HUTCHINSON, Kan., November 20, 2019 – The 2019 NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship is set to begin on Thursday, Nov. 21, and run through Saturday, Nov. 23. The Mustangs have qualified for the fourth straight year, and come in as the No. 16 seed for the second straight season. Monroe will open the tournament on Thursday against No. 1 Navarro College at 2 p.m. EST.
 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION:
Hutchinson Sports Arena – Hutchinson Community College – Hutchinson, Kan.
Thursday, Nov. 21 – Saturday, Nov. 23
 
TOURNAMENT COVERAGE:
NJCAA Championship TV
www.NJCAAChampsTV.com
NJCAA Championship TV App (available on iOS, Android and most streaming devices)
 
Live Stats link will be added when it is made available.
 
SCHEDULE (all times CST):
 
Tournament Bracket
 
Thursday, Nov. 21
9:00am: Court 1- Match 1; Court 2- Match 2 
11:00am: Court 1- Match 3; Court 2- Match 4
*1:00pm: Court 1- Match 5; Court 2- Match 6
3:00pm: Court 1- Match 7; Court 2- Match 8
5:30pm: Court 1- Match 9; Court 2- Match 10
7:30pm: Court 1- Match 11; Court 2- Match 

Friday, Nov. 22
10:00am: Court 1- Match 13; Court 2- Match 14
12:00pm: Court 1- Match 15; Court 2- Match 16
2:30pm: Court 1- Match 17; Court 2- Match 18
4:30pm: Court 1- Match 19; Court 2- Match 20
6:30pm: Court 1- Match 21; Court 2- Match 22

Saturday, Nov. 23
10:00am: Main Arena- 9th Place Match
12:30pm: Main Arena- 7th Place Match
2:30pm: Main Arena- 5th Place Match
4:30pm: Main Arena- 3rd Place Match
6:30pm: Main Arena- Championship 
 
MATCHUP PREVIEW
No. 16 Monroe College (27-12)
How they got here: It has been tougher sledding for the Mustangs the past two seasons, as redistricting around the NJCAA has landed Monroe in the Gulf Atlantic District as one of six teams battling for two automatic berths into the NJCAA Championship tournament. Just as they did a year ago, the Mustangs turned in a tremendous effort at the Gulf Atlantic District A/B Championship, coming away with the District B Title after competing in seven matches across three days. Monroe nearly came away with the District A Championship, but fell just short against Gadsden State Community College after going to five sets in the Mustangs' third match of the day.
 
Leaders: Giulia La Longa is the team leader with 370 kills and 2.94 kills per set this season. She is also second on the team with 65 blocks and 0.52 blocks per set. Alondra Garcia and Yarianne Gonzalez shared setter duties this season. Garcia has a slight edge in both assists and assists per set with 625 and 5.34, respectively, while Gonzalez has registered 616 assists and 4.60 assists per set. Chiara Mottola has the best hitting percentage on the team, hitting at a .315 clip, while Zassmine Birdwell is right behind her at .310.
 
Melanie Orsini holds the team lead with 691 digs on the season, averaging 5.27 of them per game. Orsini has also served up a team-high 82 aces, and her 0.63 aces per set rank fourth in the NJCAA. Birdwell leads the team with 82 blocks and 0.68 blocks per set.
 
Additional facts: The Mustangs lead the NJCAA with 354 service aces and are second with 2.62 aces per set. They also rank 15th in kills with 1,566, 13th in assists with 1,482 and 13th in digs with 2,200. The Mustangs had a 14-match winning streak during the season that started on Sept. 19 and ended in a close five-set loss at then-No. 13 College of Central Florida on Oct. 19.
 
No. 1 Navarro College (27-0)
How they got here: The Bulldogs have yet to lose a single match in 2019, and have lost just eight sets across their 27 matches this season. They clinched their spot in the national tournament by winning the Mid-South A District Championship with wins over Coastal Bend College, Lee College and Tyler Junior College.
 
Leaders: Jordan Russell leads the Bulldogs with 329 kills and 3.96 digs per set across 83 sets this season. Emily Witt is averaging 11.25 assists per set, good for fifth in the NJCAA, with 979 assists in 87 sets. Carla Boudal leads the team with 24 service aces.
 
Boudal also has a team-high 463 digs and an average of 5.32 per set. Deja Arnold has 127 blocks and averages 1.51 blocks per set. Arnold's .490 hitting percentage ranks second in the NJCAA, while Monica Wood's .468 is fourth.
 
Additional facts: Navarro entered the 2018 NJCAA Championship Tournament as the No. 4 seed, advancing to the quarterfinals after defeating No. 13 Northeastern, but fell in the next round to No. 5 Iowa Western. The Bulldogs rank third in the nation with 13.40 kills per set, as well as third in the NJCAA with a .353 hitting percentage. They are fourth in blocks per set with an average of 3.09, while ranking eighth with 11.89 assists per set.
 
The winner of Monroe vs. Navarro will take on the winner of No. 8 Hillsborough Community College and No. 9 New Mexico Military Institute in the quarterfinals Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m. EST. The loser of Thursday's first-round contest will fall into the consolation bracket, playing its next match on Friday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m. EST, and will take on the loser of Hillsborough and New Mexico Military.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 12 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).