New Rochelle, NY – The Monroe University women's volleyball team went 2-0 to open the Monroe Invitational on Saturday, defeating the College of Southern Maryland in straight sets (25-17, 25-11, 25-22) before knocking off No. 14 Richard Bland College in four sets (27-25, 16-25, 25-15, 25-19).
The Mustangs came out of the gates hot against the Hawks, dominating the first set thanks to the fearless offensive approach of freshman
Adriana Garcia. The Puerto Rico native continued her strong start to her collegiate career with a team-high ten kills across the three-set match.
Errors mounted for Monroe, but it was able to get the job done in convincing fashion.
A marquee matchup against the Statesmen of Richard Bland capped off the night. The match lived up to the billing as Monroe earned its first win over a ranked opponent after coming up short in its previous four attempts last weekend.
The first set was intense. Trailing 21-18, the Mustangs rattled off six consecutive scores, with sophomore
Jelena Peric racking up three kills in the stretch. Richard Bland responded, tying the set at 25 all, but a service error by the Statesmen segued into freshman
Alisha Pereira Rodriguez-Wells's set-sealing kill, served up by sophomore
Mileyshka Melendez.
Despite the huge momentum boost, the home team fell flat in set two with its lowest single set kill percentage throughout the two games of the day.
But Monroe failed to let the bump in the road affect them. Set three was decisive as the Mustangs closed out on an 11-5 run. Garcia was on fire again during the stretch run, securing two service aces and two kills. Sophomore
Fabiana Lopez clinched the 2-1 advantage with back-to-back kills.
Set four saw the Mustangs ride a 9-2 run in the middle portion of the set. While Richard Bland battled back late to pull within four, the Mustangs held strong to secure their signature win of the early portion of the 2025 season.
Three players (Lopez, Garcia and Pereira Rodriguez-Wells) achieved double-digit kills, while sophomore
Emma Dedushaj continued to showcase her defensive leadership with a game-high 45 digs, matching her season-high.
Monroe will take on Division III No. 14 Raritan Valley Community College (11:00 am) and Montgomery College (5:00 pm) on Sunday to close out the Monroe Invitational.
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).
