FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., September 13, 2024 – The Monroe University Mustangs opened up a three-match weekend in Fayetteville, N.C., with a match against No. 5 Richard Bland College Friday afternoon. The Mustangs had a strong start to win the opening set, but ultimately fell in four to the Statesmen. Monroe drops to 6-3 overall after the loss, while Richard Bland improves to 10-1.
Monroe opened the match with a 25-21 victory over the Statesmen to take a 1-0 lead in the match, but Richard Bland responded with a 25-19 win to even the score. Wins of 25-21 and 25-22 then put the match away for the Statesmen to give them their 10th win in 11 matches. Richard Bland then went on to defeat host Fayetteville Technical Community College later in the evening to improve to 11-1 overall.
The Mustangs were led offensively by
Flavia Pecora, who totaled 11 kills while hitting .556 on the day, adding five aces and three blocks as well.
Natalia Rodriguez was close behind with nine kills, three digs and two aces.
Jelena Peric totaled six kills with nine digs.
Fabiana Lopez had five kills to go with nine digs and a pair of aces of her own.
Mileyshka Melendez dished out 29 assists with a team-high 10 digs to register a double-double on the afternoon, adding a pair of blocks and a pair of kills as well.
Kristhaly Torres picked up nine digs with two aces.
Madison Smith contributed three kills with three total blocks.
The Mustangs will look to bounce back on Saturday, Sept 14, when they wrap up the weekend in Fayetteville with a tri-match with Bryant & Stratton College (Va.) and Fayetteville Tech. They'll take on the Bobcats at 12 p.m. before a 2 p.m. match with the host Trojans.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 20 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College 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.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (
Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
