As a Junior in 2002 - Cruz received the Independent Player of the Year award after a stellar junior season. She garnered first team All-Independent accolades for the first time in her career. She became third player in UTPA history to end the year with at least 300 kills and 300 digs. She finished with 363 kills, which ranked her second on the team and ninth in the UTPA single-season record books. Her 979 total attacks were second on the team and seventh in the single-season listings. Cruz recorded 11 matches of 15 or more kills. She had a career-high 23 kills against Tulsa (Sept. 20). Cruz's .264 hitting percentage that season was also tops on the team along with the fourth best in program history. She had one of her best matches versus Centenary (Oct. 4), hitting a career-best .680 (18-1-25) along with 11 digs. The UTPA junior had 11 double-doubles. Cruz had 22 kills and 24 digs against Texas A&M - Kingsville (Sept. 17). She finished with 19 matches of 10 or more kills and 15 matches of 10-plus digs. The Lady Broncs outsider hitter finished third on the team in digs, fifth in service aces and sixth in blocks.
As a Sophomore in 2001 - In her second season in a Lady Broncs' uniform, Cruz finished fifth on the squad in kills and digs and sixth in service aces. She recorded a double-double against Prairie View A&M (Nov. 3), accumulating 16 kills and 11 digs. She had nine games of 10-plus digs. Her top defensive match came against Louisiana-Monroe (Sept. 1) where she had 16 digs. She had nine matches of 10 or more digs.
As a Freshman in 2000 - Cruz got an opportunity to prove herself as a freshman when she stepped in for the injured Debbie Puente. She ended the season fourth on the team in kills, total attacks and total blocks and fifth in digs. Cruz recorded her first double-double of her career against (17 kills and 10 digs) against Belmont (Nov. 3) and had a season-high 18 kills the following day against Belmont (Nov. 4) in the Independent championship game.
High School - The Harlingen South product was named the Most Valuable Player in District 31-5A in 1998 and 1999. She garnered Valley Freedom Newspaper's Offensive Player of the Year along with Best Hitter and Best Block laurels as a junior and senior. She became the first Rio Grande Valley player to earn MVP honors at the San Antonio Southside Tournament in 1998. During her senior season, she led her squad to the area finals and district championships as a sophomore and junior. She was named the Rio Grande Valley MVP as a junior. On the basketball court, Cruz earned all-district and all-valley honors. She also won four letters in track and field. She was a National Merit Scholar.
Off the Court - Cruz is the daughter of Crispen and Sylvia Cruz. She has one sister, Christie. She is majoring in marketing.
