Wednesday, November 30, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – She has been one of the best players in Division II all season and now she is certified as the best.

Alaska Anchorage senior opposite Eve Stephens has been named the Ron Lenz Division II Volleyball Player of the Year by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and also earned First Team All-America honors from both the D2CCA and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).

Stephens is the first GNAC player to be named the Division II Volleyball Player of the Year and is just the sixth player in conference history to earn First Team All-America honors from the D2CCA.

Stephens was joined on the AVCA first team by Seawolves senior setter Ellen Floyd with the duo becoming the 12th and 13th GNAC players to make the top squad.

Central Washington sophomore middle blocker Emma Daoud-Hebert was named a Second Team D2CCA All-American while Western Washington senior middle blocker Chloe Roetcisoender earned third-team honors. Both were named Honorable Mention All-Americans by AVCA.

Also receiving AVCA Honorable Mention All-America awards were Western Washington senior setter Malia Aleaga and senior outside hitter Calley Heilborn, Central Washington junior setter/outside hitter Tia Andaya and junior outside hitter Ashley Kaufman, Alaska senior libero Jessa Long and Northwest Nazarene senior outside hitter Olivia Wright.

The GNAC Player of the Year and D2CCA West Region Player of the Year, Stephens led Alaska Anchorage to a 27-3 record and its first GNAC championship since 2016, Stephens led the conference with 4.75 kills and 5.78 points per set while ranking second with 0.53 aces per set. She ranked in the NCAA Division II top 30 in all three categories, including second in points per set and third in kills per set. She set the GNAC career records with 1,926 kills and 2,292 points.

Floyd finished third in the GNAC with 9.99 digs per set and was sixth with 0.44 aces per set. She ranked 47th in Division II with 1,049 total assists. She set the GNAC career record with 213 total aces.

Daoud-Hebert leads Division II with 1.50 blocks per set while also averaging 2.09 kills per set. Her .387 hitting percentage led the conference and ranks 15th in Division II.

Roetcisoender ranked second in the GNAC with a .381 hitting percentage and 1.29 blocks per set, ranking fourth in Division II in blocking and 20th in hitting percentage.