Centenary College News: Athletics: Volleyball

41 Cyclones Receive Fall 2011 CSAC All-Academic Team Honors

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:45:00 -0500

ASTON, Pa. (January 26, 2012) – The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) has announced the CSAC All-Academic Team for the Fall 2011 semester, and it includes 578 student-athletes from the conference's 12 member institutions. Among the 578 athletes are 41 student-athletes from Centenary College who qualified for the prestigious honor.

The All-Academic honor rewards varsity student-athletes who attain a grade-point average of 3.2 or higher during their season of competition. The Fall All-Academic Team encompasses student-athletes who participated in the sports of men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, women's tennis, women's volleyball, and field hockey.

"This recognition is well deserved for each one of these student-athletes," said CSAC Interim Commissioner Jennifer Dubow. "They have all assumed leadership roles on their campuses by demonstrating that a complete education includes both academics and athletics. Being able to perform at such a high level academically while competing athletically is truly a testament to all of these young men and women."

Of these honorees, 39 were First Team All-CSAC selections in their sport, while 38 were Second Team picks and 40 were Honorable Mention selections. In addition, 47 were named to the All-Sportsmanship Team in their respective sports.

Also noteworthy is that the Athlete of the Year in all seven CSAC fall sports received All-Academic laurels, including men's soccer Co-Players of the Year Ryan Jones (Marywood) and Andrew Leissing (Neumann), women's soccer Player of the Year Brittany Overland (Andover, N.J./Newton), women's tennis Player of the Year Rachel Fein (Gwynedd-Mercy), field hockey Player of the Year Lauren Alessi (Cabrini), volleyball Player of the Year Jelena Markovic (Centenary), and CSAC cross-country champions Katherine Klinges and Matt VanDenHengel, both of Gwynedd-Mercy.

Centenary College CSAC All-Academic Team Recipients

FAR/FAB Scholar Athletes For Fall Sports Announced

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:32:00 -0500

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (November 30, 2011) – The Centenary College Faculty Athletic Representatives (FAR) and Faculty Advisory Board (FAB) announced the Scholar-AthleteAcademic Recognition Awardees for the Fall sports season today. The FAR/FAB Scholar Athlete Recognition Award aims to recognize six student-athletes for each athletic season that have displayed a high level of academic achievement.

The recipients of the FAR/FAB Scholar Athlete Recognition Awards for the Fall 2011 season are members of the Cyclones volleyball, women’s cross country, and women’s soccer teams. The Volleyball team that returned to the CSAC Tournament this year had three teammates receive this honor including seniors Kelsey Walter and Devon Paffendorf as well as junior Jelena Markovic. Markovic, who was named the Colonial States Athletic Conference Player of the Year for her on-court performance, now receives recognition for her efforts in the classroom.

Head Volleyball Coach Dinu Dan expressed pride in his young women saying, “I am proud of the emphasis these ladies put forth. Their stellar academic and athletic performance is great representation for Centenary.”

Joining the three volleyball team members are seniors Chelsea Gummerson and Kelly Nielsen of the women’s cross country team and senior Mary Anderson of the women’s soccer team.

J.J. Cusick, Head Cross Country Coach acknowledges the achievements of Gummerson and Nielsen stating, “Kelly and Chelsea have demonstrated great responsibility by excelling academically over the last four years while competing in collegiate athletics.”

Kevin Davies, Head Women’s Soccer Coach is also pleased the dedication of one of his players is being recognized.

“Since joining the team two years ago, Mary has worked as hard, if not harder on her game than anyone. As well as working hard on the soccer field, Mary has the same work ethic in the classroom.” Davies gives additional praise stating, “I could not find a better person to receive this award.”

The FAR/FAB Scholar Athlete Recognition Award recipients were nominated by their individual coaches and had to meet specific criteria. Nominees must possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, be nominated by their coach by the 15th of the month that their season concludes, and demonstrate strong academic commitment, team representation, and additional commitment to the college.

