Gina Mancuso, of Papillion, Nebraska, has been selected as the 2008-09 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year. She’ll be the first player from Nebraska ever to win the honor and luckily for Nebraska fans and will be playing volleyball for the Cornhuskers next fall.

The Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year Award recognizes outstanding athletes who have also attained a high level of achievement in the classroom and demonstrated strong character on and off the court. It distinguishes Mancuso as the nation’s best high school volleyball player and she is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year Award, to be presented at a special afternoon ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.
 
The Gatorade Player of the Year (POY) program annually awards one National POY in high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field.