CRANFORD, N.J. – The Monroe University – Bronx women's volleyball team pulled off a thrilling five-set victory on the road over Union College N.J. on Wednesday night. Set scores were 17-25, 25-18, 25-22, 19-25, and 16-14. The contest took place at Union College Gymnasium.

"It was a very challenging match," Express Head Coach Odaly Aponte-Orta said. "I liked how we were able to fight back."

Gabriela De La Rosa had a solid outing for the Express (2-2) as she tallied 11 kills, five digs, and three service aces. Cherlialix Carmona compiled eight kills and nine digs. Aleishka Diaz anchored the defense with a match-best 27 digs, while adding four assists and three service aces. Kaileex Batista generated 16 assists, five defensive bumps, and three aces. Julia Ramos provided 11 helpers, six digs, and three service victories. 

As a team, Monroe produced 14 service aces during the contest.

Monroe got off to a slow start during the evening, falling behind 18-9 in the opening set. Monroe closed the gap with a 6-2 run to pull to within five, but Union (2-3) was able to close out the first game to take a 1-0 lead in the match. 

The Express never trailed at any point in the second stanza. A kill each by De La Rosa and Robyn Eddy sparked five straight points to give the Blue and Gold a 15-9 benefit. The Owls played catch-up for the remainder of the set and Monroe went on to win the frame, 25-18, to even the match at one. 

The third set was tied at 17. After that, the Express surged to a 5-1 run, highlighted by an ace courtesy of Diaz and a successful attack each by Carmona and De La Rosa to put Monroe up 22-18. The Express eventually built their lead to 24-20. Union scored the next two points, but then committed a service error which gave Monroe a 25-22 win in the third set and a 2-1 lead in the match. 

The Express got off to a fast start in the fourth frame, jumping out to a 5-2 advantage. However, the Owls countered with seven straight points to catapult to a 9-5 lead. Later in the stanza, Union rattled off six straight points, capped off by back-to-back service aces courtesy of Betina Cardozo to pad the home team's cushion to 15-7. After falling behind, 20-13, Monroe did not go down without a fight as the Blue and Gold went on a 6-1 run, topped off by a service ace from De La Rosa, to narrow its deficit to 21-19. Unfortunately for the Express, the Owls scored four unanswered points to win the fourth set, 25-19, and send this match to a fifth and deciding frame. 

The rubber set did not start well for Monroe as the Blue and Gold fell behind by a 6-3 score. The Express regained their composure as an ace by Batista and two kills from Carmona keyed five straight points for Monroe – Bronx which put them in front, 8-6. After Union won two of the next three rallies, the Express surged with four straight points to extend their lead to 13-8. The Owls called a timeout which worked for a little while since they scored four points in a row to narrow Monroe's lead to 13-12. Ayleenee Lopez temporarily halted Union's momentum as her successful attack gave Monroe a match-point opportunity at 14-12. The Owls came right back with two consecutive rally victories to tie the rubber set up at 14 points apiece. Fortunately for Monroe, De La Rosa slammed home a kill on the next play to give the Express another match-point chance. De La Rosa wasted no time as she nailed a service ace to clinch the hard-fought road victory for Monroe, 3-2 (16-14 fifth-set score). 

For the evening, Lopez and Eddy each had four kills, with the former having four digs with a block and the latter adding two service victories, just as many defensive bumps, and a block. Diamondnique Stephenson added four terminations of her own. Sarai Hernandez finished with one kill, two blocks, and a dig.

For Union, Nieka Michel had a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs, while adding four service aces and two blocks. Giany Puero Zomora compiled 19 digs, five assists, and three aces. Maya Kukielo registered a double-double of her own with 20 assist and 10 digs, while scoring four aces with two kills. 

Monroe will open Region 15 play on Thursday evening against Kingsborough Community College. First serve at Kingsborough Gymnasium is set for 6:00 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.
 
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).