All FAR/FAB Scholar Athlete Recognition Award recipients will be honored at the athletic banquet which will be held in early May.

Markovic Named ECAC Player of the Week

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:59:00 -0400

CENTERVILLE, Mass. (November 3, 2011) – Junior volleyball player Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina/The Economic School) was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III South Region Player of the Week for the week ending on Oct. 30.

Markovic averaged 2.13 kills and 3.93 digs per set for the Cyclones last week. The junior finished Saturday’s win over Montclair State with 16 kills, 16 assists, eight aces, and 25 digs, only two aces short of her fifth quadruple-double of the season. Markovic also finished the season ranked number one in the nation in aces per set at 1.65 and 34th in points per set at 4.52.

ECAC Player of the Week

Volleyball Ends Playoff Run

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:04:00 -0400

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. (November 1, 2011) – The Centenary College volleyball team finished their 2011 playoff run on Tuesday after falling to Baptist Bible College defenders 3-1. The loss marks the end of the road for two seniors after a tremendous run for the Cyclones.

The two seniors, Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) and Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) finished their careers strong as they combined for 10 kills and 16 digs in their final game wearing a Centenary jersey.

After dropping the first set 25-15 to the Defenders, the Cyclones bounced back in set two as they fired back with consistent rallies to win 25-16 and even the match at 1-1. The third match turned out to be a thriller for both teams as the Defenders jumped ahead 18-9 early.

Down 19-11, junior Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina/The Economic School) took matters into her own hands as she led the Cyclones on a nine point rally, including four kills by Paffendorf, to come back and take a 20-19 lead.

Unfortunately for the Cyclones, they could not hold on to the lead as they dropped the third set 25-21 to the Defenders. Centenary- continued to keep the match close as they remained tied throughout most of the fourth set until the Defenders were finally able to pull ahead and take the final set 25-20 to advance to the semi-finals of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Tournament.

The Cyclones finish their run with an overall record of 15-20, including a 7-5 conference mark. Ranked top five in the nation, the Cyclones finished the season with a total 459 service aces in their 121 sets played for an aces per set mark of 3.8.

Box Score

Markovic and Paffendorf Named All-Conference

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:37:00 -0400

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (November 1, 2011) – The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) announced the 2011 All-Conference Volleyball Teams yesterday and Centenary College’s Jelena Markovic (Brko, Bosnia and Herzogovina/The Economic School) was named the 2011 CSAC Player of the Year with First Team All-Conference honors and Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) was named to Second Team All-Conference and the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Markovic was named the 2011 CSAC Player of the Year as she finished the regular season ranked number one in the nation in aces per set with 192 aces in 114 sets played. The junior setter finished the season with 292 kills, 443 assists, and 308 digs, recording four quadruple-doubles and nine triple-doubles for the Cyclones.

Paffendorf received Second-Team accolades and a spot on the All-Sportsmanship Team after contributing a season total 299 kills, 37 aces, 125 digs, and 17 blocks for the Cyclones. The senior also became Centenary’s All-Time sets played leader with 453 sets played over her time in a Cyclone uniform.

The Lady Cyclones begin postseason play today as they travel to Clarks Summit, Pa. to take on the Baptist Bible Defenders in the opening round of the CSAC Tournament at 7:00pm.

2011 CSAC All-Conference Teams

Volleyball To Play Baptist Bible

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:30:00 -0400

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 31, 2011) - With their 3-1 win last Thursday, the Centenary College volleyball team secured a spot in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Tournament this week. The Cyclones received the number five seed and are set to travel to Clarks Summit, Pa. to take on the number four seeded Baptist Bible College Defenders at 7pm. The winner of the match will move on to the semi-finals on Thursday at 7pm.

