GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 8 Monroe University – Bronx men's volleyball team earned two impressive Region 15 victories on Saturday afternoon. The Express defeated Kingsborough Community College in straight sets and then knocked off nationally ranked No. 9 Monroe University – New Rochelle, 3-1. Both matches were played on the campus of Nassau Community College.

The Express finish Region 15 regular season play with a 6-4 record (15-8 overall). As of right now, Monroe – Bronx is placed third in the regional standings.

"We came in focused and played our game," Express sophomore libero Aiverson Guillen said. "We walked out with two solid wins in just one day. That really shows our teamwork and how the energy is right now with the team."

In the win over Kingsborough (3-8, 2-6 Region 15), set scores were 25-17, 25-19, and 25-20.

The Express trailed early in each of the first two sets against the Wave but stormed back right away in each stanza to earn a 2-0 lead in the match. 

The third game was more of a challenge as the Wave went up by three early on and eventually clinged to a 9-8 edge. The Express then took over with an 8-2 run, capped by a kill from Frandie Martin, that gave the Blue and Gold a 16-11 benefit. Monroe never trailed again for the remainder of the match as a kill by Darren Lopez gave Monroe a match-point opportunity at 24-21. Edwin Ortega ended it on the next play with a service ace to lock up the regional win for the Express.

For Monroe, Darren Lopez and Steven Francis Ouellet each slammed nine kills, with the former providing six defensive bumps and a trio of service aces. The latter had three digs and a hitting percentage of .389. Martin scored eight kills with a hitting percentage of .538. Johnnovan Reyes tallied 19 assists, while David Garcia added seven helpers and two digs. Guillen anchored the defense with six attack-neutralizing bumps.

In the victory over the Mustangs (11-9, 4-4 Region 15), set scores were 25-20, 25-15, 19-25, and 25-22.

The Express earned a wire-to-wire victory in the opening set. Monroe - New Rochelle had a brief 1-0 lead in the second, but the Express surged with a 16-5 blitz to take a commanding lead. The Mustangs could not get back into the stanza as a kill by Ouellet earned Monroe - Bronx a set-point opportunity at 24-14. Monroe – New Rochelle scored the next point but then committed a service error to clinch a 2-0 lead in the match for the Express.

Monroe – Bronx had an early 9-6 lead in the third set, but the Mustangs battled all the way back with a 14-6 run to jump out to a 20-15 advantage. The Bronx team pulled to within 20-18 and then 22-19, but New Rochelle scored the final three points to win the third set and narrow the Bronx's overall lead to 2-1.

The Express came storming out of the gate in Set 4 as back-to-back service aces by Darren Lopez gave his team an 8-1 cushion. Monroe – Bronx eventually built the lead up to 19-6. The Mustangs stormed back with a 12-2 run to narrow the Express' hold to just 21-18. 

Ouellet got Monroe – Bronx back on track with a kill which sparked two straight points to give his team more breathing room at 23-18. After the opposition scored the next point, Ouellet slammed another kill to give Monroe – Bronx a match-point opportunity at 24-19. The Mustangs did not go down easily as they won the next three rallies to shrink the Express' benefit to 24-22. However, an attack error by Monroe - New Rochelle clinched the impressive and important Region 15 victory for the Express.

For Monroe – Bronx, Ouellet had 14 kills (.360 hitting percentage), two blocks, and two digs. Darren Lopez had a double-double with 12 putdowns and 10 digs, while scoring three service aces and providing two blocks. Martin added nine successful attacks and a trio of blocks. J'Adon George compiled three kills, just as many blocks, three assists, and two digs. Reyes added 21 assists and four defensive bumps, while Garcia generated 12 helpers, three digs, and two aces. Pedro Bello Lopez recorded seven digs. Ortega provided six blocks, two kills, and just as many defensive bumps. Fidel Ramirez notched two kills and three blocks, while Guillen totaled three digs. 

Monroe – Bronx will compete in the Finger Lakes Community College Invitational next weekend. The first match will be on Friday against nationally ranked No. 6 Bryant & Stratton College (Wisc.). First serve at Putt Moore Gymnasium is scheduled for 4 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, 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).