DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., September 7, 2018 – The Monroe College women's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches in its second day at the Daytona State College Invitational on Friday, dropping a five-set match to Hillsborough Community College before falling in four to Florida State College at Jacksonville. The Mustangs fall to 0-3 after a trio of difficult matchups on the road to start the season.
 
MATCH 1: Hillsborough 3, Monroe 2
Midway through the opening set, the Mustangs trailed the Hawks, 16-14. Hillsborough then went on a five-point run to take a seven-point lead. The Mustangs were able to draw within three late in the set, but the Hawks closed it out to pick up a 25-21 win.
 
Monroe rebounded in the second set, starting with a six-point run that gave the Mustangs an 8-4 lead. Hillsborough stormed back to take a 13-12 edge, but the Mustangs regrouped to take four in a row on four straight kills to go back up, 16-13. Things were neck-and-neck late in the game, with Monroe hanging on to a 21-20 lead, but the Mustangs closed it out with the final four points to take a 25-20 win and tie the match.
 
Monroe held a two-point lead nearly midway through the third frame before scoring six straight points to take a big 17-9 lead. A late five-point run by the Hawks got them back within four, and another four-point run with the Mustangs looking at set point made it a three-point game, but the Mustangs managed to close it out for a 25-21 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
The Hawks caught fire in the fourth set, running out to an 11-5 lead. The Mustangs managed to keep it tight down the stretch, but the Hawks ultimately came out on top, 25-20, to tie the game and force a decisive fifth set.
 
The teams traded points back-and-forth to start the final frame, reaching a quick 3-3 score. The Hawks then scored four in a row to go up, 7-3. The Mustangs were able to make it a two-point game at 8-6, but another four points for Hillsborough made it a 12-6 deficit. The Hawks eventually finished things off with a 15-8 final.
 
Tereza Strnadlova had a team-high 14 kills in Friday's opener, adding five digs. Giulia La Longa and Karla Figueroa each added 13 kills, with Figueroa picking up 26 digs and La Longa hitting .306. Nashally Eleutiza scooped up 32 digs and handed out eight assists. Maryorie Cruz Baez dished out a team-high 28 assists. Christina Robles added a pair of service aces, as well as 14 digs.
 
MATCH 2: FLORIDA STATE-JACKSONVILLE 3, MONROE 1
The Mustangs fell behind early in the first set, seeing the Blue Wave take an 8-2 lead. The Mustangs galloped back into it, closing the gap at 11-10, but FSC pushed its lead back to 17-11. A seven-point lead proved too much to overcome, as the Mustangs ended up dropping the opening frame, 25-19.
 
The Blue Wave got off to another strong start in the second game, taking a quick 5-0 lead. The Mustangs once again made a comeback, getting within one at 9-8. Another strong run for the Blue Wave gave them a 16-10 lead. The Mustangs then strung together eight of the next 10 points, knotting things up at 18-18. The back-and-forth continued until it forced both teams to score more than 25 points in the set. Monroe broke set point twice in a row before having its own set point broken four straight times. On the final break, the Blue Wave put together three straight points, claiming a 32-30 win for a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The match remained back-and-forth in the third stanza, seeing the score reach an 18-18 stalemate late in the frame. The teams traded points until the score was once again tied up at 25-25. After the Blue Wave tied it at 26-26, the Mustangs locked down with a kill by Maria Camila Salazar and an ace by Tereza Strnadlova to pick up a 28-26 win and keep the match going.
 
Monroe was within two points, trailing 14-12 midway through the fourth frame. The Blue Wave slowly added to their lead, eventually taking the final three points of the game for a 25-17 win and a victory in the match.
 
Figueroa picked up another 11 kills, while La Longa threw down nine of her own. Eleutiza added 19 digs, while Alexis Baer led with 20 assists. Cruz Baez had 13 assists and a team-high four service aces. Salazar added two solo blocks and five block assists.
 
The Mustangs wrap up their weekend at the Daytona State Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 8, with matches against Palm Beach State College and Pensacola State College. Those matches are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., respectively.
 
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).