HUTCHINSON, Kan., November 19, 2021 – Playing in the opening matchup of the Consolation Bracket at the 2021 NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championships on Friday, the No. 13-seeded Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team dropped a four-set match to No. 12 Central Wyoming College at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. The loss ends Monroe's run at the NJCAA Championship tournament, and the 2021 season for the Mustangs.
 
The Mustangs opened up with a 7-4 lead early in the first frame. The game was knotted up at 11-1 before Monroe won 5-of-6 to take a 16-12 edge. A four-point run shortly after made it a 20-13 lead for the Mustangs. The Rustlers got back within four at 24-20, but Monroe put it away on a Leanisse Solano kill to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Set 2 saw the Mustangs and Rustlers reach a 6-6 stalemate early on. Central Wyoming then scored 6-of-7 to go up, 12-7. Monroe went on a 5-2 run to get back within two, and later scored 4-of-5 to make it a one-point game at 17-16. The Rustlers got the next point, but Monroe responded with two more to tie it up at 18-18. After a 19-19 tie, Central Wyoming picked up three straight, but the Mustangs took three of the next four to get within one at 23-22. The Rustlers had set point, but the Mustangs followed with two straight to tie it up at 24-24. The Rustlers then got a kill and an ace to close it out with a 26-24 win, tying the match at 1-1.
 
Central Wyoming used the momentum from a close win to go up, 10-5, early in the third set. The Mustangs later went on a four-point run to tie it up at 11-11, but the Rustlers scored the next three to take the lead once again. Monroe was within two at 16-14 before Central Wyoming went on a big 9-0 run to end the game with a 25-14 win and a 2-1 lead on the afternoon.
 
The Mustangs grabbed a 3-1 lead to start the fourth frame, but the Rustlers turned it back around with six straight points to go up, 7-3. After Monroe got back within one, but a 7-0 run for Central Wyoming made it a 14-6 game. Late in the set, Monroe scored four in a row to make it a 23-15 score, but the Rustlers finished things off from there to win, 25-15, and grab a 3-1 win.
 
After coming so close all season long, Alisha Callender closed out the season with her first triple-double, registering 11 kills, 12 assists and 17 digs to go with her two aces. Yaliancis Flores threw down 17 kills with five digs. Solano totaled nine kills and 15 digs. Laura Paniagua led the team with 24 digs, adding five assists. Lyanis Rios led Monroe with 25 assists, completing a double-double with 12 digs.
 
The Mustangs' season comes to a close after two matches at the 2021 NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championships. 2021 was Monroe's fifth straight trip to the NJCAA Championships, the first time as the Gulf Atlantic District A Champion. Monroe finishes 33-9 overall, the team's first 30-win campaign since 2015.
 
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).