SEPTEMBER 26-OCTOBER 2, 2005
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Last week’s NCAA Division III National Player of the Week, LIZZELLE CINTRON continued to roll as she led the Gothic Knights to their first-ever sweep of Montclair State University to remain tied for first place in the NJAC, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Hunter College Tournament, even though NJCU (13-5) finished second overall in the championship. NJCU went 4-1 last week. In five dominant matches over 17 games, she tallied 83 kills, 105.0 points and a spectacular .452 hitting percentage. She added 19 blocks, 56 digs, and nine service aces. In all, Cintron averaged 6.18 points, 4.88 kills, 3.29 digs, 1.12 blocks and 0.53 aces per game. She has been selected as the NJCU Women's Student-Athlete of the Week for the 10th time in her career and the fourth consecutive week in 2005.
Cintron continues to lead the NJAC in virtually every offensive category: kills per game (4.86), hitting percentage (.407), points (6.67) and blocks (1.84). She is the only player in the league averaging more than one block per game, and ranks fifth in digs per game. Additionally, she has 1108 career kills, and is 35 shy of eclipsing the program’s all-time record of 1143.
In addition to sweeping MSU, 30-18, 30-9, 30-17, for the first time ever, the win marks the furthest into a season NJCU has ever held a share of first place in the NJAC standings. It also marks only the third time in school history NJCU has won three or more conference matches in a season (1997, 3; 2002, 5). In the match on September 27, Cintron posted 20 kills and only four errors in 30 attempts for a .533 hitting clip, added four assisted blocks and 15 digs, and accounted for 22.0 points. NJCU hit a whopping .303 as a team in the match.
In a 3-0 (30-21, 30-20, 30-16) sweep at Hunter College on September 29, Cintron powered 13 kills with only one error in 25 swings for a .480 percentage, adding 21 digs, three blocks (two solo) and three aces. She also moved into ninth place in school history with 828 digs.
Although NJCU did not win the Hunter College Tournament on October 1, falling in the championship to end a nine-match winning streak, Cintron was voted Most Valuable Player, after posting 50 kills with only eight errors in 100 attacks over the three matches, for a .420 hitting percentage. She added 20 digs, 12 blocks and six service aces in the three matches. She moved into a tie for second place in school history with 151 solo blocks, seven shy of that career school record, which will be her third. She already owns the total blocks and assisted blocks record.
In match one of the Hunter Tournament, NJCU again handed the Hawks a loss, winning 3-1 (26-30, 30-23, 30-18, 30-23). Cintron led the way with 15 kills and only two errors in 33 attacks for a .394 hitting percentage, with four aces and three blocks. In the second match of the invitational, NJCU defeated St. Joseph’s College (LI) for the third time this season, sweeping the Eagles (30-22, 33-31, 30-11). Cintron posted another mind-boggling hitting percentage in the win, a .536 clip. Cintron amassed 16 kills and had just one error in 28 chances, adding seven digs and four blocks (three assisted).
Despite Cintron scorching 19 kills (19-5-39) hitting .359, and collecting nine digs and five blocks (two solo), and NJCU beginning the tournament 2-0, the Knights fell to Eastern Connecticut State University, 3-1 (25-30, 32-30, 25-30, 24-30) in the finals.
