughest opponents in No. 13 Navarro. The Mustangs fell behind, 10-3, early in the first frame, but rallied back to get within one at 12-11. The Mustangs were able to keep it close the rest of the set, but the Bulldogs finished it off with a 25-21 win to take the opening game.
 
The Mustangs erased an early 9-4 deficit in the second set to tie things up at 10-10. Things were tight the rest of the set, leading to a 24-24 stalemate, forcing the need to extra points. A kill for the Mustangs and an attack error by the Bulldogs closed things out, giving Monroe a 26-24 win to tie the match.
 
Monroe controlled the third frame, 13-9, but a run by the Bulldogs knotted things up at 17-17. The Mustangs picked things up and took a 22-19, and kept their distance for a 25-22 win and a 2-1 lead.
 
Monroe quickly jumped out to a 4-0 edge in the fourth stanza. The Mustangs pushed things out to 20-12 before closing out the final game with a 25-16 win to claim the match.
 
Laureano Perez finished with a match-high 18 kills as well as four blocks. Figueroa added 12 kills and hit .423. Hackett threw down five kills and made seven blocks. Baer handed out 42 assists, while Eleutiza added another 24 kills.
 
The Mustangs return home on Tuesday, Oct. 3, to host Suffolk County Community College at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.
 
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).