NEW YORK | The brightest star from the Skyline’s lone undefeated team headlines the league’s All-Conference team.
The 12 head women's volleyball coaches cast their votes and have named Manhattanville’s Loren Hernandez Player of the Year.
Meantime, Hernandez’ teammate, Grace Ballagas, takes home the Libero of the Year honor in the first year of that award being presented. Sarah Lawrence newcomer Nikolet Vataj is the Rookie of the Year and her head coach, John Carroll, has been named Coach of the Year.
Hernandez (below) and Ballagas led the Valiants to a perfect 11-0 conference mark and the No. 1 seed in this fall’s league tournament, which begins tonight. Hernandez garnered two Skyline Player of the Week awards in the process as she shared the conference lead in kills (343). She was also third in kills per set.
Ballagas nabbed five Libero of the Week awards, leading the conference in digs (493). She was also first in conference digs per set, guiding defending champion Manhattanville back to the postseason with an unblemished conference record.
Vataj (below) had a banner first-year campaign with the Gyphons, ranking fifth in the conference in hitting percentage at .217 while racking up the fourth-most kills per set. Her 55 service aces ranked tied for third among all Skyline players and she currently sits fourth in total points entering the postseason. Vataj was a two-time Rookie of the Week and eclipsed the 200-dig plateau, adding to her SLC rookie milestone 276-kill season.
Vataj's bench boss has also been recognized. Carroll joined the Sarah Lawrence staff for the 2023-24 academic year as the head coach for both the men's and women's volleyball teams. After stints at Regis College, Bethany College, the Highlands Sports Complex and the Ohio Valley Volleyball Academy, Carroll joined the Gryphons last fall. Prior to his coaching career, Carroll played collegiate volleyball at Emmanuel College, where he was awarded academic all-conference honors in 2019 and all-sportsmanship team recognition in three of his four seasons. He graduated from Emmanuel in 2020 with a B.S. in international relations and earned a Master of Education in student success while at Regis in 2023.
Caroll (below) takes home his first Skyline Coach of the Year in his second season after guiding the Gryphons to consecutive 7-4 league marks and back-to-back berths in the postseason this fall. Sarah Lawrence, which went 16-9 overall in 2024, enters tournament play as the No. 5 seed in the field.
In addition to Hernandez and Ballagas, Manhattanville teammate Ayla Ruiz is among the First Team selections with Farmingdale State’s Samantha Russo and Mikayla Profeta; Sarah Lawrence’s Athena Kazos; St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn’s Taylor Knight; Mount Saint Mary’s Jonaiya Williams; and St. Joseph’s-Long Island’s Jackie Wolf.
Vataj tops the Second Team with two from U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Sydney Douglas and Stephanie Schatzman; Old Westbury’s Stephanie Maser; Farmingdale State’s Sarah Rende; Mount Saint Mary’s Julianna Simone; Manhattanville’s Sofia Morales; and St. Joseph’s-Long Island’s Nina Vanderhoof.
The head coaches also announced their respective recipients for the All-Sportsmanship Team (below). The conference recognizes All-Sportsmanship Team members in all 19 of its championship sports, with each program announcing one recipient for his or her sportsmanlike demeanor – both in and out of competition.
2024 Skyline Conference Women's Volleyball All-Conference Team
First Team
Grace Ballagas, Sr., L - Manhattanville
Loren Hernandez, Jr., OH - Manhattanville
Athena Kazos, Jr., OH - Sarah Lawrence
Taylor Knight, Jr., OH - St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
Mikayla Profeta, Sr., MB - Farmingdale State
Ayla Ruiz, Sr., OH - Manhattanville
Samantha Russo, Fr., OH - Farmingdale State
Jonaiya Williams, Jr., OH - Mount Saint Mary
Jackie Wolf, Sr., OH - St. Joseph's-Long Island
Second Team
Sydney Douglas, Fr., OH - U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Stephanie Maser, Jr., OH - Old Westbury
Sofia Morales, Gr., MB/RS - Manhattanville
Sarah Rende, So., S - Farmingdale State
Stephanie Schatzman, Jr., L - U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Julianna Simone, Fr., OH - Mount Saint Mary
Nina Vanderhoof, So., MH - St. Joseph's-Long Island
Nikolet Vataj, Fr., OH - Sarah Lawrence
Player of the Year: Loren Hernandez, Manhattanville
Libero of the Year: Grace Ballagas, Manhattanville
Rookie of the Year: Nikolet Vataj, Sarah Lawrence
Coach of the Year: John Carroll, Sarah Lawrence (2nd Season)
All-Sportsmanship Team
Lana Ventura, Farmingdale State
Rubi Gorospe, Manhattanville
Mikaela Thiel, Maritime
Virginia Robert, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Ava Robles, Mount Saint Mary
Jessica Broderick, Mount Saint Vincent
Amy Sanchez, Old Westbury
Helena Carroll, Purchase
Maddy Heavens, Sarah Lawrence
Martina Urgo, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
Luciana D'Ambrosio, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Ashley Botnick, Yeshiva