After producing a spectacular season for Greenwich High School’s championship volleyball team, Liana Sarkissian has received several postseason accolades, the latest of which came with last week’s big announcement by Gatorade.

Sarkissian was selected as the Gatorade 2021-2022 Connecticut Volleyball Player of the Year. A 6-foot-4 senior, who played at the middle blocker position, Sarkissian is the second player hailing from Greenwich to be named the Gatorade Connecticut Volleyball Player of the Year. Erika Videtto, a 2009 Greenwich High graduate, who excelled as an outside hitter for the Cardinals, received such an honor for the 2008-2009 season.

Sarkissian joins an elite alumni association of state award winners, including USA Volleyball players Kayla Banwarth (2006-07, Wahlert High School, Iowa), Alisha Glass
(2005-06, Leland Public High School, Mich.), Jordan Larson (2004-05, Logan View High School, Neb.) and Foluke Akinradewo (2004-05, St. Thomas High School, Fla.).

Following a strong junior season, Sarkissian raised her level of play as a senior, powering the Cardinals to a 26-1 record and the CIAC Class LL state championship this past fall season. Greenwich swept Fairfield Ludlowe, 3-0, for the Class LL Tournament title.
season. For the season, Sarkissian recorded 346 kills, 110 digs, 72 blocks and 50 service aces. She earned Second Team Under Armour All-American recognition and was named to the All-FCIAC First Team. The GameTimeCT Player of the Year,
she was a Second Team Under Armour All-American and was named to the All-FCIAC First Team and was a CHSCA Class LL All-State Team selection as well.

The Gatorade Player of the Year award was established in 1985 to recognize the nation’s most elite high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character. In each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, one Gatorade High School Player of the year is chosen in volleyball, football, track and field, basketball, soccer and baseball.

The Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee administers the selection process for Gatorade State and National Player of the Year Awards. All final selections result from a collaborative effort and are made by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee.

Besides flourishing on the volleyball court, Sarkissian has volunteered locally as a youth volleyball coach and as a teacher’s aide at her church. Sarkissian has maintained a weighted 4.50 GPA at Greenwich High School. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball on scholarship at the University of Dayton this fall.

This past fall season saw Sarkissian spark Greenwich’s offense by registering numerous kills, while making her presence especially felt at the net. She earned MVP honors in the championship match of the FCIAC Tournament against Darien, tallying 16 kills and five blocks in a victory against the Blue Wave.

Sarkissian joins recent Gatorade Connecticut Volleyball Players of the Year Emma Appleman (2020-21, Guilford High School), Paula Hernandez (2019-20, Woodstock Academy), Kiara Robichaud (2018-19, Joel Barlow High School), and Alana Hruska (2017-18, RHAM High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
Gatorade has a long-standing history of serving athlete communities and understands how sports instill valuable lifelong skills on and off the field.

Through Gatorade’s “Play it Forward” platform, Sarkissian has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national organization of their choosing that helps young athletes realize the
benefits of playing sports.

Sarkissian is also eligible to submit a short video explaining why the organization they
chose is deserving of one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants, which will be announced throughout the year. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.