GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 9 and #3-seed Monroe University – Bronx men's volleyball team suffered a three-set loss to nationally ranked No. 7 and second-seeded Borough of Manhattan Community College, in the Region 15 Semifinals, at Nassau Main Gym on Saturday afternoon.
The loss eliminated the Express (17-13) from the regional postseason, while the Panthers (13-4) advanced to the Region 15 Title game before falling to top-seeded and nationally ranked No. 2 Nassau Community College in straight sets.
The Express will wait and see if they earn an at-large bid into the inaugural NJCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament which will take place at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill. on April 23-25.
In the regional semifinal loss to the Panthers, set scores were 25-21, 25-19, and 25-17.
After the postseason concluded on Saturday evening,
Frandie Martin was named to the Region 15 All-Tournament team. Against Manhattan, he slammed a match-high 12 kills, while adding three digs and a pair of blocks. He produced an outstanding hitting percentage of .556.
The Express got off to a good start in the opening set as a kill by Martin gave the Blue and Gold a 3-2 edge. Later in the stanza, Monroe fell behind 10-8 but a kill from
Darren Lopez sparked two straight points to even it up. However, BMCC scored seven straight points to take a commanding 17-10 hold. Monroe managed to pull to within three on four occasions before the end of the set, but it was not enough as the Panthers won 25-21 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
J'Adon George slammed a kill to give the Express a 1-0 lead in the second game. Manhattan countered with a 9-1 run to take a commanding lead and never looked back, claiming a 2-0 advantage in the match after securing the 25-19 win in Set 2. BMCC won the third game in wire-to-wire finish to secure a berth in the Region 15 Championship match.
For the Express,
Darren Lopez had seven kills and two digs.
Steven Francis Ouellet notched six putdowns and five defensive bumps.
Pedro Bello Lopez led all players with 13 digs, while
Johnnovan Reyes added 15 assists and a pair of attack-neutralizing bumps.
David Garcia produced five assists and three digs.
Edwin Ortega provided three blocks and two digs.
Fidel Ramirez produced a trio of defensive bumps.
For Borough of Manhattan, Jeriel Peguero had a double-double with 10 kills and just as many digs, while adding four blocks and scoring a pair of aces. Jordi Toapanta led all players in assists with 34.
For updates regarding a potential at-large bid into the inaugural NJCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament for the Express, 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
www.MonroeExpress.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (
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