Volleyball Sees Vasiljevic, Pintilie and Demayo Named First Team All-NEC; Fleig Tabbed Second Team

11/19/04 -- Ivana Vasiljevic (Brcko, Bosnia & Herzegovina) and Cristina Pintilie (Cluj Napoca, Romania) were tabbed All-Northeast Conference for the third straight year, Dana Demayo (Ra’anana, Israel) also was named All-NEC and Melanie Fleig (Villingen, Germany) was selected second team all-league for Long Island.

Vasiljevic once again has shown control of the offense with her sensational passing skills and great court awareness. The 5-6 senior setter and 2002 NEC Rookie of the Year already is the school’s all-time leader with 4,345 assists and 1,301 digs. Vasiljevic’s standout play this season has her third in the NEC with 11.33 assists per game and third on the squad with 3.13 digs per game.

Pintilie has been a dominant presence at the net for three seasons thanks to her great hitting and blocking skills. The 6-1 senior middle blocker, last season’s NEC Player of the Year, holds the LIU career mark with 2,010 kills and 169 aces, and her 204 blocks place her second all-time. This season, Pintilie leads the league with 4.11 kills per game and 5.09 points per game, and is third with a .363 hitting percentage.

Demayo, a powerful player with solid court skills, has enjoyed a strong season coming off her NEC Rookie-of-the-Year campaign in 2003. The 5-11 sophomore outside hitter earlier this season broke the Blackbirds’ single-season digs record, which now stands at 543. Demayo this season is third in the league with 0.48 aces per game, third with 4.18 digs per game and fifth with 4.37 points per game.

Fleig has been a welcomed addition at the net, also bringing intense hitting and standout defense. The 6-2 junior outside hitter is sixth in the conference with a .249 hitting percentage, third on the team with 3.6 points per game and among the squad’s leader with 2.12 digs per game.

The awards were presented Friday on the campus of Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pa. at the annual banquet prior to the NEC Tournament. LIU (30-6, 7-1), riding a school-record nine-match winning streak in addition to setting a new victories record, is the No. 2 seed and at 4:00 pm on Saturday will face the winner of the quarterfinal between third-seeded Central Connecticut State and No. 6 Fairleigh Dickinson. The final is Sunday at 1:00 pm.

The Blackbirds as of Monday were ranked 22nd in the country with 2.12 aces per game, 24th with an .829 winning percentage and 27th with a .267 hitting percentage.