Thursday, December 8, 2016
by Alaska Anchorage Athletic Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Just hours before their team’s NCAA national quarterfinal match, Alaska Anchorage’s Chris Green and Sheldon Carvalho were announced Thursday as the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s NCAA Division II Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year.

The first coaches in program history to win either honor, Green and Carvaho have led nationally No. 9 ranked UAA to a 32-2 record and its first West Region title in 2016, along with their squad’s second straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship.

Under their leadership, the Seawolves have broken more than a dozen school records in 2016, including most victories, best winning percentage and most consecutive victories (20). One of the most balanced teams in the country, UAA ranks in the top 35 in seven of the NCAA’s eight major statistical categories, along with No. 45 in aces per set.

Picked to finish second in the GNAC preseason coaches’ poll, the Seawolves successfully replaced two All-Americans and 60 percent of their offensive production from a 2015 squad that went 27-3 overall.

In his second season at UAA, Carvalho has helped recruit half of UAA’s primary eight-player rotation, including GNAC and West Region Freshman of the Year Diana Fa’amausili, and sophomore libero Kyla Militante-Amper, who has broken every major UAA digs record this year.

Green, who entered the tournament with a 191-71 in nine years with the Seawolves, added his award to the GNAC Coach of the Year honor he received last month. The Nebraska native has led UAA to the first back-to-back conference titles in the program’s 37 years and its first regional title this season, while posting a combined mark of 80-11 over the last three campaigns.

After inheriting a program with a 17-58 record in the three years prior to his arrival, Green has led UAA to a winning record every season and NCAA Tournament appearances in seven of the last eight campaigns. UAA has also produced two GNAC Players of the Year, one GNAC Freshman of the Year, and five All-America awards in the last two seasons, including first-team All-America honors for current senior setter Morgan Hooe.