NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 14, 2018 – After kicking off the Monroe College Volleyball Invitational with a five-set victory over Hillsborough Community College on Thursday, the Monroe College women's volleyball team went five sets two more times on Friday. They dropped an incredibly close match with No. 6 Snow College to start the day, but bounced back to pick up a five-set win over No. 19 Wallace State Community College-Hanceville.
 
MATCH 1: #6 Snow 3, Monroe 2
The Mustangs started off strong in their first match on Friday, doubling up the Badgers, 10-5, early in the first set. Snow then made its way back, tying things up at 15-15. The Badgers then jumped into the lead, eventually going up, 22-18, forcing Monroe to call timeout. The Mustangs managed to tie things up at 23-23, but Snow took the last two points to claim a narrow 25-23 win.
 
Even play continued in the second frame, seeing the score reach a 6-6 draw. The Mustangs then went on a 7-3 run to take a 13-9 edge over the Badgers. The momentum continued, as the Mustangs took a 21-13 advantage, eventually rolling to a 25-15 win to tie the match at one set apiece.
 
After a 7-7 tie, the Mustangs scored five in a row to go ahead, 12-7. The Mustangs kept their distance from the Badgers, going up 19-14 before Snow needed a timeout. The Mustangs held a 21-16 lead before Snow cut the deficit to two at 21-19. Monroe got a point back, but Snow scored the next two to make it 22-21. The Mustangs then forced set point, but Snow scored another two in a row to make it a 24-23 game, causing Monroe to take a timeout. Giulia La Longa closed things out with a forceful kill to give Monroe the 25-23 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
A back-and-forth start to the fourth frame saw Snow take an 11-10 lead. Three straight points made it 14-10, but four in a row for Monroe tied things up at 14 apiece. Snow then pushed its lead up to 20-17. A 22-18 lead for Snow forced the Mustangs to use a timeout. Snow finished up the set with a 25-21 win, forcing a decisive fifth set.
 
The fifth set went back-and-forth early on, seeing a 6-6 tie before Snow scored three in a row to take a 9-6 advantage. The Mustangs got back within a point, but Snow regained its momentum to take a 13-10 lead. The Badgers then finished things off with a 15-11 to claim the match in five sets.
 
Karla Figueroa led the Mustangs with 16 kills, while Maria Camila Salazar added 15. Both of them had two blocks apiece. Giulia La Longa was close behind them with 13 kills, also adding a pair of blocks. Maryorie Cruz Baez handed out 27 assists, while Alexis Baer gave out 23. Nashally Eleutiza picked up a season-high 48 digs, while Figueroa added 22. Figueroa also led the Mustangs with three service aces.
 
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, #19 Wallace State 2
What started as a back-and-forth opening set soon became a 14-8 lead for Wallace State. The Lions later held a 20-15 edge before another two points caused Monroe to use a timeout. Wallace State reached set point at 24-16 before Monroe strung together four straight points, causing the Lions to call for a timeout of their own. The timeout helped the Lions, as they picked up the last point to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The Mustangs rebounded to start the second frame, turning an 8-3 lead into a 15-6 advantage over the Lions. Monroe continued to roll through the set, leading by as many as 14 points before wrapping things up with a 25-14 win to tie the match at 1-1.
 
The momentum continued for the Mustangs, as they jumped out to a 10-3 lead on the Lions to start the third set. 10-3 quickly became 19-7, as the hot streak continued for Monroe. The Mustangs took care of business the rest of the set, scoring a 25-12 win to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Wallace State took control of the fourth frame early on, taking a 6-1 lead. They led 12-6 before the Mustangs strung together five straight points to make it a 12-11 game. After a timeout, the Lions scored four in a row to take a 16-11 lead. They pushed the lead to 19-11 before Monroe took three in a row, leading to a timeout by Wallace State. The Lions cleaned things up, and finished with a 25-19 win to send the match to five sets.
 
The Mustangs quickly took a 4-0 lead in the fifth set before the Lions were able to get their first score. After three in a row for the Lions, the Mustangs took the next two to take a 6-3 advantage. The two teams switched sides when Monroe took an 8-5 lead. The Mustangs pushed their lead to 12-9, forcing the Lions to call another timeout. Monroe closed it out with three of the final four points for a 15-10 win and a 3-2 victory in the match.
 
Figueroa once again led Monroe with 18 kills in the match, while La Longa followed with 12. Figueroa also added four total blocks and 19 digs in the win. Cruz Baez dished out 24 assists, while Baer handed out 17. Eleutiza led with 31 digs, adding a service ace as well.
 
The Monroe College Volleyball Invitational wraps up with four more matches on Saturday, Sept. 15, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Monroe will play its final match of the tournament at 2:30 p.m. against No. 3 ranked College of Southern Idaho.
 
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).