In a month of remarkable accomplishments to begin what should be a distinguished collegiate career, freshman middle blocker LIZZELLE CINTRON of the women's volleyball team is an easy choice as the NJCU Student-Athlete of the Month for September 2004.

In a month in which the Gothic Knights went 8-4 behind her abilities, she earned numerous honors, including AVCA/Sports Imports Division III National Player of the Week on September 7, ECAC Division III Player of the Week (September 22), Association of Division III Independents Player of the Week (September 13), Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week (September 13) and WIAC Rookie of the Week (September 27). She was the first NJCU player, men's or women's named National Player of the Week in school history, and became the first freshman in Division III women's history to earn the accolade in their first week of collegiate competition.

Cintron, the NCAA Division III leader in kills per game, has led the nation in offense by a staggering amount since the season began, and has never looked back. For the month, in 40 games over 12 matches, she has 248 kills, a .400 hitting percentage, 214 digs, 38 blocks (31 solo), 19 aces, and has accounted for 301.5 points. Her averages over this span include 6.20 kills, 7.54 points, 5.35 digs, 0.95 blocks, and 0.47 aces per game.

Cintron became the first player in school history to notch a 30-30 match (30+ kills, 30+ digs) in school history, and achieved it twice. In only the second match of her career on September 4, she crushed 32 kills (32-6-54) for a .481 percentage with 30 digs and five blocks in a 3-1 win over St. Joseph's College-Patchogue, and followed that up by tying the school record for kills in a three-game match with 25. She achieved the feat in consecutive matches, pounding 25 (25-8-43) against Centenary College on September 4, before registering 25 more (25-4-39) in hitting .538, with 21 digs and five blocks in a rematch with SJCP on September 11.

Her second 30-30 performance came on September 30, when she hammered what was at the time a career and national-season high 34 kills, with 30 digs in a 3-1 loss at William Paterson. The total was then the third-highest single-match total in school history.

The only player in school history with three or more 30-dig performances in a career, she defended a season-high 34 digs, and landed 22 kills in a four-game loss at FDU-Florham.

Among her other top showings in September include a .667 hitting clip on 13 kills and only one error in 18 swings at St. Elizabeth (Sept. 11). She supplied 22 kills (22-5-43), and hit .395 with 24 digs and six blocks as NJCU defeated Montclair State University, 3-1, on September 23. It was only the third time NJCU had ever defeated MSU in 20 all-time meetings.

Cintron posted two of the top three single-match kill totals for the month of anyone in Division III, with tallies of 32 and 34 to open and close the month. She posted at least 25 kills in a match four times, and had at least 13 in every contest. Cintron also hit at least .500 in a match four times.