INDIANAPOLIS – Senior middle blocker Stephenee Yancy has been selected as the 2015 Preseason Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year, it was announced by the conference office on Thursday. Yancy was also named to the Preseason All-League Team.

Yancy, the reigning Player of the Year, ranked among the nation's best in kills per set (20th, 4.38), kills (24th, 512) and attack percentage (56th, .358) in just her first season at UIC. The top honor was the first in program history. Yancy is just the fifth player in program history to achieve 500 kills in a single season and her attack percentage stands as the best in UIC school history. She averaged double-digit kills in all 31 matches, including seven contests with 20-plus kills. During league play, Yancy ranked eighth with 106 blocks.

Yancy was recognized as an AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region as a junior. She also received a program-record four Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week awards in 2014.

The Aroma Park, Ill. native was just one of 36 athletes selected by USA Volleyball this past summer to participate in the U.S. Collegiate National Team program.

Yancy will tip off her final season as a member of the Flames at the IPFW Invitational in Fort Wayne, Ind. UIC will face Eastern Illinois on Friday at 3:30 pm (CT).

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Stephenee Yancy, UIC (Sr., MB)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Morganne Longoria, Valparaiso (Jr., L)
Preseason Setter of the Year: Val Jeffery, Youngstown State (Jr. S)

Preseason All-League Team
Emily Campbell, Valparaiso (Jr., OH/RS)
Sammy Condon, Oakland (So., MH)
Val Jeffery, Youngstown State (Jr., S)
Grace Kauth, Cleveland State (Jr., OH)
Cassie Pelloni, Oakland (Sr., OH)
Kayla Price, Milwaukee (Sr., S)
Stephenee Yancy, UIC (Sr., MB)

2015 Horizon League Volleyball Preseason Poll
(First place votes in parenthesis)
1. Oakland (8) – 64
2. Milwaukee (1) – 53
3. Valparaiso – 50
4. UIC – 37
5. Cleveland State – 33
t-6. Northern Kentucky – 31
t-6. Youngstown State – 31
8. Green Bay – 17
9. Wright State – 8