NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Monroe University – Bronx men's volleyball team suffered a hard-fought loss to Bryant & Stratton College – Wisconsin, 3-1, during the second day of the Monroe Mustangs Invitational at the Monroe Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon. Set scores were 21-25, 25-14, 25-15, and 26-24.
 
Leading the way for the Express (0-3) during the afternoon was freshman outside Darren Lopez who slammed home a match-high 14 kills, tallied eight digs, and scored four service aces. Rookie David Garcia produced a double-double with 12 digs and 10 assists. First-year player Luis Vasquez anchored the defense with 11 digs, while adding two kills and just as many aces on the offensive end. Sophomore Wiltor Cubas provided 14 assists and a duo of digs.
 
Monroe fell behind 18-14 in the opening set but took advantage of three straight errors by the opposition to pull to within one. After the Bobcats (1-2) extended their lead to three, Lopez produced a kill and then an ace to propel Monroe to three unanswered points to tie the set at 20. Bryant & Stratton scored next but then Monroe finished the stanza strong with five unanswered points, capped off by a kill courtesy of Lopez, to earn a come-from-behind win in the first set, 25-21, to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The Bobcats did not trail at all during the second and third frames as they took the next two sets to jump out to a 2-1 benefit in the contest.
 
It seemed like the Bobcats had the match locked up when they took an 18-14 advantage in the fourth set. However, the Express did not go down without a fight as a kill by Lopez and then back-to-back service aces courtesy of Vasquez put a cap on five straight Monroe points to propel the Blue and Gold to a 19-18 benefit. It was Monroe's first lead since the opening set. After the visiting team tied it up, freshman Edwin Ortega tallied a putdown to give Monroe a 20-19 edge. The Bobcats answered by scoring three of the frame's next four points to jump out ahead, 22-21. Thankfully for Monroe, the opposition committed two straight errors to put the Blue and Gold ahead, 23-22. The Bobcats scored the next point but then freshman David Garcia produced a successful attack to give Monroe a set-point opportunity at 24-23. Unfortunately for the Express, Bryant & Stratton rattled off three straight points to clinch the set, 26-24, and the match, 3-1.
 
Sophomore Jeremy Rivera-Aponte had a solid afternoon for the Express with six kills, five digs, and three blocks. Ortega added four kills. Sophomore Mickey Mingo generated three kills, five digs, and three blocks. Classmate Harold Romero recorded six digs, while rookie Rogelio Guarneros also chipped in on defense with four digs. 
 
For the Bobcats, rookie Ashton Poritz generated 10 kills, six digs, four blocks, two service aces, and just as many assists. Sophomore William Monahan had a near double-double with 15 assists and nine digs, while providing three service aces and two kills. Freshman Elijah Grant had a strong match with nine kills, 11 assists, seven digs, five service aces, and a duo of blocks. 
 
Monroe – Bronx will conclude the Monroe Mustangs Invitational on Sunday with a pair of matches at the Monroe Athletic Complex. First, the Express will take on Atlantic Cape Community College at 1:00 p.m. and then they will match up against Passaic County Community College at 7:00 p.m. 
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY 
The athletic program at Monroe University 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 University 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. 
 
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