Rufrano and Leonard of W. Tennis earn All-Skyline Honors

From SkylineConference.org

2009 All-Skyline Conference Women's Tennis Teams (PDF)

2009 ALL-SKYLINE CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAMS

Player of the Year
Christina Gray Sr.-Sage

Rookie of the Year
Gabriela Murphy-Goldberg Fr.-Mount Saint Mary

Skyline Championship MVP
Gabriela Murphy-Goldberg Fr. - Mount Saint Mary

Coach of the Year
Lorraine Brady, Mount Saint Mary

Team Sportsmanship Award
St. Joseph’s College

First Team All-Skyline Conference
Sofia Commito So. - Bard
Oshea Davis Sr. - Farmingdale State
Erica Fitzgerald So. - Sage
Gabriela Murphy-Goldberg Fr. - Mount Saint Mary
Danielle Rufrano Sr. St. Joseph’s-L.I.
Lindsay Searle Jr. - Mount Saint Mary

Second Team All-Skyline Conference
Tatyana de Muns Sr. - Purchase
Caitlin Giordano Sr. - Mount Saint Mary
Stephanie Kimmel Sr. - Yeshiva
Colline Laninga Jr. - Purchase
Terri Leonard Jr. St. Joseph’s-L.I.
Ariel Zieg Fr. - NYU-Poly

The Sage Colleges senior Christina Gray was selected as the Skyline Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year for the second straight year. Gray was unbeaten in dual match singles, going 12-0 at first singles this season. She drop just one set in dual match play, but rebounded for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory against Gabriela Murphy-Goldberg of Mount Saint Mary. Her only losses in singles action came at the ITA Northeast Regional Championship. Gray has also not lost a match in two years of Skyline Conference singles play, going 8-0 this season and 15-0 for her career. She also teamed with sophomore Erica Fitzgerald to go 11-1 at first doubles.

Mount Saint Mary College freshman Gabriela Murphy-Goldberg was a unanimous selection as Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year. Murphy-Goldberg assumed the top spot in the Blue Knights’ lineup and recorded a 15-1 record in dual match singles play. In addition, she was also 15-1 at first singles while teaming with three different players. Murphy-Goldberg earned Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week honors on four occasions and Player of the Week once. The rookie also had a strong showing at the ITA Northeast Regional Championship, as she won her opening match before falling to the eventual tournament finalist.

In addition to earning Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year honors, Murphy-Goldberg was also selected as the Most Valuable Player in helping Mount Saint Mary College to the Skyline women’s tennis championship. The Blue Knights won both their semifinal and championship matches by 5-0 scores. Murphy-Goldberg accounted for four of the 10 points, winning her doubles and singles matches in both rounds. She combined with Annmarie Llewellyn at first doubles for wins against Purchase (8-1) and Bard (8-2). She dropped a total of just three games in her two singles matches, winning 6-0, 6-1 against Purchase and 6-0, 6-2 in the deciding match against Bard.

Mount Saint Mary College head coach Lorraine Brady was recognized as the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year in women’s tennis after leading her team to a 17-0 record and a Skyline Conference championship for the second time in the last three years. Mount Saint Mary became the first Skyline team to qualify for the NCAA Championship when it defeated Bard to earn the conference’s automatic bid. The Blue Knights’ impressive season was even more remarkable considering the team had three freshmen in its starting lineup and just one senior on the roster.

The Skyline Conference women's tennis coaches recognized St. Joseph’s College with the Team Sportsmanship Award, which is presented in each sport to a team demonstrating outstanding sportsmanship througout the season.