CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel Athletics will retire Sharlissa de Jesus' No. 11 volleyball jersey, making her the first female cadet-athlete to have her jersey retired at the institution. The retirement ceremony will take place prior to the Samford match on Friday, Oct. 17 at McAlister Field House.
 
One of the most decorated players in Southern Conference history, de Jesus led The Citadel to the 2021 Southern Conference Championship title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Sharlissa de Jesus on her jersey getting retired:
 

I am truly thankful and blessed to receive this accolade. It's a surreal moment for me to receive this honor. This wouldn't have been possible without God guiding me throughout my journey at The Citadel and the ability He gave me as an athlete.
 
I am thankful for my family and their unconditional support, the coaching staff and my teammates who pushed me every day to become a better player, and my husband for keeping me sane and pushing me to new heights I never thought I could reach. I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to represent The Citadel at such a high level. Thank you to everyone for their continued support! GO DOGS!

 
A native of Guayama, Puerto Rico, de Jesus was named the 2021 Southern Conference Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. She was named to the All-Southern Conference first team in 2020 and 2021, and to the Southern Conference All-Freshman team in 2017. She also was recognized with Honorable Mention on the AVCA East Coast All-Region team in 2021.
 
During her five-year playing career at The Citadel, de Jesus set the all-time records for kills (1,843), sets played (486), kills per set (3.79), and total attacks (5,071). She ranks second with 30 kills in a match, fourth with 434 kills in a season, and second with an average of 4.43 kills per set in a season. 
 
Head coach Dave Zelenock on de Jesus:
 

I first saw Sharlissa play during her freshman year when I was coaching at another school. She had short hair, like most freshmen did back then, and she played with a controlled rage that I truly admired. She's one of the reasons I accepted the job at The Citadel. I watched the freshman class she led and saw how eager they were to succeed; I knew I could make a difference.
 
Over the next four years, she became the most feared hitter in the SoCon. Every team had a plan to stop her, and none of them succeeded. Shar's name is well-known in the record books, but the most significant achievement, in my opinion, is being named Most Outstanding Player at the 2021 SoCon Championship. She led her team to a title, the first-ever by any female sport at The Citadel. She demonstrated to all female athletes here what is possible and what to aim for. Because of that, along with many other reasons, she will be remembered as one of the best to ever play at The Citadel.

 
 
 After her time at The Citadel, de Jesus played professionally in Greece in Spring 2022 and in Puerto Rico during Summer 2022. She then competed in Cyprus during 2022-23, Greece in 2023-24, and Switzerland in 2024-25.