Bridgeport, CTÂ - Monroe fell to Bridgeport 3-1 Tuesday night dropping to 4-2 on the season. Bridgeport took the match 25-23, 22-25, 27-25, 25-20 to improve to 3-6.
The opening set was tightly contested, but Bridgeport came away with a 25-23 victory. Monroe recorded 13 kills in the frame while Bridgeport finished with 12, but seven Monroe attack errors helped the hosts take the early 1-0 advantage.
Monroe answered in the second set. Despite hitting just .138, the visitors used their serving game to shift the momentum, recording nine of their 15 total service aces in the frame. Mileyshka Melendez delivered three consecutive aces during the set as Monroe pulled ahead before finishing off a 25-22 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
The third proved to be the closest set of the night. The teams battled through 20 ties and eight lead changes before Bridgeport escaped with a 27-25 victory, giving the hosts a 2-1 advantage heading into the fourth.
Bridgeport carried the momentum into the fourth and closed out the match with a 25-20 victory. Monroe recorded 11 kills in the final frame, but eight attack errors limited the offense to a .077 hitting percentage as Bridgeport completed the four-set win.
Thais Chantal Cocly Vasquez led Monroe offensively with a match-high 15 kills while hitting .273 on 33 attempts. Adriana Garcia followed with 13 kills, 10 digs and three service aces to record a double-double and finish with a team-high 16 points.
Melendez turned in a strong all-around performance, finishing with a team-high 28 assists, a match-high seven service aces and a team-best 14 digs. Odalis Cox added 15 assists and seven digs, while Liliana Barbierikova contributed five kills and three block assists.
Alisha Pereira Rodriguez-Wells added six kills, five service aces and three digs, while Bianca Mia Valdez finished with three kills on seven attempts for a .429 hitting percentage.
Monroe finished with 50 kills, 48 assists, 15 service aces and 53 digs, but 31 attack errors held the team to a .131 hitting percentage. Bridgeport countered with 49 kills while hitting .230 and held a significant advantage at the net with 15 total blocks.
The loss moved Monroe to 4-2 on the season.