Cyclones Win Third Straight

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:18:00 -0400

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 29, 2011) – The Centenary College volleyball team finished their 2011 regular season with a bang on Saturday when they went 2-0 in their own tri-match. Prior to the start of the second match, the Cyclones took time to honor their two graduating seniors, Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) and Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) for all their hard work and contributions over the years to the program.

The Cyclones took the first match of the night with ease, sweeping the Manhattanville College Valiants 25-16, 25-9, and 25-19. On a night that she would remember for the rest of her life, Paffendorf contributed with 11 kills, six aces, and five digs in the match. Making sure to keep her streak of consecutive games with at least one ace alive, junior Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina/The Economic School) contributed with a combined 17 service aces on the day, extending it to 22 games in a row.

Montclair State did not fall so easily to the Cyclones in the second match, but Centenary was able to battle through and take down the Red Hawks 3-2 (25-22, 25-18, 25-19, 25-14, 15-13). The seniors stepped up big in the match after being honored by their fellow teammates as Paffendorf finished the match with 10 kills, nine digs, and one ace and Walters contributed with a total 27 digs and two aces for the Cyclones.

After winning the first set over the Red Hawks, the Cyclones began to show some signs of struggle, dropping two consecutive matches to Montclair State, before turning it back on and firing back to seal a close 15-13 win over the Red Hawks in the deciding fifth set. Markovic ended the second match only two aces shy of her fifth quadruple-double of the season, contributing with 16 kills, 16 assists, 25 digs, and 8 aces.

The sweep of the tri-match gives the Cyclones momentum entering the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Tournament starting Tuesday at 7:00pm.

Match One Box Score

Match Two Box Score

Volleyball Keep Dream Alive

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 21:29:00 -0400

IMMACULATA, Pa. (October 27, 2011) – The Centenary College volleyball team kept the dreams of making the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) tournament alive tonight as they beat the Immaculata Mighty Macs 3-1. With the win, the Cyclones secure a spot in the CSAC tournament next week, nudging out the Mighty Macs and taking home the sixth and final seed.

Leading the way for the Cyclones yet again was junior standout Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina/The Economic School) who was only two kills away from her fifth quadruple-double of the season. The junior setter recorded 8 kills, 16 assists, 14 digs, and 10 aces on the night, enough to extender her consecutive games with at least one ace to 20.

Senior Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) finished the day recording 17 kills, two aces, and six digs and junior Erika Chu (Galloway, N.Y./Absegami) contributed with 14 kills, three aces, one dig, and two block assists on the night. Senior Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) also added onto her all-time dig count with 17 more for a career total 2,017.

After dropping the first set 25-19 to the Mighty Macs, the Cyclones fired back in a must-win game to take down Immaculata 25-6, 25-13, and 25-12 for the remainder of the match and secure themselves a spot in next week’s CSAC Tournament.

The Cyclones return home on Saturday for their last home game of the season as they host Manhattanville College and Montclair State University in a tri-match starting at noon. Prior to the final match of the day, the Cyclones will honor their two graduating seniors, Paffendorf and Walter, for their hard work and contributions to the Centenary Athletics program over the years.

Box Score

Walter Hits Career Milestone

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:28:00 -0400

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 26, 2011) – Centenary College senior Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) recorded 11 digs in her match against the Baptist Bible College Defenders last night to record her 2,000th career dig.

Over the past four years, Walter has served as the Cyclones starting Libero where she has played in a total 125 matches and 439 sets for a career average 4.56 digs per set. With her 2,000 digs, Walter is Centenary College’s all-time dig leader, well ahead of second place Christina Boyer, assistant coach of the Cyclones, who recorded 973 digs during her time in a Centenary uniform.

This season, Walter has recorded 494 digs, including 31 against fellow CSAC rival Philadelphia Biblical University back on Oct. 15. As a junior, Walter recorded a career-best 543 digs in her Libero spot, recording a season total 5.03 digs per set for the Cyclones.

