TYLER, Texas, September 28, 2018 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team quickly erased the memory of a three-set defeat against No. 13 Tyler Junior College from Thursday evening, picking up a pair of huge four-set victories over Blinn College and No. 9 Hill College on Friday as part of the Tyler Junior College Invitational. Monroe's victory over Hill avenges a loss against Rebels from the first round of the 2017 NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball National Championship Tournament. The Mustangs improve to 9-7 on the season with the pair of wins.
 
MATCH 1: Monroe 3, Blinn 0 (25-23, 29-31, 25-20, 25-18)
The Mustangs came out on top in a highly competitive match to open their day on Friday. The match began with Blinn taking a 10-5 advantage early in the first set. The Mustangs very slowly chipped away at the deficit, but finally managed to tie the game at 20-20. The Buccaneers kept the heat on the Mustangs, getting back to a 23-21 lead, but Monroe turned things around, scoring the final four points of the set to earn a hard-fought 25-23 win.
 
Both teams were neck-and-neck in the second frame before a four-point run for Blinn put the Buccaneers ahead, 12-8. They continued to lead by as many as four until the Mustangs score 7-of-8 to go up, 20-18. Monroe had the first set point at 24-23, but after another point for the Buccaneers, the second set became a marathon. Blinn earned set point six straight times before finally pulling off two straight points to claim a 31-29 win and tie the match at 1-1.
 
The third stanza was another evenly played game, with neither team leading by more than two until the final stretch of the set. After Blinn tied it up at 17-17, Monroe scored three in a row for a 20-17 advantage. The Mustangs never lost the lead from that point, finishing things up with a 25-20 win for a 2-1 lead on the afternoon.
 
The fourth frame looked to be the same once again as things were close at 9-8, but the Mustangs turned it into a five-point advantage at 14-9. That lead grew to 17-10, as the Mustangs look to run away with the match. The Buccaneers never got closer than four points, and the Mustangs put things away with a 25-18 win to claim their first victory of the Tyler Invitational.
 
Maria Camila Salazar picked up 19 kills and hit .389 to lead the way for Monroe offensively. She also had two blocks. Giulia La Longa played well with 16 kills and a .393 hitting percentage, as well as two blocks of her own. Karla Figueroa was next with 14 kills, adding two aces, two blocks and 11 digs. Tereza Strnadlova was the fourth Mustang with double-digit kills, finishing with 10 in the win.
 
Daline Rios dished out a team-high 28 assists, while Maryorie Cruz Baez followed with 25. Nashally Eleutiza picked up 24 digs and added a service ace. Julia Alves, Jaddy Duarte, La Longa and Figueroa all matched Salazar's two blocks.
 
MATCH 2: Monroe 3, #9 Hill 1 (25-17, 25-11, 21-25, 25-19)
The Mustangs kept the momentum from their victory over Blinn rolling in their match against No. 9-ranked Hill. Monroe fell behind early in the first set, 6-3, but a seven-point run pushed the Mustangs ahead, 10-6. The Mustangs never trailed from this point on in the first set, slowly increasing the lead until pulling off a 25-17 win to go up, 1-0.
 
Things were close in the beginning of the second stanza, seeing the Mustangs go ahead, 9-7. A 10-1 run then gave Monroe a commanding 19-8 advantage. The Mustangs wrapped it up by taking six of the final 11 points in the set, claiming a dominant 25-11 win for a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Hill turned things around in the third game, running out to a 14-8 lead. Hill led by as many as 11 points late in the frame, reaching set point at 24-13, but the Mustangs regained their momentum, rattling off eight straight points to get back within three. Unfortunately, the Mustangs could not complete the comeback, as a kill by Hill ended the third set with a 25-21 win, keeping the match going.
 
The late rally in the third set helped Monroe take a big lead to start the fourth frame, as the Mustangs took a quick 6-1 advantage. The lead grew to seven points when Monroe pushed the score to 16-9. A run by Hill cut Monroe's lead down to three at 20-17, and again at 22-19, but the Mustangs took control from that point forward, taking the final three points to complete the 3-1 victory with a 25-19 win.
 
Figueroa led the Mustangs with 17 kills in the win, while Salazar followed close behind with 16 of her own. Alves, Duarte, Salazar and La Longa each came away with three block assists, while Figueroa registered a pair of solo blocks. Figueroa also served up a match-high four aces.
 
Cruz Beaz handed out a team-high 23 assists in the win, while Rios added 19. Eleutiza improved upon her earlier performance with 30 digs in Friday's closer. Figueroa was second on the team with 12 digs, while Cruz Baez and Strnadlova followed with 11 apiece.
 
The Mustangs will look to carry their winning streak into the final day of the Tyler Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 29. They will start the day at 12 p.m. EST against Hutchinson Community College, followed by a 2 p.m. contest against North Central Texas College to close out the weekend.
 
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).