UAlbany Volleyball Signs Two Incoming Student-Athletes for 2009 Season

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – The University at Albany volleyball team has signed two student-athletes for the 2009 season, as announced by interim head coach MJ Engstrom on Tuesday afternoon. Gabby Whitworth and Traci Vandegrift both signed national letters of intent to play for the Great Danes starting next fall.

Whitworth is a 6-foot middle blocker/right side hitter from Kailua, Hawaii. A team captain at Kalaheo High School, she has played for the Jammers Volleyball Club for the past three seasons, helping lead the under-17 team to a second-place finish at the 2008 Junior Olympics. The U-18 Jammers also finished in third place in the Aloha Region in 2007. Whitworth, who is a four-year honor roll member, was invited to be on the High Performance Junior National A2 team in 2008, and intends to major in business administration.

“Gabby has grown up in Hawaii where its common place to see little kids playing volleyball out on the playgrounds,” Engstrom said. “She has been a member of one of the nation’s premier clubs and her experience will help to increase our collective volleyball IQ.”

Vandegrift is a 6-foot middle hitter from Mogadore, Ohio. A four-year letterwinner at Field High School, Vandegrift was the Portage Trail Conference Metro Division Player of the Year. An all-district selection, Vandegrift was named to the Division II all-state second team. She helped lead Field High to the Portage Trail Conference championship in 2007 and 2008 and also earned the bronze medal as a member of the U-17 team at the Junior Olympics. She finished her four-year career at Field with 820 kills, 421 digs, 373 total blocks and 111 service aces.

“Traci is an explosive, competitive athlete who is still learning the game,” Engstrom said. “As her experience grows with higher level competition, she will be a very exciting player to watch.”

Whitworth and Vandegrift join a UAlbany program that is losing just one senior to graduation. The Great Danes won their third straight America East Conference Championship this season after going undefeated in league play and earned an NCAA Tournament berth.

“Gabby and Traci are great fits for our program,” said Engstrom, who served as interim head coach this year after three seasons as the program’s top assistant. “Both are outstanding athletes, students, and leaders and I am very excited to have them be part of the UAlbany family.”