Walter also finds herself in second place all-time behind fellow senior Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) in total sets played with 439 and seventh in aces with 152. With only three matches left this season, Walter looks to lead the Cyclones down the road to the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) tournament next week.

Walter and her fellow graduating senior Paffendorf will be honored on Saturday during their final home match of the season in a senior day ceremony prior to the final game of their home tri-match starting at noon.

Cyclones Swept By Defenders

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:16:00 -0400

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 25, 2011) – The Cyclones dropped their fourth straight match on Tuesday to the hands of the fourth-place Baptist Bible College. Despite their efforts, the Cyclones were unable to take a set home and were swept 3-0 by the visiting Defenders.

The Cyclones started to spark a comeback late in the first half when junior Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina/The Economic School) recorded six consecutive points to bring the Cyclones within five, but were unable to fend off the Defenders as they dropped the first set 25-18.

Markovic continued to spark a rally in the second set as well as she led the Cyclones on a five-point rally to tie the game at 12-12, but were unable to maintain the spark and eventually dropped set two 25-18 as well. The final set was run by the Defenders as they capitalized on Centenary’s mistakes and contributed with a four point rally at the end of the match to finish the set at 25-17.

Markovic ended the day with three kills, six assists, eight digs, and eight aces for the Cyclones, enough to extend her streak of consecutive games with at least one service ace to 19. Junior Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) also contributed with four kills, two aces, three digs, and one block on the day.

Despite the loss, senior Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) recorded 11 digs in the match, exactly enough to give earn her 2,000th career dig as a Cyclone. The career milestone is a huge momentum builder for Walter as she will be honored on Saturday along with fellow graduating senior Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) during their final home game in a Cyclone uniform.

The Cyclones travel to Immaculata on Thursday for a much needed win against the Mighty Macs at 7pm in order to secure a spot in the CSAC tournament.

Box Score

Volleyball Drops Third Straight

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:19:00 -0400

SCRANTON, Pa. (October 22, 2011) – The Cyclones dropped their third straight match to Marywood University on Saturday, falling 25-18, 25-6, 25-23 to the Pacers. With the loss, Centenary drops to 12-18 overall and 6-3 in conference play.

Leading the Cyclone offense was senior Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) who finished the day with 20 total attacks, three kills, and two digs. Junior Kelli McMenamin (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) also contributed with three kills, eight assists, three aces, and three digs on the day.

Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina/The Economic School) contributed with seven kills, seven assists, four digs, two aces, and two blocks for the Cyclones. With those two aces, Markovic continues her streak of having at least one service ace through 18 consecutive matches. The junior was top ranked in aces per set among all Division III athletes in the latest NCAA rankings, and hopes to continue her contributions to the Cyclones.

With this loss, the Cyclones drop to a tie with Baptist Bible College for fourth place at 6-3, with the Defenders having a better overall record of 13-17. The team looks to strike back on Tuesday as they host Baptist Bible in a very important matchup starting at 7:00pm.

Markovic Top Ranked

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:00:00 -0400

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. – In the latest volleyball rankings released by the NCAA, junior Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina/The Economic School) received a first place spot in aces per set among all other division III athletes.

Markovic’s aces per set percentage of 1.66 is enough to give the junior the top spot in the nation, and helps bring the rest of the Lady Cyclones to a fifth place ranking as a team with an average of 3.52 aces per set. To date, Markovic leads the team and the conference in service aces (155) and also holds a 24th place ranking amoung the nation in points per set (4.73).

Over the course of this season, Markovic has received two Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Player of the Week honors and recorded a total four quadruple-doubles for the Lady Cyclones. Markovic and the Lady Cyclones return to action on Saturday as they travel to conference rival Marywood to take on the Pacers at 1:00pm.

Volleyball Suffers Second CSAC Loss

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:04:00 -0400

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. – Senior Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Mount Olive) and junior Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina/The Economic School) combined for 19 kills, but it was not enough as the Centenary women’s volleyball team (12-17, 6-2 CSAC) suffered its second Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) loss of the season, a 3-0 defeat at the hands of two-time defending champion and preseason favorite Cabrini (17-9, 8-0 CSAC).

