ASTON, Pa. (February 3, 2010) – The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) announced its All-Academic recipients for the Fall 2009 Semester on Wednesday. Forty-one Centenary student-athletes received the honor.

“It is my pleasure to announce that 528 CSAC student-athletes have achieved the level of academic success necessary to be named to the Fall 2009 CSAC All-Academic Team,” said CSAC Commissioner Amy Friedman. “These student-athletes have assumed leadership roles on their campuses by demonstrating that a complete education includes both academics and athletics.”

The CSAC All Academic Award is earned by each student-athlete that meets the NCAA Division III eligibility requirements, earns varsity status in their respective sport, and earns a minimum semester grade point average (GPA) of 3.2. The team consists of student-athletes from Men’s Cross Country, Women’s Cross Country, Field Hockey, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Tennis and Volleyball.

Of the 528 student-athletes receiving this award, 45 were First Team All-CSAC in their respective sport, 38 were named to the Second Team All-CSAC in their respective sport, 38 received Honorable Mention and 47 were recipients of individual Sportsmanship Awards.

The following student-athletes are members of the Fall 2009 All-Academic Team. Please note the following representations: 1st = First Team All-CSAC, 2nd = Second Team All-CSAC, HM = Honorable Mention and S = Sportsmanship Award.

Volleyball Fall 2009 CSAC All-Academic Honorees

Yuki Arita, S, Sr., Art & Design, Tokyo, Japan
Erika Chu, Fr., Galloway, N.J.
Sydney Eggleston, Fr., Equine Studies, Spokane Wash.
Gina Inga, Jr., Criminal Justice, Sparta, N.J.
Elizabeth Luckenbill, Jr., Fashion Design, Schuykill, Pa.
Jelena Markovic, 2nd, Fr., Business Administration Finance, Brcko, Bosnia
Devon Paffendorf, So., Art & Design, Hackettstown, N.J.
Kesley Walter, So., Business Administration/Management, Hackettstown, N.J

Fall 2009 CSAC All-Academic Team

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (December 10, 2009) Members of the Centenary Volleyball team volunteered to catalog and pack books that were donated to the athletic department as a part of the Ethiopia Reads charity program.

Ethiopia Reads was founded by Yohannes Gebregeorgis, a native of the country, to create a reading culture in Ethiopia by connecting children with books. By planting libraries for children, creating culturally appropriate reading materials and training educators to nurture a love of books, Ethiopia Reads brings hope and educational skills to this generation of Ethiopians. The charity earned CNN’s 2008 Hero Award. For more information, log on to www.ethiopiareads.org.

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. (November 3, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team fell at Baptist Bible in the quarterfinals of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Tournament, 3-0, Tuesday night in Clarks Summit, Pa. Although each set was tightly contested, the fourth-seeded Defenders (14-12) were able to come away with the 25-17, 25-23 and 25-19 victory over the fifth-seeded Lady Cyclones (15-17). The game marked Centenary’s first playoff contest since 2004, when it was a member of the Skyline and Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic conferences.

“I thought we played well,” said head coach Dinu Dan. “We got away from some of the team strategy and tactics that we practiced, but the girls played hard. I am not upset about the loss. I thought we played the best we could. We are a young team, we had a great season and I expect we will be a force in the CSAC next year.”

BBC recorded 36 kills and 59 digs to Centenary’s 21 and 47, respectively. For the Lady Cyclones, freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) finished with a double-double, tallying 12 assists and 14 digs. She also recorded five kills. Sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) racked up a team-high nine kills to give her an even 500 for her career. Fellow classmate Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) posted 13 digs, giving her 514 on the year, a career-high. Jessica White led Baptist Bible with 10 kills while also posting eight digs. The Defenders will next face top-seeded Cabrini, Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

BBC grabbed an early lead in the first set and did not look back, going on to win 25-17. Centenary came within one point three times, but the Defenders were able to hold off the Lady Cyclones for the eight-point victory. In the second set, the home team built a 13-6 lead before CC reeled off 12 straight points on the serve of sophomore Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) to take an 18-13 edge. But BBC was able to regroup, finally tying the game at 20. The two teams traded points until, at 23-apiece, the Defenders won two consecutive points to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

In the third set, Baptist Bible grabbed the advantage early and did not let go. Trailing 23-13, Centenary went on a late run to get within six, at 23-17, but the two teams traded points and BBC won the set and the match, 25-19.

