New Rochelle, NY – The Monroe University women's volleyball team is set to host the Mid-Atlantic District Championship on Saturday at noon, facing off against No. 21 Harford Community College for an automatic berth in the NJCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Tournament.

The Mustangs are fresh off a Region 19 Championship that saw them win in dominant fashion. As the 3-seed in the tournament, the Mustangs defeated 2-seed Delaware Tech Community College in straight sets before doing the same to top-seeded Lackawanna College.

Freshmen Flavia Pecora and Jelena Peric shined, with Pecora taking home Tournament MVP honors, while Peric secured a spot on the All-Tournament team. Pecora paced the Mustangs with 28 kills across the two games. Peric supplied the defense with 29 digs.

Monroe enters the Mid-Atlantic District Championship at 23-5, having won its last four contests. Earlier in the season, the Mustangs put together an impressive stretch of winning 10 of its 11 games between September 14 and October 4 in straight sets. They've had three separate win streaks of five games, including a win streak of nine games from September 27 to October 19.

The Fighting Owls meanwhile come in at a perfect 21-0, winning all but three contests in 2024 in straight sets. They dismantled the competition in the Region 20 Tournament, earning them a spot in the Mid-Atlantic District Championship against the Mustangs.

These two teams met on September 24, with Harford winning 3-2 (15-25, 15-25, 25-20, 25-23, 15-13). The Mustangs were shutting out the Fighting Owls across two sets, but dropped the final three to lose the contest. It was the sole loss for Monroe between September 14 and October 17, which consisted of 15 matches. Freshman Natalia Rodriguez led the way with 16 kills for the Mustangs.

Rodriguez and Peric led the way for the Mustangs this season with 256 and 232 kills, respectively. Pecora followed suit with 223 kills, with freshman Madison Smith joining the 200-club as well. For Harford, sophomore Laura Piva has an astonishing 294 kills, which is 203 more than the next player on the list for the Fighting Owls.

The winner will advance to the NJCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Tournament, which will take place in Cedar Rapids, IA, at Alliant Energy Powerhouse Arena from November 20-23.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 20 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as the Monroe University marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeUMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).