EDISION, N.J. – The Monroe College – Bronx men's volleyball team produced a strong effort on Wednesday evening, but it was not enough as they fell to Middlesex College, 3-0, at Middlesex College Gymnasium. Set scores were 25-16, 25-21, and 28-26.
 
Leading the way for the Express (0-7) was freshman middle blocker Jeremy Rivera-Aponte who had a double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs. He also scored two service aces and had a block assist. Rookie opposite hitter Marvin Culmer nailed a career-high 10 kills, added two digs, and produced just as many block assists. Freshman setter Wiltor Cubas had a team-high 24 assists, chipped in on defense with six digs, recorded a duo of service aces, and drilled a kill. First-year outside hitter Juan Arias tallied eight digs, seven service aces, and a pair of kills.
 
Monroe got off to a good start in the beginning of the match as a kill by Culmer and an ace from Cubas propelled the Express to a 3-0 advantage. However, the Colts (2-2) went on an 11-1 run to jump out to an 11-4 hold. The Express could not generate a consistent run during the remainder of the set and Middlesex ended up taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Freshman outside hitter Angel Guzman executed a successful attack to give Monroe its second 3-0 lead of the evening during the second set. Later in the stanza, Rivera-Aponte padded Monroe's advantage to 8-6 thanks to a service ace. He continued to spark Monroe as he slammed home three straight kills to inflate the Blue and Gold's benefit to 16-12. Guzman followed Aponte's dominance with a kill of his own to extend the Express' lead to five. The Colts turned it around by going on an 8-1 run to snatch the lead, 20-18. Rivera-Aponte lifted Monroe once again by scoring a kill and then nailing an ace to tie the match at 20 points apiece. Unfortunately for the Express, Middlesex finished the second stanza with a 5-1 run to claim the game and extend its lead to 2-0 in the battle.
 
Monroe – Bronx fell behind 15-8 in the third set. With their backs against the wall, the Express responded with 10 unanswered points to jump in front, 18-15. Arias played a huge role in Monroe's blitz by scoring six service aces, accounting for 60.0% of Monroe's points during the 10-0 run. Culmer and Rivera-Aponte also contributed to the rally by slamming a kill each. Middlesex recovered by scoring four of the next five points to tie it up at 19. The Express fell behind 22-21, but a kill by Rivera-Aponte sparked two straight points to propel the Express to a 23-22 edge. Then, a pair of attack errors by Monroe not only gave Middlesex the lead, but a set-point opportunity at 24-23. Monroe responded as a kill by Culmer sparked two consecutive points for his team that gave Monroe the lead and set-point chance at 25-24. The Colts scored the next point, but then Culmer notched a kill to give the Express their second set-point opportunity at 26-25. From that point on, Middlesex rifled off three straight points to clinch the set and the match. 
 
For Monroe during the evening, Guzman produced seven digs and two kills. Rookie outside hitter Anthony Estevez had a strong match defensively with seven digs. First-year defensive specialist Harold Romero generated seven digs and a trio of assists. Freshman opposite hitter Elvis Ndubuisi added a block assist.
 
Monroe will travel to Finger Lakes Community College for four matches this weekend. It all starts on Saturday when the Express take on NCAA Division III Rochester Institute of Technology at 12:00 p.m. and then the host-Lakers 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).