NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 11, 2018 – The Monroe College women's volleyball team returned home to the Monroe Athletic Complex on Tuesday, where the Mustangs defeated the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in three set to pick up their first win at home this season. Monroe improves to 2-4 overall with the win, while FIT falls to 3-3.
 
With the three-set victory, the Mustangs make it a remarkable 10 straight home matches without losing a single set. The stretch runs back to the 2016 season, beginning with a 3-0 victory over Queensborough Community College. The Mustangs' impressive run also includes a District Championship win in 2016 and a Regional Championship victory in 2017.
 
The Mustangs opened the match with a 6-0 run to claim an early advantage over the Tigers. The lead grew to 11 points when Monroe took a 17-6 edge. The Mustangs never lost the momentum, wrapping things up for a 25-11 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The second frame started exactly the same way as the first, with Monroe running out to a 6-0 lead. After the Tigers took their first point, the Mustangs rattled off another four points to go ahead, 11-1. After another point for the Tigers, the Mustangs picked up eight straight points for a commanding 19-2 advantage. After a few more FIT points, the Mustangs closed it out for a 25-6 victory to take a 2-0 edge in the match.
 
FIT found some momentum to kick off the third set, rolling to a 8-4 lead early on in the game. The Mustangs buckled down after that, taking 16-of-17 points to claim a 20-9 advantage. The Mustangs ultimately went on to finish things off with a 25-10 win.
 
Monroe was led by Maria Camila Salazar, who threw down a team-high 10 kills while hitting .467 in the match. Giulia La Longa hit .455 with seven kills. Alexis Baer and Maryorie Cruz Baez split the setting duties, dishing out 15 and 14 assists, respectively. Nashally Eleutiza picked up a match-high 16 digs. Karla Figueroa served up five aces to go with four kills. Daline Rios added four aces, six assists and five digs.
 
The Mustangs next play on Thursday, Sept. 13, when they open up the Monroe College Invitational at the Monroe Athletic Complex, featuring five of the top teams in the country, against Hillsborough Community College. The match 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 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, and the newly added club men's volleyball team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
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).