Mailander is state volleyball player of the year

Galena High's Julia Mailander has been named as Gatorade's Nevada Volleyball Player of the Year for 2005.

As the state player of the year, Mailander is now a finalist for the National Player of the Year award, which will be announced later this month.

Mailander, a 6-1 outside hitter, led Galena to its second straight NIAA 4A state title. Mailander had 411 kills, 266 digs, 40 acess, 66 blocks, a 1.85 percent passing average and a .364 hitting percentage this past season.

Mailander will head to Yale with her sister, Lydia, where both will play volleyball. Julia carries a 4.0 grade point average. She scored 2,090 out of a possible 2,400 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test and 32 out of a possible 36 on the ACT. She's also involved in several civic activities.

"Julia is a wonderful, very balanced and highly educated individual who is quite a leader on the floor," Galena volleyball coach Teresa Burrows said. "She is willing to give of herself in order to make the team better as a whole. Julia has been an inspiration to her teammates and a tremendous asset to our high school."