Centenary set program records this season, including regular-season wins (15) and conference victories (seven). The team returns all but two players next season, including Markovic, the CSAC Rookie of the Year.

Boxscore

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. (November 3, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team will make its first playoff appearance since 2004 when it takes on Baptist Bible in the first round of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Tournament, Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., in Clarks Summit, Pa. The Lady Cyclones finished the year as the fifth seed in the conference with a 7-4 mark in CSAC play. BBC is the fourth seed thanks to an 8-3 conference record.

Centenary last played in its conference tournament as a member of the Skyline and Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic conferences, when all conference teams were given postseason berths. This season, the Lady Cyclones had to earn a trip to the playoffs, and did so thanks to a program-record seven conference wins. Centenary also won a program-best 15 games during the regular season. Head coach Dinu Dan has led the team to more wins in each of his four years, including a five-game increase from 2008 to 2009.

CC has been led by freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School), who was named CSAC Rookie of the Year on Nov. 1. Markovic is the team leader in assists (477) and aces (78), and was second on the squad in kills (220), digs (208) and total blocks (36). She also finished third on the team in total attacks (634). In the latest NCAA statistical rankings she is 34th in aces and in the conference statistics she is first in aces and ninth in hitting percentage.

Sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) leads the team in kills, with 230. She also has 669 attacks and 40 aces. Junior Kelly Zegarowitz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) has recorded 204 kills, 784 attacks, 63 aces and 191 digs. Sophomore Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) is the CSAC leader in digs, with 501.

Earlier this season, Baptist Bible defeated the Lady Cyclones 3-1 in Hackettstown, N.J. The Defenders won the closely-fought match, 25-21, 28-26, 25-20 and 25-15. Markovic finished one dig shy of a triple-double, posting 16 kills, 11 assists and nine digs.

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (November 2, 2009) – Freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) was named the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Rookie of the Year, the league announced Sunday. Markovic, who also earned Second Team All-CSAC honors, helped guide the Lady Cyclones to a 7-4 conference mark and a berth to the CSAC Tournament. Senior Yuki Arita (Tokyo, Japan/Higashino) was Centenary’s Sportsmanship Award Recipient.

Markovic led the team in assists (477) and aces (78), and was second on the squad in kills (220), digs (208) and total blocks (36). She also finished third on the team in total attacks (634). In the latest NCAA statistical rankings she is 34th in aces and in the conference statistics she is first in aces and ninth in hitting percentage.

Markovic was named CSAC Player of the Week on Sept. 28 after leading Centenary to a 2-0 week, with wins over Gwynedd-Mercy and the College of Notre Dame. She finished with 17 kills, 24 assists, 11 aces, 14 digs and three blocks in the two games.

The Lady Cyclones earned a berth to the CSAC Tournament as the fifth seed and will travel to face Baptist Bible on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7:00 p.m.

2009 CSAC Volleyball Postseason Awards

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 27, 2009) – The volleyball team was looking to improve upon their conference seeding with a home match against Rosemont College. In an emotional senior night, the Lady Cyclones were able to send Cara Gibson (Oxford, N.J./Warren Hills) and Yuki Arita (Tokoyo, Japan/Higashino) out on top, winning the game 3-0. The win gives Centenary a 13-15 overall record while improving their conference mark to 6-4 and have now won five of its last six games. The Ravens of Rosemont move to 5-15 on the loss and fall to 0-10 in the conference.

To the action we go and in the first set, the game was close in the early going with both teams tied at six points. From there the Cyclones began building a lead behind the hitting of Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) and Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) and were able to win the first game 25-14.

The second set saw Centenary jump out to an early lead of 10-2. The Ravens had some accurate serves but ultimately could not comeback on Centenary. Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) and Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) were able to set up their hitters and Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) was able to go on an extended serving run, as the Cyclones took the game, 25-12.

