GLEN ELLYN, Ill., April 19, 2023 – The first-ever NJCAA men's volleyball season is set to culminate with the inaugural NJCAA Men's Volleyball Invitational, which will be hosted by the College of DuPage from Friday, April 21, through Saturday, April 22. The invitational will feature six NJCAA programs, with the Monroe College Mustangs having been selected as the inaugural tournament's No. 1 seed.
 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
2023 NJCAA Men's Volleyball Invitational
College of DuPage – Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Physical Education Center Arena
Friday, April 21 – Saturday, April 22
Tournament Central (NJCAA)
Tournament Central (DuPage)
Tournament Bracket
 
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Six teams are split into two pools, Pool A and Pool B. The Pool Play Round will see all three teams play each other to determine new standings in each pool. The Crossover round, which will close out Friday's play, will see No. 1 vs. No. 1, No. 2 vs. No. 2 and No. 3 vs. No. 3 to determine seeing in Saturday's six-team, single-elimination tournament to determine an invitational champion. A consolation round will also be played for teams eliminated on Saturday, with each team playing a minimum of five matches across the two-day tournament.
 
TOURNAMENT SEEDING

1. Monroe College (11-0)
2. Ocean County Community College (11-1)
3. Finger Lakes Community College (8-4)
4. College of DuPage (6-9)
5. Union College (5-18)
6. Bryant & Stratton College (WI) (1-9)

 
POOL A                                           POOL B
#1 Monroe                                     #2 Ocean County
#4 DuPage                                     #3 Finger Lakes
#5 Union                                        #6 Bryant & Stratton (WI)
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (All times EDT)
Day 1 – Friday, April 21
Pool Play
                                Pool A (Court 1)                            Pool B (Court 2)
10:00 AM              #1 Monroe v #5 Union               #2 Ocean County v #6 Bryant & Stratton
12:00 PM              #4 DuPage v #5 Union               #3 Finger Lakes v #6 Bryant & Stratton
2:00 PM                #1 Monroe v #4 DuPage            #2 Ocean County v #3 Finger Lakes
 
Crossover Round
4:00 PM                  3 v 3 (Court 1)                               2 v 2 (Court 2)
6:00 PM                  1 v 1 (Court 1)
 
Day 2 – Saturday, April 22
First Round
11:00 AM                Match 1: 4 v 5 (Court 1)                          Match 2: 3 v 6 (Court 2)
 
Semifinals
1:00 PM                  Match 3: 1 v Winner M1 (Court 1)          Match 4: 2 v Winner M2 (Court 2)
 
Championship
5:00 PM                  Winner M3 v Winner M4
 
Consolation
3:00 PM                  5th: Loser M1 v Loser M2 (Court 1)        3rd: Loser M3 v Loser M4 (Court 2)
 
TOURNAMENT COVERAGE
Live streams are available at the following links:
Court 1
Court 2
Live stats will be provided by both College of DuPage and Monroe College. All matches played by Monroe can be followed at MonroeCollegeMustangs.com/MVBLiveStats.
 
MONROE'S RUN TO PERFECTION
The Mustangs enjoyed a perfect NJCAA regular-season schedule in the inaugural season, entering the tournament at 11-0. Monroe's schedule included matches against NJCAA and NCAA schools, with some matches against NCAA programs agreed upon as exhibitions ahead of the season.
 
After a regular-season opening three-set victory over NCAA Div. III College of Mount Saint Vincent, the Mustangs hosted the first-ever Monroe College Men's Volleyball Invitational, featuring 13 matches across three days at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs went 5-0 in the home invitational, including four wins over NJCAA Men's Volleyball Invitational competitors.
 
Monroe's season continued with wins over Finger Lakes and Clarkson University Club on Finger Lakes' home court. After two weekends of exhibitions, Monroe got back to work with a win at Middlesex College before defeating Union College on the road a few days later. The Mustangs finished the regular season on March 25 with one final home victory over Union to reach their unblemished 11-0 record.
 
THE REST OF THE FIELD
 
2023 NJCAA Men's Volleyball Stat Leaders
 
#2 Ocean County Community College
The Ocean County Vikings captured the first-ever NJCAA Region 19/Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Championship, in what was the only conference with a championship tournament in the NJCAA this season. The Vikings defeated Passaic County Community College, 3-1, in the semifinals of the tournament before taking down Middlesex in four sets in the championship match.
 
The Vikings enter the NJCAA Men's Volleyball Championship having played just one other team in the tournament. They defeated Union on two occasions, a five-set win on March 6, and a three-set victory on March 17. The rest of the field, including both other teams in Pool B, will be new opponents for Ocean County.
 
#3 Finger Lakes Community College
The Finger Lakes Lakers are a familiar foe for the Mustangs, as the two faced off twice this season on each team's home court. The Mustangs won both matches, a four-set win during the Monroe College Men's Volleyball Invitational, and a three-set conquest up in Canandaigua, N.Y. After the Lakers' second loss to Monroe on Feb. 11, the Lakers won 5-of-7 matches, with their only losses coming against NCAA opponents Geneva College and SUNY Potsdam.
 
The Lakers went 6-0 against all other NJCAA opponents this season. They defeated Union three times, each in three sets, while also picking up three-set victories over DuPage, Middlesex and Passaic County.
 
#4 College of DuPage
The NJCAA Men's Volleyball Invitational host Chaparrals went 6-9 this season. After a season-opening loss in five sets to Bryant & Stratton, the Chaparrals went 3-2 in their five matches at the Monroe College Men's Volleyball Invitational. After a loss to Aurora University's JV team, DuPage avenged its earlier loss to Bryant & Stratton with a five-set victory over the Bobcats.
 
The Chaparrals went on to play another mix of NJCAA and NCAA opponents the rest of the way. They had another close, five-set loss against Saint Xavier JV before going 1-2 at the Finger Lakes CC Tourney on March 3-4. They fell in three to the Lakers that weekend before defeating Union the next day in four. SUNY Potsdam JV then beat DuPage in four frames. DuPage defeated North Park JV before closing out the season with a three-set loss to Saint Xavier JV and a four-set defeat at the hands of Aurora JV.
 
#5 Union College
Perhaps Monroe's most familiar foe this season, the Union Owls take the No. 5 seed in the NJCAA Invitational after finishing a busy season with a 5-18 record. The Owls improved as the season went on, picking up their first win in their final match at the Monroe College Men's Volleyball Invitational, a 3-1 win over Passaic County. After losses to Northampton Community College and Middlesex, the Owls won back-to-back matches over Atlantic Cape Community College and Passaic County.
 
The Owls then had a tough stretch with eight straight losses, though they pushed Ocean County to the limit in a five-set loss on March 6, and also played a close four-set match at DuPage on March 4. The Owls defeated Atlantic Cape again on March 22 before their third loss to Monroe three days later. They earned another three-set win over Passaic County on March 27 before closing out the regular season with a 3-1 loss to Middlesex.
 
#6 Bryant & Stratton College (WI)
The most remotely located team in the NJCAA Men's Volleyball Invitational, the Bobcats from Bryant & Stratton's Wisconsin campus enter the tournament with a 1-9 record. They opened their season with a five-set win at DuPage, but only played one more match against an NJCAA school the rest of the way (a 3-2 loss to DuPage on Feb. 24).
 
The Bobcats tested themselves throughout the rest of the season with matches against NCAA and NAIA schools. Though they did not win another match after the opener, they certainly gave themselves plenty of experience along the way and could find themselves in a few upset situations despite their record.
 
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).