Old Westbury, NY Two Old Westbury volleyball players, Whitney Alexander and Jennifer Ragone, were named to the All-Skyline Conference Second Team, as announced by the league's office today. The postseason honors, the first for both student-athletes, were voted on by the league's nine coaches following the regular season.
Alexander and Ragone played an integral role in the Panthers' turnaround this season. Together, the two led Old Westbury in every offensive category, guiding the team to a 21-10 record, improving on last season's 5-10 finish. The Panthers finished with a 5-3 league mark, earning the fourth seed in the Skyline Playoffs, the program's first-ever appearance in the league tournament.
Alexander, a sophomore outside hitter, led the Panthers' in several offensive categories this season, including kills (307), kills per game (3.10) and attacking percentage (.252). After leading the team early on from the middle hitter spot, Alexander made the switch to the outside and began to dominate within the league. She garnered the Skyline Conference Player of the Week award and was also named to the Skyline Weekly Honor Roll on three separate occasions, most recently on Nov. 7, the final week of the regular season.
Ragone, the team's setter, finished fourth in the Skyline in assists per game (6.87) and was fifth in the nation and second in the league with 1.21 service aces per game. She received Skyline Weekly Honor Roll accolades twice during the season. Touted as the "quarterback on the court" by Head Coach Marjahna Segers, Ragone finished the season with 653 assists, 88% of the team's 744 total assists.
USMMA's Janine Wachter and Stevens' Dawn Herring were named Co-Players of the Year, Stevens' Melanie Volk received the Rookie of the Year Award and Mount St. Mary's Heather Troncillito was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
2005 All-Skyline Conference First Team
Andrea Chibbaro - St. Joseph's
Holly Cummings - Kings Point
Dawn Herring - Stevens
Gina Joyce - Stevens
Melanie Volk - Stevens
Janine Wachter - Kings Point
Second Team
Whitney Alexander - Old Westbury
Kit Jablonski - Kings Point
Kelleigh King - Mount Saint Mary
Gina Moscato - Farmingdale State
Roxanne Predergast - Mount Saint Vincent
Jennifer Ragone - Old Westbury