GLEN, ELLYN – Ill. – The Monroe University – Bronx men's volleyball team made history on Thursday morning, competing in the NJCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament's first-ever match. The #8-seed Express dropped three hard-fought sets to top-ranked College of DuPage. The match was played at The Physical Education Center Arena on the DuPage campus.
Set scores were 25-15, 25-15, and 25-13.
Monroe (17-14) will play in the opening match of the consolation bracket on Friday morning. Opponent and time are to be determined.
Leading the way for the Express against DuPage (28-2) was
Frandie Martin who slammed eight kills.
Edwin Ortega compiled six putdowns and four digs.
Darren Lopez notched five kills, just as many defensive bumps, two assists, and a service ace.
Fidel Ramirez provided four successful attacks and just as many digs.
Johnnovan Reyes tallied 13 assists, while
David Garcia recorded nine helpers of his own.
Damien Ramos tacked on two kills, three digs, and a block.
Pedro Bello Lopez chipped in with three defensive bumps.
J'Adon George had a block and an assist, while
Rogelio Guarneros scored a kill.
Aiverson Guillen added a dig.
In the opening set, a kill by Ramirez pulled Monroe to within 5-4. After the Chaparrals inflated their lead, the Express got closer as a kill by Ramos narrowed the deficit to 14-10. However, DuPage pulled away as a putdown by Brayden Tejada clinched the opening-set victory for the top seed and a 1-0 lead in the match.
DuPage led the second set from wire to wire. A couple of kills each from
Darren Lopez and Ortega kept Monroe in it, but the Chaps scored the final two points of the stanza for the 25-15 win and a 2-0 surplus in the overall match.
In the third frame, DuPage jumped out to a 5-0 advantage. The Express countered with a 4-1 run, thanks to two kills by Martin and a successful attack each from
Darren Lopez and Ortega, to cut the deficit to 6-4. However, an 8-2 run by the Chaps inflated their cushion to 14-6 and put the stanza out of each for Monroe. With DuPage having a set-point opportunity at 24-13, Tejada finished it off with a kill to send his team to the NJCAA Semifinals.
Tejada had a match-high 10 kills (.438 hitting percentage), and added three digs. during the quarterfinal. Max McDermott generated 32 assists, four digs, and three service aces. Nicholas Ockrim anchored the defense with 11 digs.
For updates regarding Monroe – Bronx's run in the NJCAA Championship Tournament, 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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