OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 6, 2005
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After leading the New Jersey City University women's volleyball team to the first New Jersey Athletic Conference championship in any women's sport in school history, sophomore middle blocker LIZZELLE CINTRON (Newark, NJ/Elizabeth) has been named the NJCU Women's Student-Athlete of the Week for the seventh time this season and the 13th time in her career.
She also was named the NJAC Player of the Week for the fourth time this season. For the eighth time in two seasons and the third time this year, Cintron was selected as the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Player of the Week. After receiving the award five times in 10 weeks as a freshman in 2004, she now has scored the accolade eight times in 19 possible weeks to begin her career. One award is given weekly for all 172 Division III volleyball-sponsoring schools on the east coast under the ECAC umbrella. This week, Cintron shared the award with New York University’s Jennifer Gardikas. This season, Cintron previously earned the award on September 28 and October 17. Last season, Cintron was ECAC Player of the Week on September 22, October 6 and 13, and November 3 and 10.
A three-time AVCA Division III National Player of the Week in her career, Cintron averaged 6.81 points, 5.88 kills, 5.25 digs and 1.50 blocks per game, tallying 54.5 points, 47 kills, 42 digs and 12 blocks as NJCU went 2-0 last week in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament and became the first women’s team in any sport in school history to win an NJAC Championship.
In the NJAC Championship against Richard Stockton College on November 5, #1 NJCU defeated the third-seeded Ospreys, 3-1 (30-21, 22-30, 30-26, 30-23) as Cintron amassed 25 kills, 15 digs, and seven blocks. Cintron aided her bid for NJAC Player of the Year honors as she recorded her 10
th match of 20-plus kills this season, hitting .300 (25-7-60), while notching her 29th double-double. When NJCU ousted #4 seeded William Paterson University in the NJAC Semifinals on November 3, Cintron racked up 22 kills, 27 digs and five blocks.
In each match, she overwhelmed the opposition, frequently hitting over a triple block and inside the 10-foot line. Her attack set the tables for other teammates to take advantage and have outstanding performances.
Cintron currently ranks in the Top 13 nationally in five categories and among the Top 10 in three areas. She ranks fifth in Division III in kills per game after leading the nation in kills and kills per game as a freshman. She ranks sixth in blocks per game, ninth in total blocks, 11th in total kills, and 13th in hitting percentage. Through November 7, Cintron leads the conference in hitting percentage (399), kills per game (4.04), total blocks (183.0), solo blocks (75), assisted blocks (108), blocks per game (1.66), points (731.0) and points per game (6.65). She is third in total digs (476) and fifth in digs per game (4.33). Additionally, she is the only player in the NJAC averaging more than 1.00 blocks per game, and her hitting percentage is a staggering .070 higher than any other player in the league.
NJCU earned the conference’s automatic qualification for the 2005 NCAA Division III Tournament, and will face Ithaca College in the NCAA first round at New York University on November 10. NJCU is 26-7 overall this season and has won 22 of its last 25 matches. The 26
victories tie the 1997 team for the second most in a single-season in the 23-year history of the program. The 2004 club went 30-6.
