Pope John Paul II High School Student-Athlete Named Gatorade Pennsylvania Volleyball Player of the Year

In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Norah Busch of Pope John Paul II High School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Pennsylvania Volleyball Player of the Year. Busch is the first Gatorade Pennsylvania Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Pope John Paul II High School.

Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on the court, in the classroom and in the community. The award distinguishes Busch as Pennsylvania’s best high school volleyball player, and she joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, coaches and star athletes such as April Ross (1999-00, Newport Harbor High School, Ca.), Kerri Walsh Jennings (1995-96, Archbishop Mitty High School, Ca.) and Ayden Ames (2023-24, Prosper High School, Texas).

The 6-foot-1 junior middle hitter led the Golden Panthers to a 26-0 record and a third straight Class 3A state championship this past season. Busch compiled 426 kills and 72 service aces, including an 18-kill, five-dig effort to earn match MVP honors in a 3-1 win over Mars Area High School in the state final. She also recorded 77 digs and 58 blocks in addition to posting a .514 kill percentage and a .374 hitting percentage. A two-time First Team All-State honoree, she concluded her junior season with 632 kills in her prep volleyball career and she’s led the program to a 79-0 record in a Golden Panthers uniform.

A member of the Pope John Paul II student council, Busch has volunteered locally with Morgan’s Message, an organization that strives to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community. She has also donated her time to multiple community service initiatives through her school’s National Honor Society. “Norah Busch is the best middle blocker I’ve seen in the state,” said Ryan Sell, head coach of Pope John Paul II High School. “Her athletic ability to play the game at a high level and lead our team was much-needed this season.”

Busch has maintained an A average in the classroom. She has made a verbal commitment to receive athletic aid to play volleyball at North Carolina State University beginning in the fall of 2026.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different high school sports – 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 Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

Busch joins recent Gatorade Pennsylvania Volleyball Players of the Year Reese Hazelton (2023-24, PhilipsburgOsceola Senior High School), Mia Tuman (2022-23 & 2021-22, North Allegheny Senior High School) and Paige Morningstar (2020-21, North Allegheny High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

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 $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student - athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.

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