POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Monroe University – Bronx women's volleyball team opened the 2025 season with a pair of hard-fought losses to elite competition on Saturday afternoon. The Express fell short to nationally ranked No. 4 Finger Lakes Community College, 3-1, and then dropped three competitive sets to Hudson Valley Community College. The two matches took place on the campus of Dutchess Community College.
 
In the opening contest against the Lakers (5-2), set scores were 25-16, 20-25, 25-21, and 25-21. After falling short in the first set and falling behind 12-10 in the second, the Express (0-2) rallied with nine consecutive points, highlighted by five kills from Cherlialix Carmona, to give the Blue and Gold a commanding 19-12 benefit. Later in the stanza, Monroe had a set-point opportunity at 24-20. Gabriela De La Rosa finished it off with a kill to allow the Express to even the match at a game apiece. 

Monroe got off to a strong start in the third set, taking a 17-13 benefit. However, the nationally ranked Lakers proved why they are a top five team in the country by rallying with a 12-4 run to close out the stanza and grab a 2-1 lead in the rematch of last year's first-round NJCAA Tournament match. 

In the fourth set, Monroe trailed the opposition 9-8. The Lakers took over with seven straight points to pad their advantage to eight. The Express battled back by scoring five of the set's next six points to trim their deficit to four. Later in the frame, the Blue and Gold fell behind by seven but a kill and then an ace courtesy of Carmona sparked a 5-0 run to pull Monroe to within 22-20. Finger Lakes countered by scoring three of the final four points to clinch the set and the match. 

Carmona had a strong outing for the Express with a match-high 18 kills, while adding six digs, two service aces, and producing a hitting percentage of .261. De La Rosa tallied 14 kills and three service aces. Julia Ramos tallied a team-high 26 assists and provided six digs to go along with a pair of aces. Aleishka Diaz anchored the defense with a match-best 21 digs, while registering two assists on the offensive side.

In the contest against Hudson Valley (4-0), set scores were 25-17, 25-13, and 25-23. 

After coming up short in the first two sets, Monroe fell behind by a 9-7 score in the third. Fortunes began to change for the Blue and Gold as three straight terminations by Carmona propelled Monroe to five unanswered points to give her team a 12-9 edge. Each team then exchanged 5-0 runs to make the score 17-14 in favor of Monroe. The Vikings upped it with six points in a row to catapult to a 20-17 benefit. The Express answered right back as two successful attacks courtesy of De La Rosa ignited Monroe - Bronx to four unanswered points and a 21-20 edge. After Hudson Valley scored the next two points, the Express answered thanks to back-to-back kills by Robyn Eddy and Carmona to give Monroe another lead at 23-22. Unfortunately for the Blue and Gold, the Vikings scored the final three points to capture the game and the match. 

De La Rosa led the Express with seven kills against Hudson Valley. For the second time in the afternoon, Diaz led all players in digs, this time with 13, while providing three terminations and a duo of service aces. Ramos tallied 17 assists and four defensive bumps. Carmona slammed home six kills, recorded five digs, and scored two aces. Diamondnique Stephenson generated two kills, three aces, and a trio of digs. Eddy produced three successful attacks and two aces. Brycelynn Paul added three defensive bumps. Yamelyn Bonilla provided a kill and a solo block. 

Monroe – Bronx will have its home opener against Roxbury Community College on Sunday afternoon. The contest will begin at 12 p.m. at American Turners New York in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx.

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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