CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. – The eighth-seeded Monroe University – Bronx men's volleyball team concluded its historic 2025 season with a competitive loss in the ninth-place match at the National Invitational to ninth-seeded Passaic County Community College, 3-1, at Putt Moore Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. Set scores were 30-28, 21-25, 25-19, and 26-24.

With the loss, the Express (10-21) finish tenth in the National Invitational Standings and drop its second contest to the Panthers (10-14) during the NJCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament.

It was a historic season for the Express as they increased their win total by nine matches compared to its inaugural season in 2024, won a regional playoff contest, clinched a berth in the Region 15 Semifinals, competed in three matches at the National Invitational, and produced three players who earned a spot on the All-Region team.

In the final match of the season for Monroe, Edwin Ortega had a monster outing with a 14-kill and 10-dig double-double, while producing a hitting percentage of .417 and scoring three service aces. Darren Lopez also had a double-double with 12 kills and 16 assists, while tallying eight digs, four blocks, and a trio of service aces. David Garcia recorded 22 assists and four digs.

The Express got off a great start in the opening set as back-to-back aces by Ortega gave the Blue and Gold a 12-9 benefit. However, a 5-2 run by the Panthers evened the match at 14 points apiece. The Express responded with two straight scores, capped off by a service ace courtesy of Jeremy Rivera-Aponte, to even it up at 16. Passaic County snatched the momentum by scoring two unanswered tallies to take a two-point edge which forced the Express to call a timeout.  Later in the frame, the Panthers earned a set-point opportunity at 24-22. However, Ortega got the Express on track with back-to-back putdowns to even it up at 24 points apiece. Monroe had two set-point chances, but Passaic County tied it up each time. The Express fell behind, 28-27, but Monroe claimed the next point to knot it up. Unfortunately for the Express, Passaic County scored the final two points to clinch the game and a 1-0 lead in the contest. 

Monroe – Bronx came out firing on all cylinders in the second set as a kill by Mickey Mingo gave the Blue and Gold a 5-1 benefit. Later in the frame, a kill by Luis Vasquez extended his team's lead to 12-5. However, the Panthers rallied with seven straight points to tie it up. Marvin Culmer stopped the opposition's momentum by slamming a kill to put his team back in front by one. Both teams fought tooth and nail, but the Express fell in a narrow 18-17 hole. Monroe – Bronx did not go down as the Blue and Gold changed the course of the set with a 6-1 blitz, highlighted by a kill and an ace from Ortega as well as a putdown by Culmer, to put Monroe in front, 23-19. After the Panthers took two of the next three scores, Monroe closed the set out thanks to a thunderous and successful attack by Fidel Ramirez to clinch a 25-21 game-victory for Monroe and a 1-1 tie in the contest. 

The Blue and Gold got off to a slow start in the third set as a kill by Elijah Wesley gave Passaic County a 9-4 advantage. Monroe battled back with a 7-1 run, concluded by a kill from Ortega, to narrow the opposition's lead to 11-10. The Express continued to build their rally and eventually took the lead. A service ace by Rogelio Guarneros extended Monroe's advantage to 14-12. Passaic answered with two consecutive scores to tie it up. Then, each team scored four points to even it up at 18. From that point, the Panthers took over the frame by scoring six straight points to put Monroe in a 24-18 hole. Ortega kept the Express alive with a kill. The next rally, however, Jesus Cuautle nailed a kill to clinch the third set for his team, 25-19, and a 2-1 lead in the match.

Monroe struggled in the early stages of the fourth game, falling behind 7-3. Just like they have done throughout the National Invitational and the season, the Express fought back as they went on a 8-2 run, capped off by Lopez nailing three aces in a row, to jump out to an 11-9 lead. Monroe continued to expand its benefit as a kill by Rivera-Aponte inflated the cushion to 18-12. Passaic County responded with three unanswered points to slice its deficit in half. After Monroe built its vantage up to 21-16, the Panthers went on a 6-1 rally to even it up at 22 points apiece. Monroe earned a set-point opportunity thanks to a pair of attack errors from the opposition. Unfortunately for Monroe, Passaic turned it around and scored four straight points, capped off by back-to-back aces from Cuautle, to clinch the set, match, and ninth place in the National Invitational Standings. 

Helping the Express during the afternoon was Culmer who tallied six kills and five blocks. Mingo compiled four putdowns and six blocks. Aiverson Guillen had a solid match defensively with seven digs. Ramirez notched three kills, four digs, and a trio of blocks. Vasquez provided four defensive bumps and a pair of blocks, while Harold Romero chipped in with three digs. Rivera-Aponte produced three successful attacks and just as many digs. Guarneros scored two service aces, while Erick Gutierrez nailed an ace of his own.

The Monroe University – Bronx men's volleyball team will return to the court in January of 2026.

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. 
 
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). Catch us on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/MonroeExpress.