Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Monroe University earned a hard-fought victory in Round Two of the NJCAA Division II Volleyball Championship on Thursday morning, taking down Sauk Valley Community College in five sets, 25-19, 25-21, 12-25, 23-25, 15-13. The win moves the Mustangs to 35-7 on the year.

Monroe opened the match with a balanced attack, hitting .306 in the first set and .366 in the second to take a 2-0 lead. Sauk Valley responded with a strong defensive effort in the third and fourth frames to force a decisive fifth, but the Mustangs answered with timely scoring and key blocks to secure the match.

Alisha Pereira Rodriguez-Wells led the team with 16 kills to go with eight digs and three block assists for 18.5 points. Deyja Tshibangu matched her impact with 15 kills, a .257 hitting percentage, and six total blocks, also totaling 18.5 points.

Flavia Pecora added nine kills and five block assists, while Adriana Garcia provided a spark off the bench with seven kills (.429) and six digs in two sets. Jelena Peric chipped in seven kills on 11 swings (.455).

Setter Mileyshka Melendez directed the offense with 38 assists, adding 11 digs and two aces. Chiara Lovadina supplied 13 assists and four digs. Libero Emma Dedushaj anchored the defense with a match-high 19 digs, leading Monroe to 67 digs as a team. The Mustangs also finished with 21 total blocks, including 19 block assists and two solo blocks.

Monroe will continue play later today from Cedar Rapids as the Mustangs look to extend their postseason run.