CHICAGO — South Dakota volleyball signee Gabi Zachariasen was named the 2025-26 Gatorade South Dakota Volleyball Player of the Year for the third year in a row Friday.
 
Zachariasen led Harrisburg High School to a fourth straight Class AA state title while leading the Tigers with 523 kills on a .377 hitting percentage and a 5.2 kills per set average in 2025. The senior outside hitter added 81 aces, 40 blocks and 215 digs. The No. 92 recruit in the nation (PrepDig) was also named South Dakota's Class AA Miss Volleyball and an AVCA Second Team All-American. Zachariasen and the Tigers posted a 35-2 overall record and a 19-0 mark in their region in 2025 and have not lost to an in-state opponent over the last two seasons. In her Harrisburg career, Zachariasen totaled 1,802 kills, 171 aces, 122 blocks and 924 digs.
 
An active member of her church community, Zachariasen has volunteered locally by coaching and instructing youth volleyball players at camps and clinics. She has also donated her time building stuffed animals for first responders attending to children in crisis. "Honestly, there are no words to describe her," said Theresa Hickman of PrepDig. "She's in a class by herself."
 
Zachariasen has maintained a weighted 3.88 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a written letter of athletic aid to play volleyball at the University of South Dakota this fall.
 
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 Zachariasen as South Dakota'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).