Monroe Mustangs Women’s Volleyball R

HUTCHINSON, Kan., November 14, 2018 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's volleyball team is in Hutchinson, Kan., making their third straight appearance at the NJCAA Div. I Women's Volleyball Championships. The Mustangs are set to take on top-seeded Miami Dade College in the first round on Thursday. 2018 NJCAA DIV. I WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION Tournament Central Bracket Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena Hutchinson Community College Hutchinson, Kansas When: Thursday, Nov. 15 – Saturday, Nov. 17 How to Follow Along: Live Video: NJCAA TV Live Stats: Courtesy of NJCAA (Link only for Monroe vs. Miami Dade)

CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDING

SEEDCOLLEGERECORD

1.Miami Dade (FL)29-1

2.Southern Idaho27-2

3.Polk State (FL)21-6

4.Navarro (TX)37-4

5.Iowa Western35-3

6.Seward County (KS)30-5

7.Tyler (TX)27-6

8.Mineral Area (MO)27-3

9.Trinity Valley (TX)25-6

10.New Mexico Military29-7

11.Snow (UT)26-5

12.Hill (TX)27-6

13.Northeastern (CO)26-5

14.Wallace State (AL)33-7

15.Laramie County (WY)29-8

16.Monroe College (NY)17-11

MUSTANG LEADERS The Mustangs are led offensively by Maria Camila Salazar, who is averaging 3.71 points per set, as well as 3.32 kills per game. Salazar is hitting an impressive .299 this season, and also owns a team-best 0.54 blocks per set. Karla Figueroa is close behind with 3.66 points and 2.94 kills per set, and has also been the Mustangs' best server with 43 aces (0.41 per set) this season. Nashally Eleutiza is averaging 6.29 digs per set, which ranks her third in the entire NJCAA, while her 673 digs are fourth most in the nation. Figueroa is second on the team with 290 digs. Maryorie Cruz Baez is averaging 5.56 assists per set, while Daline Rios is right behind with 3.96 assists per set. Giulia La Longa has had a strong freshman campaign with 2.27 kills per set, while Tereza Strnadlova has done the same with an average of 1.79 kills. Jaddy Duarte is averaging 0.48 blocks per set, while Julia Alves is right behind her, averaging 0.46. HOW WE GOT HERE The Mustangs built a challenging schedule for themselves this season, facing off with a number of highly ranked opponents and competing in difficult tournaments. The Mustangs had a rough go of it early on, starting the season at 0-4 before starting the turn things around. Monroe enters the NJCAA Championship tournament with a 17-11 overall record. The Mustangs had to work harder than ever before to reach the NJCAA Championships. The Mustangs got through Harford Community College to reach the District L/M Championships, a six-team tournament hosted in Hanceville, Ala. Despite a challenging slate, the Mustangs opened their weekend in Alabama with a thrilling five-set win over Coastal Alabama Community College. They continued through the winner's bracket after a three-set sweep of Gadsden State Community College. Monroe then took on No. 19 Wallace State Community College, a team the Mustangs defeated in New Rochelle earlier in the season, but fell in four sets. The Mustangs still needed just one win to earn an automatic berth into the national tournament, and had to go through Lawson State Community College to do so. Monroe fell behind, 2-0, against the Cougars, but came all the way back to pick up a 3-2 win. The Mustangs nearly did the same in a rematch with Wallace State, but fell in a tight fifth set. The Mustangs still claimed the automatic bid for District M to reach this week's tournament. SCOUTING THE SHARKS The two-time defending National Champion Miami Dade was the No. 1-ranked team in the nation from the preseason through the final NJCAA Women's Volleyball Poll. The Sharks went undefeated throughout the regular season. Their only loss came as part of the FCSAA/Region XIII Championships, but recovered from their only defeat to claim the District H Championship. The Sharks enter the national tournament with a 29-1 overall record. The Sharks have an impressive team hitting percentage of .293, which ranks fourth in the nation. Leading the way is Kimberlie Apolinario-Correa, who is hitting .455, good for fourth in the NJCAA. Valeria Alegrias is the team leader with 3.05 kills per set, while Scherine Dahoue is close behind with an average of 2.88. Tiziana Baumrukova's rate of 10.84 assists per set is the third-best average in the NJCAA this season. Samaret Caraballo leads the team with 4.90 digs per set. Vanda Zimova is blocking 0.86 attacks per set. ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 27 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level. For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).