BRONX – The nationally ranked No. 9 Monroe College – Bronx women's volleyball team will face key tests in a dual match on the campus of Dutchess Community College on Saturday, August 26. The Express will take on Hudson Valley Community College at 12:00 p.m. and then will have a showdown against No. 7 Finger Lakes Community College, in a battle of nationally ranked teams, at approximately 2:00 p.m.
 
Fans can follow all the action on our live stats page at this link. 
 
The Express are off to a great start by winning their first four matches of the season, including an impressive win over perennial national contender Raritan Valley Community College back on August 19.
 
Leading the attack for the Express this season has been sophomore outside hitter Lisanel Rodriguez, who is averaging 4.78 points, 3.44 kills, and 1.33 service aces per set. The co-captain has been a force on the defensive side with an average of 2.56 digs per set.
 
Sophomore libero and co-captain Valery Nunez has been anchoring the defense for the Express this season with an average of 5.78 digs per stanza. 
 
Sophomore setter Luisanni Rodriguez is having a great start to the year for Monroe by averaging a team-best 5.89 assists per set and has been consistent defensively with 2.67 digs per stanza. 
 
This will be the first day of action this regular season for both Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes.
 
Hudson Valley went 7-17 last season and will have a balanced roster of four returners and five rookies for the 2023 season.
 
Finger Lakes will have three returners from the 2022 team that went 31-12 and earned its second straight NJCAA Region 3 Championship and appearance in the NJCAA Division III National Tournament. The Lakers will be led by sophomore outside hitter Brooke DeGroff who earned several accolades during her rookie season in 2022 including NJCAA Division III All-America honors, NJCAA Region 3 All-Tournament MVP, First Team All-Region enshrinement, Mid-State Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and All-MSAC first team honors. Finger Lakes boasts an impressive class of rookies for this upcoming season.

Update: There have been some scheduling adjustments. No. 9 Monroe's match against No. 7 Finger Lakes will now start at 12:00 p.m. and the contest against Hudson Valley will now begin at 2:00 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, 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 Express, please visit us at www.MonroeExpress.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Express), Twitter/X (@MonroeExpress), Instagram (@MonroeExpress), and Threads (@MonroeExpress).