Again in set number three, the Lady Cyclones took command early, running in front 15-3. The set never got much closer than that as the Lady Cyclones cruised to a 25-5 victory in set three and clinch the game.

For the game Jelena Markovic finished with 15 assists, 10 digs and four kills. Paffendorf finished with a match high seven kills and Kelsey Walter finished with her second highest dig total of the season with 28 as well as five aces.
 With the top six teams in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) making the playoffs, the Lady Cyclones currently sit in a tie for fifth place. A win in their final CSAC contest against Cedar Crest would clinch the playoffs for Centenary. The game will be played on October 31 at Cedar Crest.


Boxscore

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 26, 2009) – Centenary freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) was named Cyclone of the Week after leading the volleyball team to a 4-1 week. The volleyball team recorded a 3-0 win over Keystone College on 10/21, 3-0 wins over both Brooklyn College and Manhattanville College on 10/23 and a 3-1 win over John Jay College on 10/24.

Markovic had a monster week and filled up the stat sheet in multiple categories. This week she finished with 82 assists, 37 kills, 35 digs and 19 service aces. Markovic leads the team in kills (192), assists (366) and aces (70). This is the second time this season that Markovic has been awarded the Cyclone of the Week.

The volleyball team is 12-15 overall and 5-4 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference. The compete again next on Tuesday, October 26 at home against Rosemont College.

MONTCLAIR, N.J. (October 23, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team was one of two squads to go 2-0 on the first day of the Montclair State Classic, Friday in Montclair, N.J. The Lady Cyclones (11-14) knocked off Manhattanville, 3-0, before taking down Brooklyn by the same score. Host school MSU was the other team to go undefeated on the day, defeating John Jay and Brooklyn.

Centenary defeated Manhattanville, 25-17, 25-15 and 25-21. Freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) posted a double-double with match-highs of 16 kills and 16 assists. Sophomore Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) was right behind her with 15 assists and sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) finished with seven kills. Fellow classmate Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) tallied a match-high 17 digs.

The Lady Cyclones won their second game of the day by a score of 25-6, 25-13 and 25-9 over Brooklyn. Freshman Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) led the way with nine kills. Fellow freshman Sydney Eggleston (Spokane, Wash./Valley Christian School), who set a career-high with seven kills against Keystone on Wednesday, set a new career-best with eight kills against the Bridges. Markovic posted 13 assists and nine digs while Walter recorded a match-high 17 digs.

Centenary returns to action on Saturday for the second day of the Montclair State Classic. The Lady Cyclones will face host team MSU at 11:00 a.m., followed by John Jay at 1:00 p.m.

Centenary vs. Manhattanville

Centenary vs. Brooklyn

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 21, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team moved into sixth-place in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) with a  3-0 win over Keystone, winning 25-19, 25-12 and 25-11, Wednesday in Hackettstown, N.J. The Lady Cyclones (9-14, 5-4 CSAC) picked up their fifth conference win of the season, marking the most single-season conference victories since recording the same amount in 2007, while the Giants (2-17, 1-8 CSAC) dropped their fifth consecutive game.

Sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) and junior Kelly Zegarowitz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) combined for a .420 hitting percentage to lead Centenary. Paffendorf notched 15 kills in 26 attempts, with one error, while Zegarowitz added 11 kills in 24 attempts, with four errors. The Bayonne, N.J. native also recorded five digs and five aces. Freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) matched her career-high with eight service aces, previously set at the College of Notre Dame on Sept. 26. She also tallied 28 assists, six kills and three digs.

Sophomore Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) continued her solid defensive play with a match-high 16 digs. Freshman Sydney Eggleston (Spokane, Wash./Valley Christian School) chipped in a career-high seven kills and sophomore Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) tallied eight digs and seven assists.

“We took this team very seriously,” said head coach Dinu Dan. “Our objective is to qualify for the playoffs, so we do not underestimate any team that we play. I am glad we won tonight, the ladies did a great job. We were a little shaky in the first set, but we came back thanks to tough serves, good passes and great judgment by the setters, and we were able to win a key conference match.”

