Cynthia Barboza facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cynthia Barboza
Personal information
Born	(1987-02-07) February 7, 1987 (age 38) Santa Ana, California, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Spike	311 cm (122 in)
Block	301 cm (119 in)
Volleyball information
Position	Outside hitter
Current club	LIU•JO Volley Modena
Career
Years Teams 2005–2008 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–2013 Stanford University Toray Arrows Dynamo Krasnodar LIU•JO Volley Modena Ufimochka Ufa
National team
2003–2012  USA
Medal record Women's volleyball Representing the  United States Pan American Games Bronze 2003 Santo Domingo Team Bronze 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team Bronze 2011 Guadalajara Team Pan American Cup Bronze 2010 Rosarito & Tijuana Team Final Four Cup Silver 2009 Lima Team

Cynthia Jane Barboza, born on February 7, 1987, is an American who used to play professional volleyball. She was an "outside hitter," which is a key position in volleyball. Cynthia played for four years at Stanford University.

Cynthia Barboza's Early Life and High School Success

Cynthia Barboza was born in Santa Ana, California. She grew up in Long Beach, California. She went to Wilson Classical High School. Many people thought she was the best high school volleyball player in her class of 2005.

Awards and Achievements in High School

Cynthia won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award for volleyball two years in a row (2003–04 and 2004–05). In 2005, she was also named the overall Gatorade Athlete of the Year for all girls' sports.

In 2002, she was part of the USA Girls' Youth National Team. This team won a gold medal at the NORCECA championships in Salt Lake City, Utah. Cynthia was even named the "best serve-receiver" at that tournament.

During her freshman year in 2001, Student Sports Magazine called her the National Freshman of the Year. The same magazine named her the National Sophomore of the Year in 2002. In 2004, she was named the High School Player of the Year by Volleyball Magazine. She finished her high school career with amazing stats: 2,145 kills, 349 blocks, and 152 aces.

Cynthia's College Volleyball Career at Stanford

Cynthia Barboza played volleyball for Stanford University. She had a very successful college career, even though she faced some challenges.

Freshman Year (2005)

In her first year, Cynthia was leading her conference (the Pac-10) in kills. She had 297 kills and 4.50 kills per game. However, her season ended early when she tore her ACL (a knee injury). She missed the last 11 games.

Sophomore Year (2006)

Cynthia recovered from her injury and came back strong. She was named an All-American by both AVCA and Volleyball Magazine. She led her team with 463 kills and 4.21 kills per game. She also had 48 service aces, which are points scored directly from a serve.

She helped her team reach the NCAA championship game in 2006. They played against Nebraska but lost. Cynthia was still recognized for her great play and was named to the Final Four All-Tournament team.

Junior Year (2007)

Cynthia continued to excel in her junior year. She was again named an AVCA and Volleyball Magazine first-team All-American. She had 467 kills and led her team with 32 service aces. She also had many "double-doubles," which means she got double-digit numbers in two different stats (like kills and digs) in the same game. She had 20 double-doubles this season.

For the second year in a row, she helped her team reach the NCAA championship game. This time, they played against Penn State and lost in a very close match. Cynthia had 16 kills and 12 digs in that game.

Senior Year (2008)

In her final year at Stanford, Cynthia was named an AVCA First Team All-American for the third time. She was second on her team with 412 kills and led the team with 24 service aces. She also had 358 digs.

She helped Stanford reach the NCAA championship game for the third year in a row. She was again named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team. Cynthia finished her college career as one of Stanford's top players ever. She ranks ninth in kills (1,639), sixth in digs (1,241), and ninth in service aces (115) in Stanford's history.

Cynthia's International Volleyball Career

Cynthia Barboza also played for the USA national volleyball team.

In 2003, she was the youngest player on the USA women's national training team. They won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In 2004, when she was still in high school, she was chosen as an alternate player for the USA National Team for the 2004 Olympics.

In 2007, she played well in the Pan American Cup and the Pan American Games. She helped the team win a bronze medal at the Pan American Games.

By February 2008, she was training full-time with the U.S. National Team. In June 2008, she helped Team USA finish fifth at the Pan American Cup. She was also named to the preliminary Olympic roster for the 2008 Olympics and was an Olympic alternate.

From 2009 to 2010, Cynthia played for the Toray Arrows in Japan. She continued to get inspiration from her mentor, Doug Woodburn, through daily video calls.

Cynthia was a leader on the national team that won the bronze medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Major International Competitions

Cynthia Barboza competed in several important international volleyball tournaments:

• 2009
  • Final Four Intercontinental Cup (silver medal)
  • Pan American Cup (fourth place)
  • FIVB World Championship Qualification Tournament – NORCECA Pool G (Gold)
  • FIVB World Grand Prix (Ninth Place)
• 2008
  • Pan American Cup (Fifth Place)
  • U.S. Olympic Team Exhibition for Volleyball Series versus Brazil
  • FIVB World Grand Prix (fourth place)
• 2007
  • Pan American Cup (fourth place)
  • Pan American Games (bronze medal)
• 2003
  • Pan American Games (bronze medal)
• 2002
  • NORCECA Junior Girls Continental Championships (silver medal)
  • NORCECA Youth Girls Continental Championships (gold medal)

Awards and Honors

Cynthia Barboza received many awards and honors throughout her volleyball career.

College Awards

• Three-time AVCA first-team All-American (2006, 2007, 2008)
• Three-time Volleyball Magazine first-team All-American (2006, 2007, 2008)
• Three-time AVCA All-Pacific region team (2006, 2007, 2008)
• Three-time All-Pac 10 team (2006, 2007, 2008)
• 2008 Final Four All-Tournament Team
• 2007 Pac-10 All-Academic Honorable Mention
• 2007 ESPN The Magazine Second Team Academic All-American
• 2007 Pac-10 Player of the Week (Oct. 8)
• 2007 AVCA National Player of the Week (Oct. 8)
• 2006 Final Four All-Tournament Team
• 2006 Pac-10 Player of the Week (Sept. 10)
• 2006 Waikiki Beach Marriott Challenge MVP

High School Awards

• 2005 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year
• 2004–05 Gatorade National Player of the Year for volleyball
• 2005 Gatorade California Player of the Year for volleyball
• 2005 Prepvolleyball.com class of 2005 top "Senior Ace" (top high school recruit)
• 2004 Volleyball Magazine High School Player of the Year
• Four-time first-team All-CIF (2001–04)
• Three-time Prepvolleyball.com High School All-American (2002–04)
• 2003–04 Gatorade National Player of the Year for volleyball
• 2004 Gatorade California Player of the Year for volleyball
• 2004 Los Angeles Times Girls' volleyball All-Star team
• 2002 Los Angeles Times Player of the Year
• 2002 CIF I-AA MVP
• 2002 Student Sports Magazine National Sophomore of the Year
• 2002 AAU National Beach Volleyball Champion
• 2001 Student Sports Magazine National Freshman of the Year