Volleyball: Loudoun County's Juliane Hanna Named Gatorade Virginia Volleyball Player of the Year

Chicago (Dec. 16, 2009) - Loudoun County senior Juliane Hanna -- who helped the Raiders to three consecutive AA VHSL state titles -- has been named the 2009-10 Gatorade Virginia Volleyball Player of the Year.

The Gatorade Company -- which has been honoring the nation's best high school athletes for 25 years now, made the announcement, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, on Wednesday.

Hanna is the second Gatorade Virginia Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Loudoun with Loudoun Valley's Blair Brown, currently a standout at Penn State, winning it in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Hanna as Virginia's best high school volleyball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award, to be announced in late December, Hanna joins an elite alumni association of past state volleyball award winners, including USAVolleyball Olympians Kim Glass (2001-02, Horseshoe HS, Penn.), Kim Willoughby (1998-99 & 1999-00, Assumption HS, La.) and Ogonna Nnamani (1999-00, University HS, Ill.).

The 5-foot-1O senior outside hitter recorded 312 kills, 204 digs and 76 service aces this past season for the Raiders (26-3), who won their third consecutive state title in November. The 2009 Region II Player of the Year and the Dulles District Player of the Year, Hanna notched 41 kills, 33 digs, 11 blocks and 11 service aces in three state tournament matches to lead LoudounCounty to the title.

Hanna has maintained a 3.5 GPA in the classroom. She has volunteered with the Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation, to benefit people with cognitive, physical and psychological disabilities, and as a youth volleyball coach.

"Juliane Hanna is an all-around tough player," said Jim Bour, head coach of Westfield High. "The thing about her is I don't remember any weaknesses. She comes at you in waves; she's relentless. Hanna's just one of those players you want on the court with you"

Hanna has signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball on scholarship at the University of New Mexico beginning in the fall of 2010.


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 and field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sportspecific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Hanna joins recent Gatorade Virginia Volleyball Players of the Year Kristin Carpenter (2008-09, Hanover), Alyssa Lang (2007-08, Deep Run), and Brittney Grove (2006-07, Deep Run) among the state's list of former award winners.

To celebrate the award's 25th anniversary, Gatorade wants you to vote for the All-Time Greatest Players of the Year at www.gatorade.com/POY25.