Rockville, MD – The Monroe University women's volleyball team clinched an automatic berth to the 2025 NJCAA Division II national tournament with a 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-15, 25-23) victory over Montgomery College in the Mid-Atlantic District Final on Saturday.
This marks Monroe's first nationals' appearance since 2022 when the program was a Division I volleyball institution. Since moving to Division II, the Mustangs have reached the district final in all three years. In 2025, the squad overcame the Raptors in four sets to get over the hump.
Freshman
Alisha Pereira Rodriguez-Wells led the offense with 16 kills on 25 attempts and no errors. Sophomore
Deyja Tshibangu was equally as efficient, compiling 11 kills on 16 attempts with just two errors.
As table-setters, freshman
Chiara Lovadina and sophomore
Mileyshka Melendez shined. Lovadina had a game to remember with a career-high 22 assists, while Melendez provided 20 assists of her own.
Defensively, it was once again the single-season digs leader in program history, sophomore
Emma Dedushaj, who led the way with 26 digs.
Monroe fell behind, 12-7, in the first set, but a 6-1 run tied it up at 13. After a few more runs towards the latter stages of the set, Pereira Rodriguez-Wells capped off the opener with three straight kills to clinch the victory.
Montgomery responded with a hard-fought second set to even the match up. The Raptors mirrored Monroe's final moments of the first set, securing three straight kills to highlight an intense second set.
Tied 1-1, the third set presented a major turning point in the contest.
The Mustangs didn't mess around, jumping in front 7-1, 10-2 and 16-5 at separate points. A back-and-forth finish ended on back-to-back service errors by Montgomery, opening the door for Monroe to cash in on a national tournament appearance and a district title.
Set four saw alternating 3-0 runs throughout the contest, but a pivotal 4-0 run down 22-20 put the Mustangs in position for the win. Who else but Garcia, the team leader in kills, to rack up the finishing point in a tremendous showdown.
Head coach
Nephtali Delgado Reyes will look to navigate his eighth national tournament appearance. The Mustangs will have to wait until the NJCAA Selection Show on Wednesday, November 12, at 3:00 pm to find out their opponent in Cedar Rapids, IA.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 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).
