Nov. 16, 2015
CHICAGO, Ill. -- UIC senior middle blocker Stephenee Yancy (Aroma Park, Ill./Kankakee) was named the 2015 Horizon League Player of the Year, as voted on by the conference's nine head coaches, the league announced Monday. It is the second consecutive year that Yancy has earned the distinguished recognition.
Yancy was undoubtedly a dominant force for the Flames all season long. She led the Horizon League with in both kills per set (4.69) and attacking percentage (.371) for the second consecutive season. In 16 Horizon League contests in 2015, Yancy was even better. The team captain buried 5.12 kills per set at a clip of .375.
Not only did she rank among the conference's leaders in many categories, but she was among the best in the nation as well. Yancy, who was also named the Horizon League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, finished the regular season ranked fourth in the NCAA in both points and total kills with 604 and 544, respectively. Her average of 4.69 kills per set was the 10th-best in the country and her 5.12 points per set placed her ninth in the country.
"Stephenee made an unforgettable impact on the UIC volleyball program during her time here," said UIC head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley. "She gave her best effort on the floor every day in practice and every time the lights came on for a match. She was a tremendous influence on everyone on the team and she helped all of us raise our level of intensity on a regular basis.
"I'm so proud of her for everything that she has worked to accomplish during her collegiate career," said Schumacher-Cawley. "Steph's future is extremely bright, both on and off the volleyball court."
Yancy registered double-digit kills in 27 of 31 matches in 2015. She terminated 20-plus balls 12 times, including nine against Horizon League foes. In the season's second-to-last weekend, Yancy went out with a bang as she tallied a career-high 33 kills on Nov. 6 at Milwaukee. That was the highest total for any Horizon League player this season.
The Aroma Park, Ill., native concluded her UIC career with 1,056 kills and a hitting percentage of .365, which is the best in Flames history. She was the 17th player in Flames history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau, and she did it in only two seasons (2014-2015). Yancy also finished her career with 206 blocks.
