NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., August 29, 2019 – With three straight appearances at the NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championships, the Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team has its sights set on a return to Hutchinson, Kansas, as the 2019 season begins this weekend for the Mustangs.
 
It was a tougher road to Hutchinson for the Mustangs a year ago, as they had to compete in the District L/M Championship tournament in Hanceville, Ala., to earn their way to the national tournament. Coming in as the underdogs, the Mustangs won their first two matches before falling to host Wallace State Community College-Hanceville. Monroe bounced back with a victory over Lawson State Community College for a spot in the tournament championship. The Mustangs nearly came back from a 2-0 deficit against Wallace State, but dropped a 15-13 decision in the fifth set to drop the match. As the tournament runner-ups, the Mustangs were named the District M Champions and earned an automatic bid into the national tournament.
 
After making their mark a year ago, the Mustangs were selected as the No. 15-ranked team in the 2019 NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll. The Mustangs have a tough schedule ahead of them, as they look to justify and improve upon their national ranking. The team also returns four talented sophomores in Julia Alves, Nia Cornegy, Giulia La Longa and Tereza Strnadlova, and supplements them with a deep and gifted group of freshmen and sophomore transfers.
 
The Mustangs season begins this weekend at the Dalton Overstreet Invitational, hosted by Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz, from Thursday, Aug. 29, through Saturday, Aug. 31. Monroe will compete in five challenging matches out west, highlighted by Sunday's faceoff with No. 20 Arizona Western College.
 
It will be a quick turnaround for Monroe, as the Mustangs will take another long trip next weekend from Thursday, Sept. 5, through Saturday, Sept. 7, to compete in the Daytona State College Tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. Another tough slate of five matches for the Mustangs will see them take on another nationally ranked opponent in No. 7 Polk State College.
 
The following weekend, it will be the Mustangs' turn to host a tournament, as Monroe Athletic Complex will serve as the home court for the first of two Monroe College Volleyball Invitationals from Thursday, Sept. 12, through Saturday, Sept. 14. Monroe will welcome College of Central Florida, Catawba Valley Community College, St. Johns River State College, Northern Virginia Community College and Nassau Community College to New Rochelle for the three-day tournament.
 
Things slow down a bit for the Mustangs after their tournament, with just one match on the schedule for the following week, a 6 p.m. match against Nassau at the MAC on Thursday, Sept. 19. The Mustangs then get a week off before visiting Montgomery College-Rockville on Friday, Sept. 27.
 
The Mustangs will visit Richard Bland College on Saturday, Sept. 28, for a tri-match with Richard Bland and Northern Virginia. Monroe will open the day against Northern Virginia at 2 p.m., followed by their match against Richard Bland at 4 p.m.
 
The Mustangs return home to the MAC on Thursday, Oct. 3, for a match against Queensborough Community College. Monroe then hosts the second Monroe College Volleyball Invitational from Friday, Oct. 11, through Saturday, Oct. 12. This tournament will feature Richard Bland, Montgomery-Rockville, Harford Community College and Grand Rapids Community College.
 
The Mustangs take their final road trip of the regular season from Friday, Oct. 18, through Sunday, Oct. 20, visiting a number of teams in west Florida. The trip begins at State College of Florida on Friday, Oct. 18. The Mustangs then go to the College of Central Florida at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, followed by another match later that evening at Hillsborough Community College at 6 p.m. The weekend wraps up with one final match at No. 17 St. Petersburg College.
 
The Mustangs' regular season concludes on Tuesday, Oct. 22, when they once again host Nassau Community College at the MAC.
 
The Mustangs will kick off 2019 this evening with matches against host Yavapai College and Glendale Community College. The matches are set to begin at 7 p.m. EST and 10 p.m., respectively. The Mustangs will take on New Mexico Military Institute on Saturday at 2 p.m. EST, followed later by a contest against Utah State University Eastern at 8 p.m. EST. Monroe finishes the weekend on Sunday against No. 20 Arizona Western College at 11 a.m. EST.
 
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).