NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 15, 2018 – The Monroe College women's volleyball team wrapped up the Monroe College Volleyball Invitational on Saturday, falling in the final match of the weekend to No. 3-ranked College of Southern Idaho in three sets at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Golden Eagles improve to 14-1 on the year with the win, while Monroe falls to 4-6.
 
The Mustangs had the early lead in Saturday's challenging matchup, taking a 10-6 advantage early in the opening set. The Golden Eagles then managed to even things up at 14-14. Southern Idaho went on a short run later on, taking a 19-17 edge to force Monroe to call timeout. Monroe cut it back down to a point at 21-20, but the Golden Eagles picked up the final four points to take a 25-20 opening-frame victory.
 
The Mustangs and Golden Eagles went back-and-forth in the second set, reaching an 8-8 draw. A five-point run for the visitors then gave Southern Idaho an 11-8 advantage, prompting head coach Nephtali Delgado Reyes to use a timeout for the Mustangs. The Golden Eagles continued to roll, taking an 18-12 lead. After Southern Idaho went up, 19-13, Monroe rallied back to make it 21-18 late in the frame. Monroe went down, 24-20, but scored three in a row to make it a 24-23 contest. After a long rally, Southern Idaho took the next point for a 25-23 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Southern Idaho held control of the third set, eventually taking a 13-8 lead before Monroe chose to use a timeout. The Golden Eagles held strong to their lead, going up, 20-12, before the next Monroe timeout was used. Southern Idaho then wrapped things up with a 25-14 win to claim the three-set victory.
 
Tereza Strnadlova and Karla Figueroa matched with 10 kills to lead the Mustangs on Saturday. Julia Alves had a team-high three blocks to go with four kills. Maryorie Cruz Baez handed out 20 assists, while Alexis Baer dished out 14 of them. Nashally Eleutiza led Monroe with 17 digs.
 
The Mustangs will play next on Wednesday, Sept. 19, when they visit Nassau Community College in Garden City, N.Y. The match is set to begin at 6 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).