Pinto Receives NJCAA D-III Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week

In perhaps the best start ever for a Genesee Community College volleyball player, Ana Carolina Cerezer Pinto was named National Junior College Athletic Association D-III Offensive Player of the Week.

Just hours prior to her national recognition, she had also been named one of the NJCAA Region-III Female Athletes of the Week for helping the Cougars to a 3-1 start.

Along those first four matches, the freshman from Brazil led the region in three categories, was in the top-five in four categories, and in the top-20 in five based on per-set statistics.

Her hitting percentage was tops at .358, she ranked first in points-per-set with 4.9 and also led in service aces per-set with 1.54. In addition, Pinto was fifth in kills-per-set with 3.15 and 16th in digs-per-set with 3.77.

In three of those aforementioned categories, she was in the nation's top-30 that included hitting percentage at No. 14, points-per-set at No. 16, and kills-per-set at No. 28.

Those totals allowed her to lead the Cougars  in five categories after the first week of play that included: kills (41), aces (20), digs (49), points (63.5), and hitting percentage (.358).

Those numbers produced a wild weekend in the Zambito gymnasium where the Cougars were the only team of six not to lose a set in pod play that included: SUNY Adirondack, Finger Lakes, North County, Hudson Valley and Monroe.

The Cougars were the lone team to sweep all of its opponents with a perfect 9-0 set record after going 3-0 over SUNY Adirondack, North Country and Hudson Valley.

In the first Genesee win over SUNY Adirondack (26-24, 25-15, 25-23), Pinto led the team in digs (15) and kills (9), and added three aces.

In the second Genesee win over North Country (25-15, 25-10,25-3), Pinto led the team in kills with 10.

In the third Genesee win over Hudson Valley (25-7, 25-11, 25-21), Pinto scored 11-consecutive points from service to turn a close 7-5 set into an 18-5 runaway in the first set. Overall, she recorded five aces and had a team-high nine kills.

Pinto began the week with a season-opening road loss to Erie (23-25, 25-27, 25-22, 19-25) with two of the losing sets that would have secured a victory being decided by just a pair of points. In that 3-1 loss, Pinto led the teams in kills (13), digs (24) and service aces with five.