LIZZELLE CINTRON is the NJCU Women's Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week to begin the 2006 season after she experienced a week of overwhelming domination on the volleyball court for the Gothic Knights. For for the fourth time in her record-breaking career, the NJCU co-captain has been selected as the Sports Imports/AVCA Division III National Player of the Week by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Cintron was also named the as the New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the second consecutive week to begin the 2006 season, and for the seventh time in the last two years.
Cintron, the only NJCU player ever to receive the National Player of the Week award, previous claimed the accolade on September 7, 2004 in her first week as a collegiate player, before earning it again on November 1, 2004 and September 26, 2005.
Cintron, the reigning NJAC co-Player of the Year led the Gothic Knights to a 4-1 week, including a third-place tie in the 18-team Gettysburg Battlefield Classic, and was an easy choice for All-Tournament Team.
In 20 games over five matches, she totaled 156.5 points, 123 kills, 90 digs, 37.0 blocks and eight aces. She averaged 7.82 points, 6.15 kills, 4.50 digs and 1.85 blocks per game while demonstrating a remarkable .522 hitting percentage.
Historically, she became the first player in NJCU history to reach three major milestones—1500 kills and 2000 points while becoming NJCU’s all-time leader in attack attempts—one of the few major career records she was missing from her portfolio.
She also collected the 15th and 16th 20-kill/20-dig match of her career, recorded 20 or more digs in a match for the 21st and 22nd times, and the 18th, 19th, and 20th occurrence of 25 or more kills. She also reached 30 or more kills in a match for the 10th and 11th times in her career and the second time she has posted 30 or more kills in two consecutive matches. Additionally, she notched her sixth career triple-double.
In a 3-2 win over Catholic University in the Gettysburg Classic on September 9, she posted a triple double with a season-high 34 kills (34-7-65), 19 digs, 14 blocks (11 assisted) and a .415 hitting percentage. In the match, she eclipsed 2000 career points.
She had set a season high in the first match on September 9, when she belted 33 kills and made only two errors in 56 attempts for a .554 hitting percentage in a 3-2 loss to Westminster. She added 23 digs and six blocks in the match.
In the opening match of the tournament, she hit .517 with 19 kills (19-4-29), 12 digs and seven blocks as the Knights swept Lycoming College on September 8, 3-0. She reached 1500 kills for her career in the match.
In the second match of the tournament on September 8—and possibly her best all-around effort of the week—she hit an overwhelming .657 with 25 kills and only two errors in 35 attempts. Defensively she was just as good with 27 digs and four blocks, and she added two aces for good measure.
Cintron was seldom used in NJCU’s 3-0 road win over Lehman College on September 6, yet still managed 12 kills and a .556 hitting percentage in 18 swings, while adding nine digs, six blocks and three aces.
For the season, she is averaging 7.33 points, 5.69 kills, 4.00 digs, 1.67 blocks and 0.47 aces per game, while hitting .507, and she should be among the national leaders in at least three categories—kills, blocks and hitting percentage—when the first NCAA statistical report is released.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
