GREENVILLE, S.C. – After helping her team to one of the best seasons in program history, University of Alaska Anchorage senior Eve Stephens made more history Thursday, becoming the first Seawolf ever to be chosen the Ron Lenz D2CCA National Player of the Year.
 
The Palmer, Alaska (Colony HS) native also became the first UAA player to earn First Team All-America honors on both the D2CCA (sports information directors) and AVCA (coaches) selections.

The unanimous Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year and NCAA Div. II West Region Player of the Year, Stephens ranks second nationally with 5.78 points per set and third with 4.75 kills per set, along with top-50 national marks of 0.53 aces per set and .351 attack percentage. She led the GNAC in kills by 1.25 per set and points by 1.75 per set, while ranking fifth in attack percentage, 15th in blocks (0.85 bps) and 19th in digs (2.59).
 
Stephens was a seven-time GNAC Player of the Week and two-time AVCA National Player of the Week this season, helping UAA to a 27-3 record, the GNAC title and No. 1 West Region seed. She had double-digit kills in all but two matches (in which she had nine), including a UAA rally-scoring era record 33 kills in a four-set road win over No. 10 Western Washington. The rightside hitter finished as the GNAC and UAA all-time leader in points (2,292.5) and kills (1,926), while also placing top 5 on UAA's career lists for points per set (1st, 4.69), kills per set (2nd, 3.94), attack percentage (5th, .296), aces (3rd, 152), block assists (3rd, 361), sets played (4th, 489), matches played (4th, 132) and victories (5th, 99).

The Ron Lenz National Player of the Year award was named for longtime South Dakota State sports information director Ron Lenz in 2008. Lenz was instrumental in the foundation of the D2CCA All-America program, which honors outstanding student-athletes across eight NCAA Division II sports. Sports information directors from NCAA Division II schools and conferences sponsoring women's volleyball selected the D2CCA All-America Team. The process begins at the regional level with all First Team All-Region picks advancing to the national ballot. This marks the 16th year that teams have been selected since the All-America program began in 2006.

2022 D2CCA NCAA Div. II All-America Teams

UAA Volleyball All-Americans
2008 - Rhea Cardwell (2nd Tm-AVCA)
2011 - Robyn Burton (2nd Tm-AVCA/3rd Tm-D2CCA)
2013- Katelynn Zanders (2nd Tm-AVCA)
2015 - Katelynn Zanders (3rd Tm-AVCA)
          - Julia Mackey (1st Tm-AVCA)
          - Morgan Hooe (3rd Tm-AVCA)
2016 - Morgan Hooe (1st Team-AVCA/3rd Tm-D2CCA)
         - Leah Swiss (2nd Tm-AVCA)
2019 - Eve Stephens (2nd Tm-AVCA)
2021 - Eve Stephens (2nd Tm-AVCA)
2022 – Ellen Floyd (1st Tm-AVCA)
        - *Eve Stephens (1st Tm-AVCA/1st Team D2CCA)

*D2CCA Ron Lenz National Player of the Year