By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Freshman Kylee Gooding (Warriors Mark, Pa. / Tyrone Area) was named PSUAC West Rookie of the Year and was named All-PSUAC First Team, while sophomore libero Melanie Tracey (York, Pa. / Dallastown Area) earned Honorable Mention accolades. The 2019 All-PSUAC selections were voted on by the league's coaches and administrators and the rest of the selections and yearly awards can be viewed here.
Gooding had an outstanding debut season for Mont Alto as an outside hitter leading the team in many of the statistical categories. She racked up 350 kills, which ranked second in the PSUAC and her 3.61 kills per set placed her third within the conference. Gooding was no slouch defensively either corralling 328 digs and led PSUMA with a total of 36 blocks. She was named PSUAC Volleyball Athlete of the Week once during the 2019 campaign.
Melanie Tracey (York, Pa. / Dallastown Area) has been a defensive standout for Mont Alto as the starting libero. Tracey led the team in digs with 402, while adding an impressive 47 aces. She ranks third in the entire USCAA in digs as she recorded 15 digs or more on 15 separate occasions, while adding a total of nine assists. In addition, Tracey who served as one of three captains during the 2019 season was Mont Alto's selection for the John Fritz Sportsmanship Award. Named after former PSUAC Commissioner John Fritz, the sportsmanship award is given to one player from each team in the league who best displays the core values of the league and sportsmanship to teammates and opponents throughout the season.
Penn State Mont Alto likely concluded their 2019 season with a 16-11 overall record. PSUMA ripped off two separate five-match win streaks and still has a chance to receive an at-large bid into the USCAA National Tournament. The tournament field will be announced on the USCAA website on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 4:30 p.m.
Be sure to stay up to date on all your Penn State Mont Alto news, scores, and awards by following @PSUMAathletics on Twitter and by liking the "Penn State Mont Alto Athletics" Facebook page.