DAPHNE, Alabama — Academic excellence, athletic achievement and exemplary character in and out of the classroom as well as on and off the field of play. But there’s a quicker way to say all that as far as the Gatorade State Player of the Year award program is concerned: Bayside Academy’s Virginia Pittman.

The Gatorade selection board in conjunction with USA Today High School Sports found those qualities best represented in the senior student-athlete for the sport of volleyball in Alabama for 2012-13. State Player of the Year award winners are eligible for the Gatorade National Player of the Year award in their respective sports.

Pittman was a five-year letterman in volleyball for Bayside’s Lady Admirals and head coach Ann Schilling whose teams have won 17 state titles, the last 11 consecutively with Pittman a key part of the streak’s last six championships. She was named All-State in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and was co-MVP this season with teammate Gabby Deshotel after the state tournament in Birmingham Nov. 1.

“It’s just amazing,” Pittman said. “To top off my senior season with an award like this is really humbling. Everyone who was nominated was so awesome and to be included with them is a real honor for me. It feels great to be recognized for not only accomplishments in sports but the other things in school and the community that I have been involved with. I didn’t set out to win an award like this, I just studied hard, worked and played hard. I believe working hard pays off and I just enjoy being a part of a team. Part of a family. And that’s what it’s like here. All my teammates, teachers and coaches who believed in me will always be like family to me.”

Despite her size and power on the volleyball court, the 6-foot-3 senior middle blocker/hitter has declined recruiters offers in order to focus on academics at the University of Alabama next fall where she plans to study nursing. She added that she could not have been as successful by herself.

“I couldn’t have done it without my parents. They have always supported me in everything all the way. To think of all the miles they drove to practice and tournaments all over, wow. And of course coach Schilling, too. She is not only a great coach, but a great teacher and friend.”

Schilling said the award’s broad scope was tailor made for Pittman who devotes so many hours of every day to her classwork, church missions, athletics, extra-curricular school activities, club interests and student government.

“She is just very bright and energetic and she is also very caring. She is like the team mother. I think the kids even call her ‘Mom,’ because she is just that way. She is very unselfish as a teammate. Always encouraging, always puts the team ahead of herself. But she is an outstanding athlete and a joy to coach. She will be missed that’s for sure. But she set such an example for the younger players in terms of work ethic, study habits, character, integrity and on and on and on that they will never forget, I’m sure. They all looked up to her, not just because she’s tall. She’s a great kid and a great person and we’re so happy. Because she deserves it.”

Pittman finished with a career total of 601 kills and 135 blocks with a hitting percentage of .413. An all-around, six position player, she also recorded 232 digs and 140 service aces. In the state championship sweep over Cottage Hill Christian Academy, she scored 16 kills, five blocks, four digs and three service aces on the way to all-state honors for the third-straight year.

On the academic side, Pittman holds a 4.06 weighted GPA, serves in the student government association, is a member of Key Club International and National Honor Society, volunteers on behalf of Distinguished Young Women, the Capstone Leadership Academy, the Alabama Girls State civics-awareness program and her church’s youth group.

Former Bayside volleyball star Caroline Gill won the Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2007 and went on to a collegiate career at Rice University.

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 & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.

The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

The Gatorade State Player of the Year award winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: Athletic Achievement — success made at the club, national or international levels of competition, and standout performances in their respective sport. Includes statistical production, honors, skill-set evaluation, leadership ability, overall impact on team success and historical context of accomplishments. Academic Excellence — review of GPA and class rank, as well as SAT and ACT scores, academic honors and distinctions. Exemplary Character — overall sportsmanship, but also membership and participation in positive activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.

Pittman joins recent Gatorade Alabama Volleyball Players of the Year Cati Leak (2011-12 & 2010-11, Guntersville High School), Chelsea Wintzinger (2009-10, Huntsville), Catherine Rebarchak (2008-09, Huntsville) and MacKenzie Wilson (2007-08, Grissom) among the state’s list of former award winners.