WEST PLAINS, Mo., November 10, 2022 – The NJCAA announced the bracket for the 2022 NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championship on Thursday. The Mustangs, coming off their second straight Gulf Atlantic District A Championship, and riding a 22-match winning streak, enter the national tournament as the No. 15 seed, and will open the tournament against No. 2 Indian Hills Community College. The tournament is set to take place at a new home this year, the West Plains Civic Center, in West Plains, Mo.
 
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 2022 NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championship will be broadcast on the NJCAA Network.
 
Follow the live stats for each match on the Monroe Mustangs Live Stats Page.
 
MONROE'S TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Mustangs are entering the NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championship tournament for the sixth straight season, not including the 2020-21 spring season, in which the Mustangs did not compete, and the team's eighth time making 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.
 
The Mustangs were the No. 13 seed in the 2021 NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championship tournament, and took on No. 4 Florida Southwestern State College in the opening round of the tournament. The Mustangs were close in every set, but unfortunately fell in three to the Buccaneers. They then took on No. 12 Central Wyoming College in the consolation bracket, making it another close matchup throughout, but the Mustangs ultimately dropped a four-set match to see their tournament come to an end.
 
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Mustangs have had to battle through Alabama to earn their spot at the national tournament each of the past four seasons. The Mustangs have done so successfully, including two straight seasons as the top team coming out of the Gulf Atlantic District Championship, coming away with the District A Title in back-to-back seasons.
 
The Mustangs achieved this feat in impressively dominant fashion this season. Monroe did not lose a single set in a perfect 4-0 weekend in Mobile. The Mustangs opened up with a three-set victory against Lurleen B. Wallace Community College before closing out the first day with a three-set win over Snead State Community College. Monroe then took down top-seeded Wallace State Community College to advance to the finals. Wallace State defeated Bishop State Community College to stay alive and earn at least the runner-up title in the tournament, but the Mustangs once again knocked the Lions off in three to claim the tournament championship.
 
The Warriors, who enter as the No. 2 seed, the highest mark in program history, made it back to the national stage after winning the Midwest District A Championship. The Warriors did so by winning back-to-back three-set matches against Kaskaskia College and then John A. Logan College.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Mustangs and Warriors are both entering this year's tournament with impressive records. Indian Hills is 40-2 overall, giving the Warriors the most wins in the NJCAA this season. Monroe's 36 victories are third most in the NJCAA. Monroe also enters the tournament on a 22-match winning streak, the longest active streak in the nation, while Indian Hills is riding a 14-match winning streak, the third-longest active streak.
 
The Mustangs and Warriors have only faced off twice before. Most recently, the Mustangs defeated Indian Hills in three sets on Oct. 15, 2021, in a tournament at Iowa Western Community College. The only other matchup between Monroe and Indian Hills took place back on Aug. 27, 2016, in which the Warriors claimed a 3-0 victory over the Mustangs in Wisconsin Dells, Wisc.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 35 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well 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 11 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).