HUTCHINSON, Kan., November 11, 2021 – The NJCAA announced the bracket for the 2021 NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championship on Thursday. The Mustangs, coming off their first-ever Gulf Atlantic District A Championship, enter the national tournament as the No. 13 seed, and will open the tournament against No. 4 Florida Southwestern State College. The tournament is set to take place at its traditional home of the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kan., from Thursday, Nov. 18, through Saturday, Nov. 20.
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE/FORMAT
First Round matches will take place Thursday morning and afternoon. The winners will then move on to the quarterfinals, which will be played Thursday evening. Semifinal matches will take place Friday evening, and then the Championship match will be played Saturday evening.
 
A consolation bracket will help determine all standings from 1-16 in the tournament. Teams that lose in the first round will enter a consolation bracket to determine ninth place on down. A smaller bracket with the losers from the quarterfinal round will determine fifth place through eighth place. In addition, the teams that get eliminated in the semifinals will play a third-place match the following day. All teams are guaranteed a minimum of two matches at the national tournament.
 
TOURNAMENT COVERAGE
All matches at the 2021 NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championship will be broadcast on the NJCAA Network.
 
All matches will have live stats as well. Find those links on the Mustangs women's volleyball schedule page.
 
MONROE'S TOURNAMENT HISTORY
2021 is the fifth straight season that the Mustangs have earned their place at the NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championship, not including the 2020-21 season, in which the Mustangs did not compete. This is also Monroe's seventh appearance in the tournament since 2012.
 
The Mustangs' best finish at the national tournament took place back in 2013. The Mustangs lost in the opening round, but rebounded by winning the consolation bracket to finish ninth place overall.
 
Most recently, the Mustangs entered the 2019 Championship Tournament as the No. 16 seed, and faced off with No. 1 Navarro College in the first round. The Mustangs challenged the Bulldogs and kept every set close, but ultimately lost in four sets. Navarro went on to run the table and claim the 2019 NJCAA Championship. The Mustangs then battled hard in a consolation match against No. 9 New Mexico Military Institute, but once again dropped a four-set match.
 
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Mustangs have had a spectacular 2021 season, heading into the tournament with a 33-7 overall record. Monroe defeated Harford Community College in three sets to advance to the Gulf Atlantic District A/B Championships in Hanceville, Ala.
 
The third-seeded Monroe opened up the four-team, double-elimination tournament with a four-set victory over No. 2 Snead State Community College. In the first winner's bracket match, Monroe defeated No. 1 Wallace State Community College in five sets to clinch a spot in the national tournament. After Wallace State eliminated Snead State in the loser's bracket, the Mustangs rolled to a three-set victory over the tournament hosts, claiming the Gulf Atlantic District A Championship for the first time. The Mustangs had previously qualified through the Gulf Atlantic District as the tournament's runner up, taking home the District B Title in 2019 and the District M crown in 2018.
 
Florida Southwestern State took a different path to this year's tournament. After a terrific regular season, the Buccaneers held the No. 1 ranking in the NJCAA heading into postseason play. However, the Bucs lost in their first match at the FSCAA State Tournament to Polk State College. After defeating Indian River State College to stay alive, the Bucs dropped a five-set match to No. 15-ranked Hillsborough Community College to be eliminated from the tournament. However, after their terrific season, the Buccaneers earned the No. 4 seed in the national tournament with an at-large selection. Florida Southwestern State brings a 22-4 overall record with it to Hutch.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 39 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 18 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 Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).