Terps' Signee Milana Named Michigan Gatorade POTY
12/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
CHICAGO – Incoming Maryland volleyball freshman Gia Milana was honored as Michigan's 2015-16 Gatorade Player of the Year, as announced by The Gatorade Company earlier this week.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Milana as Michigan's best high school volleyball player.
The 6-foot-2 senior outside hitter recorded 773 kills, 318 digs and 105 service aces while posting a kill percentage of .657, leading the Bulldogs (43-5-1) to the Class A state final this past season. Milana is also the state's Miss Volleyball award-winner and a three-time First Team All-State honoree.
The Romeo, Mich., native is Maryland's first Under Armour First Team All-American in program history. She was ranked No. 15 in her class nationally by PrepVolleyball.com, and was the top-ranked player in the state of Michigan.
Milana is Maryland's second Gatorade Player of the Year honoree under head coach Steve Aird. Outside hitter Liz Twilley was named the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year for 2014-15.
Milana will enroll at Maryland in January and participate in spring volleyball with the Terps.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction 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, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
For the full press release from The Gatorade Company, click here.
– Maryland –
