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 a retired American volleyball player. She was an amazing outside hitter who played for Stanford University. She also represented the United States in many international competitions.

Cynthia Barboza's Early Life and High School Success

Cynthia Barboza grew up in Long Beach, California. She went to Wilson Classical High School. She was considered the top high school volleyball player in her class of 2005.

High School Awards and Achievements

Cynthia won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award for volleyball two years in a row (2003–04 and 2004–05). This award goes to the best high school athlete in the country. In 2005, she was also named the overall Gatorade Athlete of the Year for girls.

In 2002, she played on the USA Girls' Youth National Team. This team won a gold medal at the NORCECA championships. NORCECA stands for North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation. Cynthia was named the "best serve-receiver" at that tournament. This means she was excellent at receiving serves from the other team.

During her freshman year in 2001, she was named the National Freshman of the Year. She was also the National Sophomore of the Year in 2002. In 2004, she was very accurate with her hits. She had 14 matches where her hitting was super efficient. She even had four matches where she hit better than 80%.

Cynthia finished her high school career with 2,145 kills, 349 blocks, and 152 aces. A "kill" is when a player hits the ball so well that the other team cannot return it. A "block" is when a player stops the ball at the net. An "ace" is a serve that the other team cannot return. Volleyball Magazine named her the High School Player of the Year in 2004.

Cynthia Barboza's College Career at Stanford University

Cynthia played volleyball for Stanford University for four years. She was a key player for her team.

Freshman Year (2005)

In her first year, Cynthia led her conference, the Pac-10, in kills. She had 297 kills and 4.50 kills per game. However, her season ended early when she injured her ACL. An ACL is a ligament in the knee. She missed the last 11 matches because of this injury.

Sophomore Year (2006)

Cynthia recovered from her injury and had a fantastic sophomore year. She was named an AVCA and Volleyball Magazine first team All-American. This means she was recognized as one of the best college volleyball players in the country.

She led her team with 463 kills. She also had 48 service aces. Cynthia helped her team reach the 2006 NCAA title match. The NCAA tournament is where the best college teams compete for a national championship. Stanford lost to Nebraska, but Cynthia was still named to the All-Tournament team.

Junior Year (2007)

Cynthia 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 20 "double-doubles" this season. A double-double is when a player gets double-digit numbers in two different stats, like kills and digs, in one game.

She helped Stanford reach the 2007 NCAA title match again. This time, they played against Penn State. Stanford lost a close match, 3-2. Cynthia had 16 kills and 12 digs in that game.

Senior Year (2008)

For the third time, Cynthia was named an AVCA First Team All-American. She had 412 kills and led her team with 24 service aces. She also had 358 digs. Cynthia helped Stanford reach the NCAA title match for the third year in a row. She was named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team once more.

Cynthia finished her college career as one of Stanford's top players ever. She ranks ninth all-time in kills (1,639), sixth in digs (1,241), and ninth in service aces (115).

Cynthia Barboza's International Career

Cynthia Barboza also played for the United States 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 the Dominican Republic. In 2004, she was named an alternate for the USA National Team for the 2004 Olympics. An alternate is a player who can join the team if someone else gets injured or cannot play.

In 2007, she helped the team win a bronze medal at the Pan American Games. She scored 15 points against Argentina. She also had four aces against Costa Rica.

In 2008, she helped Team USA finish fifth at the Pan American Cup. She was named to the preliminary Olympic roster for the 2008 Olympics and was an Olympic alternate again.

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

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

Major International Competitions

• 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 career.

College Awards & Honors

• 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 & Honors

• 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" (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