Box Score NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 24, 2024 – The Harford Fighting Owls played the spoiler on the Monroe University Mustangs volleyball team's sophomore night with a thrilling, come from behind victory. The five-set match was the first victory in program history against the Mustangs, breaking a 0-20 streak. The Mustangs fell to 11-4 overall with the loss, while the Fighting Owls remain unblemished at 8-0.
 
The Mustangs got off to a hot start in Tuesday's match, trotting out to a 13-6 edge over the Fighting Owls in the opening set. The evening looked like previous competitions against Monroe with the Mustangs dominating the court. The Mustangs claimed a 25-15 win for a 1-0 lead on the night.
 
Monroe opened the second set with a 6-1 lead, but Harford bounced back with 5-of-6 to make it a one-point game. Monroe went on a 5-1 run to go up by five. Harford could not challenge the strong Mustang team as Monroe took the set with another 25-15 win to go up two sets.
 
Coach Powell regrouped the Fighting Owls and focused on getting the team back to their winning ways. The third set was a back and forth affair and much tighter than the previous two sets. Monroe took a 14-10 lead late in the set. But the Fighrting Owls responded with a 6-1 run to go up, 16-15. The teams traded points until Harford went on a 5-0 run and eventually claiming a 25-20 win..
 
The fourth set was another back-and-forth battle. The match saw the two teams trade the lead numerous times. Late in the set, the Mustangs grabbed the momentum with a 7-1 run to give them a 20-18 lead. However, the Fighting Owls did not quit and Harford then turned the momentum around by scoring seven of the next ten points for a 25-23 win and tieing the game a 2 sets a piece. 
 
The deciding set saw the Mustangs jumped to a 5-0 lead. The Fighting Owls fought back with a 9-1 run to go up, 9-6. Harford reached match point at 14-10 as the Mustangs tried to rally with three straight points to get within one, but captain Laura Piva closed out the match with the final kill to give the Fighting Owls a 15-13 win and a 3-2 comeback victory!
 
Harford was led by Laura Piva's 21 kills on 68 attempts. Morgan Barnett added 24 assists to lead the offensive attack. Nayelis Kulian Mendez chipped in 8 kills. On the defensive side, Barnett and Clara Pauni had 16 digs while Karen Jimenez and Katalina Serna added 14 and 12 digs. 

The Fighting Owls travel to Delaware Tech on Thursday for their next match as they look to stay unbeaten on the season.