NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 13, 2018 – In a rematch from last week's Daytona State College Invitational, the Monroe College women's volleyball team showed an incredible amount of resilience, erasing a number of large deficits to ultimately come back and get their revenge on Hillsborough Community College with a five-set win at the Monroe Athletic Complex to open the Monroe College Volleyball Invitational. Monroe improves to 3-4 overall with the win, while the Hawks drop to 5-12.
 
The opening set went back-and-forth, leading to an 8-8 stalemate between the Mustangs and Hawks early on. Hillsborough then took six in a row to claim a 14-8 advantage. Hillsborough was leading 20-13 before the Mustangs came galloping back. They took 7-of-9 from the Hawks, closing the gap at 22-20, forcing Hillsborough to use a timeout. The timeout helped the Hawks regroup, as they took the next two points to reach set point. A service error by the Hawks kept the game going, but they managed to take the next point to close out a 25-21 win in the first frame.
 
The second stanza got off to another back-and-forth start with an 11-11 draw. The Mustangs took the next point, but Hillsborough rallied for the following four to take a 15-12 lead, forcing Monroe to take a timeout. The Mustangs then closed the gap, reaching another tie at 15-15. Neither team was able to gain much of an advantage over the other, seeing the match reach a 23-23 score. The Mustangs picked up a hard-earned point on a kill by Karla Figueroa to reach set point, forcing Hillsborough to take a timeout. Figueroa threw down one more kill to pick up a 25-23 win in a thrilling set to tie the match.
 
Hillsborough ran out to a 6-1 lead early in the third game. The Mustangs regained their form, scoring 6-of-7 to tie it up at 7-7. The even play from the second set picked back up as the two teams had 13 points apiece, but a five-point run gave the Hawks a 16-13 lead, leading to a Mustang timeout. The momentum remained with the Hawks, who took a 22-17 lead late in the set. The Hawks then closed things out with a 25-20 win to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Hillsborough kept things going in the early goings of fourth frame, taking a 9-4 lead before the Mustangs called timeout. The Hawks went up, 16-7, but Monroe pushed back in a big way, scoring nine straight points to tie it up at 16-16. They kept the rally going, taking an 18-16 lead before the Hawks were finally able to pick up a point. The Mustangs did not let the Hawks get back into a rhythm, going up, 21-18, looking to finish off the set and force a decisive fifth set. They did so quickly, claiming a 25-19 win to send it to five.
 
The Hawks jumped out to a 5-1 lead early on, eventually taking an 8-3 lead before the teams switched sides of the court. The Mustangs made a push, getting within two points at 11-9 to force Hillsborough to take its timeout. The Mustangs did not lose any steam, taking the next two points to tie it up at 11-11. After another Hawks timeout, a kill by Maria Camila Salazar, followed by a service ace by Maryorie Cruz Baez gave the Mustangs a two-point edge. An error by the Hawks set Monroe up with match point, but the Hawks got one back to keep it going. Tereza Strnadlova then closed things out with a kill, ending the match with an incredible 15-12 final.
 
Figueroa led the Mustangs with 17 kills and five blocks in the win, adding 15 digs. Salazar added 12 kills, two blocks and hit .333. Cruz Baez dished out a team-high 33 assists and three aces, while also picking up 16 digs. Nashally Eleutiza led the Mustangs with 34 digs in the win. Both Julia Alves and Strnadlova added eight kills.
 
The Mustangs continue the Monroe College Volleyball Invitational tomorrow, Sept. 14, when they take on a pair of Top-20 teams. They start their day at 12 p.m. against No. 6 Snow College, and wrap things up at 5 p.m. against No. 19 Wallace State Community College-Hanceville.
 
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).