Wednesday, November 23, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – Led by Player of the Year Eve Stephens of Alaska Anchorage, a total of 10 GNAC players have been recognized with selection to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II All-West Region Team.

With the award, the Seawolves’ senior right-side hitter becomes the consensus West Region Player of the Year after earning D2CCA Player of the Year honors last week. In leading 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 kills per set. She set the GNAC career records with 1,926 kills and 2,292 points.

A four-time First Team All-GNAC selection, Stephens becomes the sixth player in conference history to be named a First Team AVCA All-West Region performer three times. She is the first GNAC player to be named West Region Player of the Year since the AVCA starting named regional players of the year in 2017.

Stephens is joined as a first-team selection by teammate and senior setter Ellen Floyd. Central Washington landed three first-team selections in junior setter Tia Andaya, sophomore middle blocker Emma Daoud-Hebert and junior outside hitter Ashley Kaufman. Western Washington landed senior outside hitter Calley Heilborn and senior middle blocker Chloe Roetcisoender.

Selected as honorable mentions were Western Washington junior setter Malia Aleaga, Alaska senior libero Jessa Long and Northwest Nazarene senior middle blocker Olivia Wright.

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.

Andaya averaged 2.57 kills, 5.43 assists, 1.92 digs and 0.72 blocks per set in a season that saw her set the GNAC career record with 12 triple-doubles, including four this season. 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 20th in Division II. Kaufman finished sixth in the GNAC with three kills per set while also contributing on defense with 2.69 digs per set.

Heilborn was the only player in GNAC top 10 in both kills and digs, ranking fifth with 3.16 kills per set and eighth with 3.51 digs per set. 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.

Stephens, Daoud-Hebert, Floyd and Roetcisoender were consensus First Team All-West Region choices with the four earning D2CCA First Team All-West Region honors last week. Heilborn was a Second Team D2CCA All-West Region selection. All seven first-team selections were on teams that qualified for last week’s NCAA Division II West Regional.