Montclair State University Athletics

Jill Gastelu was the first superstar for the Montclair State volleyball program which began just its seventh season when she arrived in 1995. After solid freshman and sophomore campaigns she flourished into one of the top players in the New Jersey Athletic Conference earning First-Team All-NJAC honors. The 5-9 outside hitter led the Red Hawks to their first NJAC championship as she recorded a school-record 348 kills along with 89 service aces and 90 total blocks. The next year proved to be even better for Gastelu. She broke her own single-season mark with 386 kills and became the first player in school history to surpass the 1,000-kill plateau. In addition, Gastelu set season records for blocks (116), points scored (554) and was chosen the NJAC Player of the Year while also garnering her second First-Team All-NJAC award. When she finished her career, no player had more kills, aces, blocks and points scored than Gastelu, whose records of 1,103 kills and 235 service aces still stands today. During Gastelu’s career, Montclair State went 75-38, including the first two 20-win seasons in program history – 20 in 1996 and a school record 21 in her final campaign of 1998.