Newsday Athlete of the Week is Garden City's Alexandra Gregory
Alexandra Gregory has 96 kills in Trojans’ eight games. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
When Alexandra Gregory spikes a volleyball for yet another kill for Garden City girls volleyball, there’s a tangible sense of camaraderie and joy that follows.
Perhaps that’s because she plays alongside some of her best friends. Or maybe it’s because she’s playing right alongside her sister, junior Teresa Gregory.
“Because we know each other so well, playing with [my sister] has always been super easy,” Alexandra Gregory said. “It’s always fun, and it makes every game a lot easier because she’s on the court too.”
Maybe winning eight straight games to open the season makes volleyball even more fun for Gregory, Newsday’s Athlete of the Week. It’s a bit of everything that causes the senior to enjoy each and every punishing hit she delivers over the net.
“Obviously, I’m really happy we’re winning,” Gregory said. “But I’m just having a lot of fun playing with them, so that’s just all I really think about when playing and why I appreciate the season so much.”
Her infectious chemistry and positive mindset have helped her claim a whopping 96 kills in eight games, made even more impressive by the fact that Garden City won in straight sets in all but one match. That included sweeping Division in straight sets on Sept. 26, a team that had previously been unbeaten.
“Every year, I’m seeing her play bigger, stronger and more confident,” Garden City coach Pete Dubon said.
Dubon noted how the team had spent Sept. 19 watching Hofstra’s women volleyball and Garden City alumnus Ellie Pamatat, whose sister Giuliana is on the current Trojans team.
“This is by far the team that has done the most off the court, and it translates on the court pretty cleanly,” Dubon said.
Gregory’s achievements extend well beyond the volleyball court, boasting an unweighted 97 GPA. It’s led her to apply to schools like Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Michigan, Tulane and Virginia.
Volleyball isn’t leaving her life after high school, though, as she plans to play either club or above it as she plans to start a pre-med track in the footsteps of her mother, Maura Noordhoorn, a doctor herself. “I’ve always been inspired by what she does,” Gregory said. “Getting the chance to care for people and learn everyday . . . it’s something that really drew me to being a doctor.”
One day she may look to care for people off the court and inside the medical field, but in the meantime, Gregory will continue to be the source of fun — and kills — for Garden City girls volleyball.
“She can do anything she puts her mind to,” Dubon said. “The sky’s the limit.”
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
