Glen Ellyn, IL – The Monroe University men's volleyball team splits its Sunday slate to close out the College of DuPage Tournament. The Mustangs defeated Finger Lakes Community College in five sets (25-22, 19-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-8) before falling to Bryant & Stratton College in five sets (26-28, 25-15, 25-21, 14-25, 10-15).
After losing to Finger Lakes in the 2024 NJCAA Men's Volleyball National Invitational, the Mustangs exacted their revenge with a thrilling five-set victory.
The first four sets went back-and-forth before Monroe cruised to victory in the decisive fifth set. It wasn't an offensive-powered ending as the two sides combined for ten kills, but the Mustangs played tremendous defense to claim the win.
Freshmen
Santiago Valenca (15) and
Erick Concepcion (14) paced the Mustangs in match one.
In match two against the Bobcats, the Mustangs looked to close out the tournament with a winning record. But after going up 2-1, they couldn't close the deal, eventually losing the fifth set by five points.
An impressive third set saw the Mustangs record 16 kills, but over the final two, they came short of that mark. From there, Bryant & Stratton snatched the momentum, outscoring Monroe, 40-24.
Valenca and Concepcion each led the Mustangs again in the final match, pacing the team with 17 and 16 kills, respectively. Freshman
Glenn Gandarillas matched a team-high with 13 digs, while freshman
Murilo Gibeli performed to his usual standards with 37 assists in the five-set thriller.
Monroe closes out the College of DuPage Tournament with a 2-3 record and a 7-4 overall record. Its next opportunity will come at home on Friday, February 21, at 7:00 pm when it hosts Roxbury Community College.
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).
