Jan. 9—MORGANTOWN — It hasn’t taken long for Morgantown High sophomore Leah Greeny to make a name for herself in the world of high school volleyball in West Virginia.
After leading the Mohigans to the 2025 Class AAAA state championship and a first-team all-state selection by the West Virginia Sportswriters Association, Greeny was chosen as the recipient of the 2025-2026 Gatorade WV Volleyball Player of the Year award, announced on Friday morning.
She is the 25th Morgantown High School athlete to be named Gatorade Player of the Year in any sport, but only the first member of the volleyball team to do so.
“It means a lot to represent Morgantown High and my family, ” Greeny said. “I’m just excited and grateful to even have the opportunity to earn a recognition like this one.”
The 6-foot-2 sophomore outside hitter led the Mohigans (37-5-1) to the Class 4A state title this season, recording 357 kills, 208 digs, and 91 service aces. Greeny was also a 2025 AVCA All-Region selection, compiling a hitting percentage of.344 as her team’s most efficient hitter. She received both First Team All-State and an All-Tournament recognition.
Leah played nearly every position on the court at times for her team.
“Everyone had a job to do, and we just truly played together as a unit, ” she said. “If someone makes a mistake, it’s always on to the next point. Each point matters just as much as the next or the one before.”
Despite being only a sophomore, Greeny has certainly taken on a role as a leader on the team.
“Honestly, no matter who you are, you have somewhat of a leadership role, ” she said. “It’s important to represent your team and yourself the best way you can. At MHS, everyone is so passionate about the sport. We are obviously competitive, but we also just enjoy having fun doing what we love.”
Greeny has participated in multiple community service initiatives through the YoungLife ministry and has donated her time as a youth volleyball coach.
Greeny has maintained a 3.12 GPA in the classroom and will return next season as the top player in the state.
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their excellence in sport, academics, and community. The award recognizes Greeny as West Virginia’s best high school volleyball player, and she joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs, such as Kerri Walsh Jennings (1995-96, Archbishop Mitty High School, CA), April Ross (1999-00, Newport Harbor High School, CA,) and Campbell Flynn (2024-25, Mercy High School, MI).
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In total, 610 high school athletes are honored each year. From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts, including coaches, scouts, media, and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the winners in each sport. As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2, 200 organizations.