An early 10-4 lead for Centenary in the first set gave way to an 19-13 advantage for Keystone. But thanks to solid serving by Zegarowitz, the Lady Cyclones were able to reel off 10 straight points to take a 23-19 edge, and the home team closed out the set minutes later.

CC jumped out to a 15-5 lead in the second set, and then held off Keystone to win, 25-12. The third set began with three consecutive Markovic service aces, as the Lady Cyclones opened up a 6-0 lead before Keystone was forced to call timeout. But Centenary was able to win going away, 25-11.

The Lady Cyclones take a break from CSAC action with the Montclair State Classic, Friday and Saturday in Montclair, N.J. Centenary will face Manhattanville and Brooklyn on Friday before taking on Montclair State and John Jay on Saturday.

Boxscore

ASTON, Pa. (October 17, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team (8-14, 4-4 CSAC) fought hard against two of the top teams in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC), but was unable to come up with a victory, falling 3-1 to Philadelphia Biblical (15-11, 7-3 CSAC) and 3-0 to Neumann (9-18, 8-1 CSAC). In the third match of the day, the Knights swept the Crimson Eagles, 3-0.

PBU defeated Centenary 25-12, 20-25, 25-14 and 27-25. The Lady Cyclones were led by their two captains, as sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) finished with a team-high eight kills and freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) recorded a double-double with 18 assists and 11 digs. She also tallied seven kills. Sophomore Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) chipped in nine assists and one dig and fellow classmate Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) notched a team-best 16 digs. Carly Plank (16 kills) and Betsey Ranck (42 assists) led Philadelphia Biblical.

The final score of CC’s second match of the day was 25-22, 25-17 and 25-12, in favor of the host-team Knights. Junior Kelly Zegarowitz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) led Centenary with 11 kills on 26 attacks, along with four digs. Markovic posted 16 assists, eight digs and six kills and Walter finished with a team-high 14 digs.

Centenary returns to action on Wed., Oct. 21, with a home match against Keystone at 7:00 p.m.

Centenary vs. PBU

Centenary vs. NU

ASTON, Pa. (October 15, 2009) – One week after falling to Colonial States Athletic Conference top-seed Cabrini at home, the Centenary women’s volleyball team (8-12, 4-2 CSAC) will face the second and third-place teams, Neumann (7-18, 6-1 CSAC) and Philadelphia Biblical (14-10, 6-2 CSAC), Saturday in Aston, Pa. The Lady Cyclones (8-12, 4-2 CSAC) are tied with Cedar Crest for fifth-place in the conference, just ahead of Marywood. Centenary will face PBU at 4:00p.m., followed by Neumann at 6:00p.m.

Freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) leads the Lady Cyclones in kills (154), assists (275) and service aces (53), and is second on the team in digs (117) and total blocks (27). Sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) and junior Kelly Zegarowitz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) have 135 and 130 kills, respectively, and Zegarowitz is tied with Markovic with 117 digs.

Sophomore Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) leads the team and is second in the CSAC with 310 digs. Freshman Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) has a team-high 35 total blocks and sophomore Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) is second on the squad with 194 assists.

Neumann’s lone conference loss was to top-seed Cabrini, a 3-2 defeat on Sept. 29. Ashley Mathis leads the Knights with 199 kills, Cecily Scavicchio is third in the conference with 603 assists and Melissa Haines has a team-best 329 digs. Last year NU defeated Centenary, 3-0, behind 10 kills from Mathis. Paffendorf tallied seven kills and one dig for the Lady Cyclones.

PBU also lost to Cabrini, by a score of 3-0 on Sept. 26. Carly Plank leads the Crimson Eagles with 229 kills, Betsy Ranck has a conference-high 656 assists and Kai Lynn Zeiset has a team-best 289 digs. In 2008, Philadelphia Biblical defeated Centenary, 3-0 in Langhorne, Pa. PBU finished with 35 kills to the Lady Cyclones’ 13 in the contest.

After Saturday’s tri-meet, Centenary returns to action on Wed., Oct. 21, with a home match against Keystone at 7:00 p.m. 

