Russ Rose in 1989: “It goes without saying that Noelle is one of the top outside hitters in the United States. With her background, skills and competitive drive, she could play for any team in the country.”
1988 Season (Sophomore) Highlights and Awards: Asics Tiger Honorable-Mention All American … American Volleyball Coaches Association All Northeast Region team … a first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference pick … voted the Most Valuable Player in the Atlantic 10 and in the Conference tournament … 3-time A-10 Player-of-the-Week … ranked nationally in hitting efficiency and dig average … led the A-10 in digs and finished 3rd in hitting efficiency, 4th in aces and 6th in kills … MVP at the Baden Invitational and Reebok Classic … also was an All-Tournament choice in the Penn State Preview and Penn State Classic.
Season Recap: Recorded 440 kills, 498 digs, and 72 service aces, and posted a hitting percentage of .331 … registered 15 or more kills on 15 occasions and collected 20 or more digs 7 times … season and career highs: 22 kills (vs. Tennessee), 5 blocks (5 times) and 40 digs (vs. N.C. State).
Before Penn State: Zientara was listed as a “freshman to watch” by Volleyball Monthly … 3-year letterwinner at Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park and captain for 2 years … played on a gold medal-winning Junior Olympic team in 1987.
