BRONX – The nationally ranked No. 9 Monroe University – Bronx men's volleyball team punched its ticket to the Region 15 Semifinals for the second year in a row by defeating #6-seed Hostos Community College in the first round of the regional tournament, 3-0, at The Swamp (Hostos CC campus) on Thursday evening. Set scores were 25-7, 25-22, and 25-19.
The #3-seed Express now earn the right to play second-seeded and nationally ranked No. 7 Borough of Manhattan Community College, on Saturday, on the campus of Nassau Community College. The winner will advance to the Region 15 Championship match later that day at 5 p.m. against the winner of the #5-seed Kingsborough Community College and top-seeded/nationally ranked No. 2 Nassau matchup. The match between the Wave and the Lions will be played earlier in the day at 1 p.m.
"Hostos put up a great fight, they had amazing defense,"
Darren Lopez said. "We played really well. We had great offense and defense. Our blocks were on point. We are ready to play in the semis."
In the win over Hostos,
Darren Lopez led the way for the Express with 11 kills (.381 hitting percentage), four digs, and a pair of service aces.
Frandie Martin had a strong match with 10 putdowns (.318 hitting percentage) and a duo of defensive bumps.
Johnnovan Reyes generated 18 assists, five digs, and a trio of aces, while
David Garcia added 10 helpers and two attack-neutralizing bumps.
Pedro Bello Lopez had a team-high eight digs.
The Express (17-12) jumped out to a 15-2 lead in the opening set on their way to the wire-to-wire victory in the game to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second stanza was more challenging as the Caimans (0-13) grabbed a 12-11 edge. The Express stormed back as a kill by
Darren Lopez and a pair of aces from Reyes highlighted five unanswered points to catapult the Blue and Gold to a 16-12 advantage. Hostos chipped away and eventually shrunk its deficit to one on three separate occasions, the latest being a 22-21 score. However, the Express finished the frame with a 3-1 run, capped by a kill courtesy of
Darren Lopez, to clinch a 25-22 victory in Set Two for Monroe and a 2-0 surplus in the overall match.
Monroe had a slow start in the third game, falling into a 9-5 hole. The Express responded as a kill by
Fidel Ramirez and a couple of putdowns from
Darren Lopez helped their team to a 6-1 surge to grab an 11-10 edge. Hostos fought back and reclaimed the lead at 13-12 and then 14-13. Martin answered with a kill that began a 6-1 run to propel Monroe to a 19-15 benefit. The Caimans countered by winning three straight rallies to shrink the Express' surplus to 19-18. Monroe – Bronx was able to flip the switch again and finish the match with a 6-1 blitz, capped by three straight kills courtesy of Ramirez, Martin, and
Darren Lopez, to earn the 3-0 sweep and secure Monroe's spot in the Region 15 Semifinals.
Ramirez had a solid outing for the Express with six kills and three digs.
Steven Francis Ouellet finished with three victories on the attack, three defensive bumps, and two blocks.
Edwin Ortega had five digs and two blocks.
Aiverson Guillen tallied two assists and just as many digs.
J'Adon George and
Rogelio Guarneros each added a defensive bump.
For Hostos, Isaiah De La Cruz finished with six kills, five assists, just as many digs, and a pair of service aces. Pedro Jimenez tallied four putdowns, 10 digs, nine helpers, and a duo of service victories. Jensey Morales provided a co-match high 10 digs.
For updates regarding Monroe – Bronx competing in the regional semifinals and potential championship match, check out
www.MonroeExpress.com as well as our social media channels.
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
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