Rockford, IL – The Monroe University women's volleyball split its Saturday doubleheader at the OWT Tournament, defeating Lincoln Land Community College, 3-1 (25-22, 13-25, 25-17, 25-13), before dropping a five-set thriller to Southeastern Community College (20-25, 26-24, 21-25, 25-21, 14-16).
The Loggers were no match for the Mustangs as the latter earned their first win of the 2025 campaign. Freshman
Adriana Garcia continued her strong weekend with a team-high ten kills, while sophomores
Flavia Pecora and
Fabiana Lopez each tallied nine.
Setting them up was sophomore
Mileyshka Melendez, whose 17 assists in the outing catapulted her to fourth on the all-time assist leaderboard in Monroe women's volleyball history.
Defensively, the Mustangs were spectacular, highlighted by sophomore
Emma Dedushaj's 28 digs. Lincoln Land was limited to just 30 kills on 133 attempts.
In game two, the Mustangs fell short in an intense five set showdown. Freshman
Alisha Pereira Rodriguez-Wells led the way with 14 kills, while Pecora (12) and Garcia (10) continued their strong days. Melendez kept the offense humming with 27 assists, while Dedushaj tallied 45 digs — now a top-five single game mark in program history — in the grueling matchup.
A run in the middle of the first set by the Hawks set the tone before Monroe battled back down 24-23 in set two to win. Pereira Rodriguez-Wells fired in three straight kills to put the match at a tie.
The alternating wins continued as Southeastern prevailed in another narrow finish. But the Mustangs responded once again with an impressive showing in set four. In the end, it was the Hawks that emerged victorious with a final set thriller that saw eight ties.
Monroe is on the board at the OWT Tournament and will face-off against two more ranked opponents to close out its opening weekend. No. 5 Parkland College awaits at 10:30 AM (9:30 AM CT) before No. 17 Enterprise State Community College closes out the six-game slate at 2:30 PM (1:30 PM CT).
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).
