GLEN ELLYN, Ill., April 22, 2023 – The first-ever NJCAA men's volleyball season came to a close on Saturday with Day 2 of the inaugural NJCAA Men's Volleyball Invitational. Entering Saturday as the No. 2 seed in the Championship Bracket, the Mustangs defeated Bryant & Stratton College (Wis.) in three sets in the semifinal. The Mustangs were then unable to overcome top-seeded Finger Lakes Community College in the championship final, falling in four sets to finish as the tournament's runner-up.
SEMIFINALS: #2 Monroe 3, #3 Bryant & Stratton (WI) 0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-17)
The Bobcats took an early 4-2 lead in the opening set of Saturday's semifinal, but the Mustangs soon turned things around. After tying it up at 7-7, the Mustangs rolled to a 7-1 run to take a 14-8 advantage. The Bobcats later scored three straight to get within four at 19-15, but the teams traded points after that until Monroe led, 22-18. The Mustangs then closed out the first set with the final three points for a 25-18 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Mustangs carried that momentum into the second stanza by taking an immediate 5-0 lead. The Bobcats chipped away a bit, but a 5-1 stretch by Monroe made it a six-point difference at 12-6. Monroe later rattled off six straight points to take a commanding 21-9 advantage. The Mustangs later closed out the second set with 3-of-4 points for a 25-12 win and a 2-0 edge.
The Bobcats managed to take a 6-5 lead on the Mustangs early in the third frame, but the Mustangs scored 9-of-10 to take a 14-7 advantage. They pushed the lead to eight at 22-14 after scoring three straight late in the game. The teams then went back-and-forth the rest of the way, with Monroe claiming at 25-17 win to sweep the match and advance to the tournament finals.
Joan Galmes produced a double-double in the win, leading the Mustangs with 10 kills and 11 digs. He also added three blocks and an ace. Kieler was close behind with nine kills, nine digs and a pair of aces.
Noah Liousfi threw down eight kills in the win.
Timothy Reyes handed out 31 assists, made two blocks and picked up four digs.
Moises Jimenez picked up eight digs and registered three assists.
CHAMPIONSHIP: Finger Lakes 3, Monroe 1 (24-26, 25-12, 25-18, 25-20)
Finger Lakes got the early jump on the Mustangs in the opening set by taking an 11-7 lead. The Mustangs managed to close the gap at 15-15, but the Lakers used a 5-1 run to go up, 20-16. The Mustangs were on the brink of going down a set just like Friday evening when the Lakers reached set point at 24-19, but a service error by the Lakers flipped the momentum in the game. The Mustangs managed to not only score five straight to tie, they continued rolling for the final two points as well to pick up a 26-24 comeback victory to take a 1-0 lead in the championship match.
The second set was even to start until the Lakers scored four straight to go up, 9-5. Finger Lakes went up, 15-9, before the Mustangs used a timeout. The momentum never swayed back in the Mustangs favor, as the Lakers cruised to a 25-12 win to tie up the match.
The third frame was knotted up at 10-10 before the Lakers began to pull away. They scored nine of the next 11 points to go up, 19-12. The Mustangs made a short push to get back within four, but they were unable to fully close the gap, falling, 25-18, to go down, 2-1.
The fourth game was once again off to a neck-and-neck start, reaching 14-14 stalemate midway through the set. The Lakers then scored four straight, but the Mustangs were able to get back within two at 20-18. The Lakers followed that with a 3-1 run to make it a 23-19 score, forcing Monroe to use its last timeout. The Lakers picked up the next point to reach match point, but Kieler got a kill to stay alive. That did not last long, as the Lakers grabbed the final point for a 25-20 win to claim the tournament title.
Kieler threw down 20 kills in the match, adding two aces and three digs. Riu Giralt registered seven kills and six digs. Galmes had six kills in the match. Reyes handed out 36 assists. Jimenez led the Mustangs with 17 digs.
The Mustangs finish the first NJCAA season with a 14-2 overall record. The Mustangs came into the national invitational with an undefeated record before dropping two matches to Finger Lakes during the tournament.
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 (
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