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 10, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball dropped two matches in a home-tri-meet, Saturday in Hackettstown, N.J. The Lady Cyclones (8-12, 4-2 CSAC) fell to Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) foe Cabrini (17-6, 7-0 CSAC), 3-0, and to in-state rival William Paterson (13-4), 3-1. In the other game of the tri-meet, the Cavaliers defeated the Pioneers, 3-0.

In Centenary’s first match, Cabrini swept by a score of 25-18, 25-10 and 25-15. The Cavaliers recorded 43 kills in 81 attacks for a hitting percentage of .506. For the Lady Cyclones, 18 errors offset their 23 kills, as they recorded a hitting percentage of .060. Freshman Sydney Eggleston (Spokane, Wash./Valley Christian School) led the team with six kills, while fellow classmate Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) tallied a team-high 15 assists. Sophomore Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) finished with a team-best 11 digs.

In the Cyclones’ second match of the day, although they battled hard, William Paterson eventually got the better of them by a final score of 25-22, 18-25, 25-21 and 25-15. Markovic finished one dig shy of a triple-double, as she tallied 10 kills, 29 assists and nine digs. Junior Kelly Zegarowitz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs. Sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) tied for the match-high with 15 kills and Walter recorded a match-high 30 digs.

Centenary returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 17, when it faces Neumann and Philadelphia Biblical in Aston, Pa.

Game 1 vs. Cabrini

Game 2 vs. William Paterson

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 8, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team (8-10, 4-1 CSAC) looks to continue its two-game winning streak with a home tri-meet, Saturday in Hackettstown, N.J. The Lady Cyclones will face Colonial States Athletic Conference foe (CSAC) Cabrini (15-6, 6-0 CSAC) at 1:00 p.m., before taking on in-state rival William Paterson (12-3) at 5:00 p.m. The Cavaliers and the Pioneers will square off at 3:00 p.m.

Freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) leads the team in multiple categories, including kills (141), assists (231) and aces (49), and is second on the team in total blocks (27) and digs (106). Sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) and junior Kelly Zegarowitz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) have 116 and 115 kills, respectively, and sophomore Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) leads the team with 269 digs. Freshman Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) has a Centenary-best 32 total blocks.

Cabrini and Centenary squared off earlier this season as part of the Moravian Tournament, with the Cavaliers coming out on top, 3-0. Offensively, Cabrini’s Stephanie Recklau has 164 kills and Alexis Doss has 152. Lizzie Williams is first in the CSAC with 560 assists and Courtney Abel leads the squad with 332 digs.

For William Paterson, Kelly Helfrich leads the way with 200 kills, 137 digs and 45 total blocks. Megan Maher has recorded 183 assists while Jillian Bronowich is close behind, with 174. Maher is also the team leader in aces, with 25.

After Saturday’s tri-meet, Centenary returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 17, when it faces Philadelphia Biblical and Neumann in Aston, Pa.

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 5, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team won its third match in its last four contests and its second in a row, sweeping Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) foe Marywood, 3-0, Monday in Scranton, Pa. The Lady Cyclones (8-10, 4-1 CSAC) recorded 35 kills while the Pacers (3-10, 1-2 CSAC) tallied 21.

Centenary was led by junior Kelly Zegarowitz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne), who posted a match-high 13 kills, as well as six digs, three aces and one assist. Sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive), coming off a career-high 22 kills in the Lady Cyclones’ 3-2 win over Immaculata on Oct. 1, recorded 10 kills, two digs, two aces and one assist, while freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) tallied a match-high 23 assists, as well as seven digs and a match-best seven aces.

Sophomore Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) helped the team with nine assists, while fellow classmate Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) led the way with a match-high 21 digs.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair, with Centenary finally pulling away at the end to win, 25-21. The Lady Cyclones were able to win the second set, 25-14, before facing another nail-biter in the third. Centenary was again victorious, this time by a score of 25-23, to take the match.

The Lady Cyclones return to action on Saturday, Oct. 10, when they host a tri-meet with Cabrini and William Paterson, starting at 1:00 p.m.

Boxscore 

IMMACULATA, Pa. (October 1, 2009) – Sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) set a career-high with 22 kills and freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) tallied a career-high 42 assists to lead Centenary to a 3-2, come-from-behind victory, over Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) foe Immaculata, Thursday in Immaculata, Pa. With the win, the Lady Cyclones (7-10, 3-1 CSAC) passed last year’s conference win total while the Mighty Macs (3-10, 2-2 CSAC) lost their fourth-consecutive five-set match.