The Cavaliers took the match by a final score of 25-16, 29-27 and 25-13. Cabrini outhit the Cyclones, with 35 kills against nine errors while Centenary finished with 31 kills and 19 errors. The Cavaliers tallied 45 digs with each player recording at least two.

Offensively for the Cyclones, Paffendorf and Markovic tallied 10 and nine kills, respectively. Markovic also contributed 13 assists, 11 digs, three blocks and one ace. Junior Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) finished with six kills and fellow classmate Kelli McMenamin (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) recorded 13 assists, six digs and two aces. Cabrini’s Alaina Clark had a match-high 27 assists and Danielle Carrozza racked up 10 kills to lead the road team.

Centenary returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 22 with a road contest at CSAC opponent Marywood at 1:00 p.m.

Cyclones Of The Week

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:38:00 -0400

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (October 10, 2011) – Centenary women’s soccer senior Brittany Overland (Andover, N.J./Newton) and volleyball junior Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina/The Economic School) have been named Cyclones of the Week for the week ending Oct. 16, the school announced Monday.

Overland was named Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Player of the Week on Monday after guiding the team to a 3-0 week with nine points on four goals and one assist. She tallied her second career hat trick in a 6-0 win over Rosemont on Oct. 13 and finished with one goal and one assist in the team’s 4-0 victory over Notre Dame (Md.) on Saturday.

Markovic finished with 35 kills, 53 assists, 36 aces and 35 digs in three games for the Cyclones, who went 1-1 in CSAC action and 1-2 overall. She recorded her fourth quadruple-double of the season in CC's 3-2 comeback win over Philadelphia Biblical, with 15 kills, 26 assists, a career-high 17 aces and 20 digs. Thanks to her efforts, CC avenged last year’s loss to the Crimson Eagles that kept the Cyclones out of the CSAC Tournament.

Volleyball Storms Back To Defeat PBU, 3-2

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:46:00 -0400

LANGHORNE, Pa. (October 15, 2011) – The Centenary women’s volleyball team (12-16, 6-1 CSAC) picked up a key Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) victory with a dramatic 3-2 come-from-behind win over Philadelphia Biblical (15-11, 6-3 CSAC), Saturday in Langhorne, Pa. The Cyclones dropped their second match of the tri-meet, 3-0 to Albright.

The win over PBU avenged last year’s loss to the Crimson Eagles that kept CC from reaching the CSAC Tournament. On Saturday, Centenary dropped two hard-fought sets, 25-22 and 27-25, to find itself in a 2-0 hole. But the Cyclones stormed back to win the final three sets, 25-13, 25-21 and 15-12, giving the team one more conference victory than it had all of last season with four matches remaining.

Junior Jelena Markovic (Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina/The Economic School) posted her fourth quadruple-double of the season, with 15 kills, 26 assists, a career-high 17 aces and 20 digs. Her aces total fell one short of tying the Centenary single-match record, set in 2001. Senior Devon Paffendorf (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) matched Markovic’s kills total and juniors Kelli McMenamin (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent) and Erika Chu (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) combined for 24 kills. McMenamin also recorded 21 assists. Senior Kelsey Walter (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) led Centenary’s defensive effort with a match-high 31 digs.

Against Albright, the Cyclones fell in three close sets, 25-22, 25-20 and 28-26. Markovic had a double-double with 11 aces and 13 assists along with nine kills and five digs. Paffendorf also had nine kills and McMenamin tallied 12 assists. Centenary bested the Lions in kills, 28-25, but recorded 21 errors against just seven for AC. The Cyclones also committed 10 service errors.

CC returns to action on Tuesday, Oct. 18, with a home match against CSAC foe Cabrini at 7:00 p.m.