DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., September 6, 2018 – The Monroe College women's volleyball team trekked down to Daytona Beach, Fla. to kick off the 2018 season at the Daytona State College Invitational from Thursday to Saturday this weekend. The Mustangs dropped their opening matchup to host Daytona State by a score of 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-16). The Mustangs start the year 0-1, while the Falcons improve to 9-2 overall.
 
The Mustangs fell into a hole early on in the first set, as the Falcons took a 9-3 lead. Monroe slowly chipped away, and a 5-0 run later in the game put the Mustangs ahead, 19-18. The home team then took 4-of-5 points to take the lead back. After the Falcons earned set point, the Mustangs kept it going with a kill by Terez Strnadlova, but a service error gave the Falcons a 25-23 win.
 
The Mustangs were able to run out to a 5-2 lead in the second frame, but the Falcons later went on a 6-1 run to get ahead, 8-6. Plenty of back-and-forth play saw the Mustangs take a 17-15 lead, but the home team followed that up with eight straight points to go up, 23-17. The Mustangs regrouped after a timeout, getting three straight points to draw within three, but they were unable to complete the comeback, as the Falcons picked up the 25-21 victory.
 
Monroe took an early 3-0 lead in the third set, but a run by the Falcons put them ahead, 6-5. Daytona State's lead slowly grew to 16-8, and the Falcons eventually claimed a 25-16 win to close out the match.
 
Karla Figueroa and Tereza Strnadlova led the Mustangs with nine kills apiece in Thursday's season opener. Figueroa added 13 digs to her evening. Nashally Eleutiza led Monroe with 18 digs. Alexis Baer dished out a team-high 17 assists, while Maryorie Cruz Baez handed out 10 of her own.
 
The Mustangs continue their weekend in Daytona Beach on Friday, Sept. 7, when they play two more matches in the Daytona State College Invitational. Monroe takes on Hillsborough Community College at 2 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. contest against Florida State College at Jacksonville.
 
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).