CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 7 Monroe University – Bronx men's volleyball team competed in the Finger Lakes Community College Invitational on Friday and Saturday. During the first day, the Express fell to nationally ranked No. 5 Bryant & Stratton College (Wis.) in straight sets and then later dropped a 3-1 matchup to the SUNY Cortland Club team. On Saturday, Monroe was defeated by nationally ranked No. 1 and 2025 NJCAA National Invitational champion College of DuPage by a score of 3-0. All the contests took place at Putt Moore Gymnasium.
In the loss to Bryant & Stratton (Wis.), set scores were 25-16, 25-17, and 25-14.
In the opening set, Monroe (15-11) jumped out to a 7-4 lead and then held a 10-9 edge. The Bobcats (11-8) responded with an 11-2 run to take a commanding 20-12 hold on their way to the 25-16 win in Set 1.
Monroe never held a lead in the second set as Bryant & Stratton pulled away for the 25-17 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
In the third stanza,
Steven Francis Ouellet slammed a kill that sparked Monroe to a strong start with a 3-2 advantage. The Bobcats countered with a 10-2 blitz to take a commanding 12-5 benefit and never looked back.
For the Express,
Frandie Martin slammed eight kills (.333 hitting percentage), while
Darren Lopez added seven putdowns. Ouellet compiled four successful attacks and three digs.
Johnnovan Reyes provided 10 assists, while
David Garcia added seven helpers.
Pedro Bello Lopez anchored the defense with 11 digs.
Edwin Ortega slammed two kills, scored a service ace, provided a block, and tacked on a dig.
For the Bobcats, Ashton Portz led all players with 15 kills (.591 hitting percentage), while recording seven defensive bumps. Elijiah Grant scored nine kills, while Brady Melvin compiled seven digs. Alex Jakowicki tallied four kills and 22 assists. Kaden Zambo generated 12 helpers and a pair of service aces.
Against the SUNY Cortland Club team, set scores were 25-16, 25-15, 21-25, and 25-19.
After dropping the first two sets, the Express bounced back to win the third. Then, the Red Dragons (2-0) clinched the fourth set to secure the match, 3-1.
Darren Lopez led the way for Monroe with eight kills, three digs, and a pair of services aces. Ouellet also had eight putdowns, while generating two digs and just as many blocks. Reyes compiled 16 assists and seven defensive bumps. George recorded two kills, five blocks, and a trio of digs.
Pedro Bello Lopez had a solid match defensively with eight digs. Garcia chipped in with eight assists and two digs. Martin had four kills and three blocks.
Luis Vasquez added three digs, while
Fidel Ramirez slammed two kills.
Aiverson Guillen notched two digs.
Against DuPage, set scores were 25-17, 25-14, and 25-13.
DuPage won the opening set in wire-to-wire fashion. The Express had a brief 5-4 edge in the second set, but the Chaparrals (25-2) produced a 9-1 run to take a commanding 13-6 advantage and held a surplus for the rest of the frame. In the third set, two kills by Martin highlighted a 4-1 lead for the Blue and Gold. DuPage scored the next four points to put the Express in a 5-4 hole. Martin struck again with a kill to tie it up. However, the Chaparrals produced a 12-1 blitz to take the lead for good, on their way to the three-set sweep.
For Monroe, Martin scored 10 kills and added a pair of blocks. Ouellet generated five kills and four digs.
Darren Lopez provided four successful attacks and two defensive bumps. Reyes tallied 14 assists and a trio of digs.
Pedro Bello Lopez had a strong match defensively with 10 digs. Vasquez chipped in with two digs.
For DuPage, Adam Janowiak slammed a match-high 16 kills and added five digs. Danny Overlin added 10 kills, three digs, and two assists. Max McDermott generated 29 assists and four defensive bumps. Nicholas Ockrim anchored the defense with a match-high 23 digs. Adam Sanchez compiled three kills and four blocks, while Lance Mueller added five successful attacks.
Monroe will travel to Edison, N.J. on Monday for a matchup against Middlesex College. First serve at Middlesex College Gymnasium is set for 7 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.
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