STUDENT OF THE GAME: 2-time NLC Player of the Year commits to UAA

PALMER — Amy Carter has coached her share of talent during her time as head coach of the Colony High volleyball program, players who have moved on to have success at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels.

But she had never coached an athlete like Eve Stephens.

“She’s incredible, the only player that I’ve ever had, you can literally talk about it, and she gets it,” Carter said. “When we first started footwork on blocking, I’d show her one time, she’d go through it like two times in practice. Then she’d go home and the next day she’d be able to do it.”

It’s the rare combination of cognition and athleticism that allowed Stephens to transform from first-year volleyball player to Northern Lights Conference Player of the Year in just a year. And after just three years of high school volleyball, the Colony Knights star has earned the chance to move to the next level. Stephens signed her National Letter of Intent to attend UAA and play for the Division II Seawolves next fall.

“She’s very bright and athletic,” Carter said as Stephens’ friends and family celebrated the accomplishment Wednesday afternoon at Colony High.

What sets Stephens apart, Carter said, is her overall understanding of the game, and the amount of work she put it to understand everything that allows her to have success on a volleyball court. Carter said Stephens wants to know exactly why she needs to be in a certain position at certain moment, or hit the ball in a certain way.

“She thinks about it. She thinks about why. She wants to understand,” Carter said.

Stephens didn’t hit the high school volleyball floor until her sophomore season, but Carter helped her make up for any lost time, Stephens said.

“I had to learn volleyball all over again,” Stephens said after posing for photos with friends. “I had the support of a great coach. The team was really young too, and I fit in really well. That’s where it went from there.”

Stephens found a role immediately as a starter in the middle as a sophomore, and will leave Colony High with a long list of accomplishments. Stephens is a two-time NLC Player of the Year, led the Knights to back-to-back NLC titles as a junior and a senior, and consecutive trips to the 4A state tournament. Stephens amassed 421 kills and 122 blocks, and posted a .461 hitting percentage in 2017.

Stephens said she played basketball in elementary and middle school, but after giving volleyball a try in middle school, she knew that was her sports of choice.

“The explosiveness you can have. Hitting is super fun. Jumping high and connecting with the setter,” Stephens said. “There are so many aspects to the game.”

Stephens said she’s not only excited to be a part of a program that’s among the best in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, but also the opportunity to play on the collegiate level close to home.

“Other coaches talked to me, but I knew I wanted to stay in state,” Stephens said. “Staying here was one of my top priorities. UAA calling me, recruiting me, fell in line with what I wanted.”

Stephens said she also appreciated the patience of the UAA coaching staff as she went through the recruiting process.

“They really wanted to make sure it was a right fit for me as an athlete and them as a program,” Stephens said. “It was kind of a perfect fit.”

UAA announced the addition of Stephens on Nov. 16.

“Eve will add great athleticism to our middle blocker position,” UAA head coach Chris Green said in a press release issued by the university’s athletics department. “She is a big jumper, and we are excited to see her develop in our program. We think she has the potential to make an immediate impact. Keeping one of the best volleyball athletes in Alaska at home to become a Seawolf is always a major positive for our program.”

Stephens said there are a variety of emotions, ranging from nervous to excited, as she thinks about her opportunity to play at the next level. She said her desire to play in college was intensified when the Knights won the first of their consecutive NLC titles.

“When we won regions my junior year, I thought, man I don’t ever want to stop playing,” Stephens said.

Stephens, who carries a 3.91 grade point average, plans to study accounting at UAA.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.