New Jersey City University Athletics

For the fifth week in a row and 30th time in her sensational career, senior middle blocker LIZZELLE CINTRON (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) is the NJCU Women's Athlete of the Week after she led the Gothic Knights to the championship of the Devils’ Classic at FDU-Florham, moved into ninth place in the history of NCAA Division I, II and III volleyball with 2,695 kills, and averaged 7.29 points, 5.71 kills, 4.57 digs, 1.21 blocks and 0.79 aces per game. In 14 games over five matches, she tallied 102.0 points, 80 kills, 64 digs, 17 blocks and 11 aces. During the week, she was named to her 18^th career All-Tournament Team, notched the ninth triple-double and 97^th and 98^th double-doubles of her career, registered her 18^th career match with 30 or more kills, and her 32^nd and 33^rd instance of 25 or more kills. NJCU went unbeaten in five matches and is now 19-4 overall.

           

In the championship match of the Devils’ Classic on October 6, NJCU defeated FDU-Florham, 3-1 (32-34, 30-18, 30-16, 30-26), to win its second tournament championship this season in three outings and its 11^th tournament crown in the last four years, with its seventh consecutive victory. Cintron posted 34 kills for a .456 hitting percentage (34-8-57), 17 digs and four blocks, and was named to the Devils’ Classic All-Tournament Team—the 18^th time in her career she has been named to an All-Tournament Team. She registered her 18^th career match with 30 or more kills, her 33^rd instance of 25 or more kills, and her 98^th career double-double. It was the third time this year she has had 30 kills in a contest. The 34 kills—a season high for Cintron—are the third most in a four-game match in program history.

 

Now with 2,695 career kills in 462 games, Cintron, who opened the day 11^th in the history of collegiate volleyball at any level, eclipsed the University of Georgia (Division I)’s, Priscilla Pacheco (1991-94; 2,675 kills, 480 games) and Division II Northwood’s Pavla Melicharova (1993-96; 2,676 kills, 448 games) on the all-time NCAA list, for ninth place all-time.

 

In pool play of the tournament on October 6, she led NJCU to a 3-1 (28-30, 30-21, 30-25, 30-21) win over NJAC rival Montclair State University. Cintron notched the ninth triple-double and 97^th double-double of her career, finishing with 25 kills, 12 digs, and 10 blocks. She hit .422 overall (25-6-45), and had three solo and seven assisted blocks, as she increased her career kills mark to 2,650. It was the 32^nd time in her career she has collected 25 or more kills in a match.

               

On the first day of the tournament on October 5, Cintron only played the first two games of a 3-0 win over St. Joseph’s College (30-16, 30-11, 30-27) match, yet finished with nine kills (9-3-15) for a .400 percentage, 15 digs and four aces. She was one of four players with multiple aces, as the team finished with 20.

 

In the second match on October 5 as NJCU defeated Manhattanville College, 3-0 (30-15, 30-13, 30-15), she smashed 11 more kills (11-4-21, .333), collected eight digs, four aces and two blocks.

 

On October 2 when NJCU swept Rutgers-Newark, 3-0 (30-14, 30-20, 30-14), Cintron only played the first game of the match, and only took two attempts, yet collected a match-high 12 digs, and one kill. She landed two aces.

 

2007-2008 ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Men’s Athlete of the Week			Women’s Athlete of the Week
Date	Name	Sport	Date	Name	Sport
09/03/2007	Marcelo Carpio	Men’s Soccer	09/03/2007	Alex Johanesen	Women’s Volleyball
09/10/2007	Edison Bilbao	Men’s Soccer	09/10/2007	Jennifer Albuja	Women’s Soccer
			09/10/2007	Lizzelle Cintron	Women’s Volleyball
09/17/2007	Cristhian Acuna	Men’s Soccer	09/17/2007	Lizzelle Cintron	Women’s Volleyball
09/24/2007	Cristhian Acuna	Men’s Soccer	09/24/2007	Lizzelle Cintron	Women’s Volleyball
10/01/2007	Marcelo Carpio	Men’s Soccer	10/01/2007	Lizzelle Cintron	Women’s Volleyball
				Kelly Reilly	Women’s Soccer
10/08/2007	Nabil Wahbi	Men’s Soccer	10/08/2007	Jennifer Albuja	Women’s Soccer
				Lizzelle Cintron	Women’s Volleyball