Paffendorf also set a season-high with eight digs. Markovic posted another double-double, her seventh of the season, with 17 digs. Freshman Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) recorded a career-best 12 kills on 23 attacks for a hitting percentage of .435. Sophomore Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) led the team with 20 digs and junior Kelly Zegarowitz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) posted 11 digs and a team-best five service aces. IU’s Jayme Lenosky led the home-team with 20 kills and 19 digs.

Immaculata took the first two sets, 25-23 and 25-14. Facing its second straight loss, Centenary rallied to win the third set, 25-21. The Lady Cyclones were down, 24-22, in the fourth set, before coming back to win, 27-25. Centenary never trailed in the final set, putting the match away with a 15-7 victory. The win is the first for CC in a five-set contest since Sept. 7, 2008, when it defeated St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn.

Centenary returns to action on Monday, Oct. 5, with a road match against conference-opponent Marywood.

Boxscore

IMMACULATA, Pa. (October 1, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team returns to action with a road-Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) match at Immaculata, Thursday in Immaculata, Pa. The Lady Cyclones (6-10, 2-1 CSAC) are coming off a tightly fought 3-1 home loss to Baptist Bible on Tuesday, while the Mighty Macs (3-9, 2-1 CSAC) last played on Sept. 29, sweeping Gwynedd-Mercy.

Centenary has been led by freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School), who was named CSAC Player of the Week on Monday. Markovic leads the team in kills (135) and service aces (39) and is second on the squad in assists (166), digs (82) and blocks (25). She is sixth in the conference in hitting percentage, fifth in kills and sixth in service aces.

Sophomore Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) leads the team with 168 assists, fellow classmate Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) is third in the CSAC with 228 digs and freshman Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) has a team-high 27 blocks.

Immaculata has been led by Jayme Lenosky, who is the team leader in kills (93), service aces (22) and digs (115). Kathleen Haefner has a team-high 261 assists and Lindsey Silvestro has recorded 29 blocks, tops on the squad.

Centenary and Immaculata have three common opponents in Gwynedd Mercy, the College of Notre Dame and Misericordia. Both squads swept the Griffins and defeated the Gators, CC 3-1 IU 3-0. Both teams lost to Misericordia, Centenary by a score of 3-0 and Immaculata 3-1.

After Thursday’s match, the Lady Cyclones return to action on Monday, Oct. 5, with a road-match at Marywood at 7:00 p.m.

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (September 29, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team fell in a closely matched contest to Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) foe Baptist Bible, losing 3-1, Tuesday in Hackettstown, N.J. The Lady Cyclones (6-10, 2-1 CSAC) were led by freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School), who posted 16 kills, 11 assists, nine digs and three service aces. BBC (5-9, 1-1 CSAC) picked up its first conference victory of the season.

Three of the four sets were decided by five points or less, as the final score read 21-25, 28-26, 20-25 and 15-25 in favor of Baptist Bible. Centenary sophomore Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) led the team with 21 assists and fellow classmate Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) finished with a game-high 13 digs. Sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) was second on the squad with eight kills and freshman Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) tallied a team-best five total blocks.

Baptist Bible was led by Jessica White and Marlie Kneifel, as the pair finished with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Katelin Broughton tallied a game-high 24 assists and Kneifel and Laura Hodupp recorded 10 digs apiece.

Centenary led early in the first set but could not hold on, eventually falling to the Defenders, 25-21. Despite an early 9-2 advantage for the Lady Cyclones, Baptist Bible was able to come back and take a 21-19 lead on Broughton’s serve and hold on for the victory. BBC held an early lead in the second set and built that to set point, but this time it was Centenary who came back to tie the match at 24 before going on to win, 28-26.

BBC trailed early in the third set, 9-6, before winning eight consecutive points to take a 14-9 lead. The Defenders then held on to win, 25-20, taking a two-to-one edge in the match. Baptist Bible then built an early advantage in the fourth set and never looked back, going on to win by 10.

