Rockford, IL – The Monroe University women's volleyball opened its 2025 season and its six-game slate at the OWT Tournament on Friday with a pair of straight-set losses to No. 8 Illinois Central College (19-25, 22-25, 22-25) and No. 20 Mott Community College (15-25, 18-25, 21-25).
Despite the two losses, Monroe emerged from day one of the tournament showcasing a ton of depth with its roster bolstering a balanced mix of returners and impactful newcomers.
Against the Cougars, freshman
Alisha Pereira Rodriguez-Wells paced the Mustangs with seven kills, while sophomore
Mileyshka Melendez and freshman
Chiara Lovadina aided the attack with eight assists apiece.
Four other Mustangs recorded four or more kills in the opening match of the year — including sophomore
Fabiana Lopez, who recorded five service aces along with her four kills to lead the team in points with 9.5.
Game two against Mott saw freshman
Adriana Garcia shine with ten kills on 20 attempts. Additionally, Melendez continued her ascent up the program's all-time leaderboard in assists in with an impressive count of 17. She is now 11 assists away from reaching fourth on the list.
Sophomore
Emma Dedushaj shored up the Mustangs defensively with a team-high 11 digs, putting her total over the two contests at 28 — a solid showing from the New Haven transfer.
Monroe will look to reset ahead of its two games on Saturday. First, the Mustangs will draw Lincoln Land Community College at 10:00 am (9:00 am CT) before a 3:15 pm (2:15 pm CT) showdown against Southeastern Community College.
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).
