Two Nebraska athletes were on Wednesday honored as the national high school volleyball player of the year by different groups.
RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 6:00 pm
Two Nebraska athletes were on Wednesday honored as the national high school volleyball player of the year by different groups.
Papillion-La Vista outside hitter and Husker recruit Gina Mancuso has become the first Nebraska high school volleyball player to be selected as the Gatorade National Player of the Year. An official announcement and a trophy presentation will be made this afternoon during a Papillion-La Vista High School assembly.
Lincoln Pius X setter Lauren Cook, who shared honorary Super-State captain honors with Mancuso this fall, has been selected as the Secret MaxPreps National Player of the Year. Cook, the daughter of Nebraska coach John Cook, signed to play at UCLA.
“This is a huge, huge honor for her, for her family and for our volleyball program,’’ Papillion-La Vista coach JJ Toczek said of Mancuso, a Nebraska recruit. “This speaks highly of volleyball for Class A and our state in general.’’
The 6-foot senior led the 41-1 Monarchs to their second straight Class A state title last month and a No. 6 final national ranking by PrepVolleyball.com. The three-time first-team Super-Stater pounded a state-high 721 kills (.452 hitting efficiency) and led the team in digs (373) while also serving 39 aces and registering 53 ace blocks.
The Gatorade Award also accounts for academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the court. Mancuso, a U.S. junior national team member last summer, maintains a 4.64 weighted grade-point average. She has volunteered her time with Omaha’s Glad Tidings Church youth group, a local literacy outreach program and coaching area youth.
Both Cook and Mancuso will be playing Sunday in the Under Armour All-American match at Qwest Center Omaha beginning at 1 p.m.