Centenary returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 1, with a road-conference match at Immaculata at 7:00 p.m.

Boxscore

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (September 28, 2009) – Centenary women’s volleyball freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) was named Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Volleyball Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. It marks Markovic’s first-ever CSAC weekly award. For her efforts, Markovic was also named Centenary’s Cyclone of the Week.

Markovic led Centenary to a 2-0 week, with wins over Gwynedd-Mercy and the College of Notre Dame. The freshman collected eight kills in 11 total attacks for a .727 hitting percentage against the Griffins and recorded an impressive all-around game against the Gators, with nine kills, 19 assists, 10 digs and eight service aces. On the week she finished with 17 kills, 24 assists, 11 aces, 14 digs and three blocks.

The Lady Cyclones (6-9, 2-0 CSAC) return to action on Tuesday night with a home-match against Baptist Bible at 7:00 p.m. The school will celebrate the birthday of its beloved mascot, Cyclone, during the game.

BALTIMORE, Md. (September 26, 2009) – Freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School) recorded a double-double to lead the Centenary women’s volleyball team to a 3-1 win over the College of Notre Dame, Saturday in Baltimore, Md. With the win, the Lady Cyclones improve to 6-9 and 2-0 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC), while the Gators fall to 3-8 overall, 0-3 in the conference.

Centenary won the match 25-9, 25-21, 22-25 and 25-18. Markovic posted a team-high 19 assists as well as 10 digs for the double-double. She finished one kill and two service aces shy of a quadruple-double, posting nine and eight, respectively. For the College of Notre Dame, Catherine Subrizi recorded 17 kills while Christina Kudrna finished with a game-high 33 assists.

A trio of sophomores came up big for Centenary, as Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) tallied eight kills, one ace and three digs, Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) recorded 12 assists, two aces and four digs and Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) finished with a team-high 12 digs. Junior Kelly Zegarowitz (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) tied for second on the team with eight kills.

With the first set tied at three, Centenary went on a 15-2 run to take a commanding 18-5 lead. The Lady Cyclones then traded points with the Gators before Markovic finished the set with a kill off an assist from Ruiz. Centenary build a 21-12 advantage in the second set and then held off the home-team to win by four, and then in the third game the Lady Cyclones’ comeback bid fell short as they lost by three. But in the fourth set, Centenary scored eight of the first nine points and then went on to win by seven.

The Lady Cyclones return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 29, with a home match against Baptist Bible at 7:00 p.m. During the game, the college will celebrate the birthday of its beloved mascot, the Centenary College Cyclone.

Boxscore 

BALTIMORE, Md. (September 25, 2009) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team will travel to Baltimore, Md., to take on the College of Notre Dame on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) match. The Lady Cyclones (5-9, 1-0 CSAC) are coming off a 3-0 sweep of Gwynedd-Mercy at home on Wednesday, while the Gators (3-7, 0-2 CSAC) last played in a 3-1 loss at home to Cabrini on Wednesday.

Centenary has been led by its captains, sophomore Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) and freshman Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia/The Economic School). Paffendorf has 63 kills and 25 service aces while Markovic is the team leader in kills (110), assists (136) and solo blocks (10). She is second on the team in service aces with 28 and total blocks with 19.

Sophomore Angelica Ruiz (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) has recorded 135 assists and a team-high 31 service aces while fellow classmate Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) leads the squad with 203 digs. Freshman Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) is the team-leader in total blocks, with 20.

For the College of Notre Dame, Catherine Subrizi leads the way with 133 kills and 41 service aces, Ebony Rivers has a team-high 70 digs and Christina Kudrna is the team leader in assists, with 236.

The two teams share a common opponent in Cabrini. Centenary fell to the Cavaliers by a score of 3-0 on Sept. 5 and the College of Notre Dame lost by a score of 3-1 on Sept. 23. Last year, Centenary fell to the Gators 3-0 on Oct. 4 in Hackettstown, N.J.

After Saturday’s match, Centenary returns to action on Tuesday, Sept. 29, with a home contest against Baptist Bible at 7:00 p.m. During the game, the college will celebrate the birthday of its beloved mascot, the Centenary College Cyclone.