Alaska's Cynphany Henderson (11) was tabbed the 2026 GNAC preseason player of the year (Photo: Spencer Honda).
Alaska's Cynphany Henderson (11) was tabbed the 2026 GNAC preseason player of the year (Photo: Spencer Honda).

Alaska’s Henderson is GNAC VB preseason player of the year

8/25/2026 8:47:49 AM

By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Ahead of her fourth season in Fairbanks, Alaska’s Cynphany Henderson was voted by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches as the 2026 volleyball preseason player of the year.
 
Henderson headlined the 14-player preseason all-conference team released on Tuesday, with all 10 GNAC teams getting set for regular-season action this week in tournaments throughout the Western United States. The complete 2026 GNAC volleyball schedule can be viewed online here.
 
GNAC Volleyball 2026 Preseason All-Conference Team
Preseason Player of the Year: Cynphany Henderson, Alaska
Name School Position Height Year Hometown (Previous School)
Cynphany Henderson Alaska S 5-9 SR Otsego, Minn. (St. Michael-Albertville)
Tessa Onaga Alaska L 5-3 SR Honolulu, Hawaii (‘Iolani School)
Lee Ivakina Alaska Anchorage OH 6-0 SR Varna, Bulgaria (Navarro Coll.)
Bella Burney Alaska Anchorage MB 6-0 SR Tumwater, Wash. (Tumwater)
Kailey Willsey Central Washington MB 6-0 SO Yakima, Wash. (Davis)
Ellie Marble Central Washington OH 6-0 SR La Conner, Wash. (La Conner)
Abby Black Northwest Nazarene OH 5-11 SR Wenatchee, Wash. (Wenatchee)
Emily Garten Saint Martin’s OH 5-10 SR Placentia, Calif. (El Dorado)
Megan Omlid Seattle Pacific OH 5-9 SR Stanwood, Wash. (Lakewood)
Christina Lopez Seattle Pacific L 5-4 SR Surprise, Ariz. (Valley Vista)
Macyn Unger Simon Fraser L 5-9 SR Prince George, B.C. (Duchess Park)
Megan Hawkins Simon Fraser OH 6-0 JR Kitchener, Ont. (Grand River Collegiate)
Delaney Speer Western Washington OH 5-11 SR Maple Valley, Wash. (Tahoma)
Emily Vossenkuhl Western Washington MB 6-1 SR Ridgefield, Wash. (Ridgefield)

10490Cynphany Henderson – University of Alaska - #119982
Setter – 5-9 – Senior
Otsego, Minn. – St. Michael-Albertville
Previous Honors: H.M. All-GNAC (2025) | NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team (2025)
 
Henderson played a key role in helping deliver a share of the Nanooks’ first-ever GNAC regular-season title in 2025, featuring as an everyday starter in the lineup. A star player all over the court, her 2025 campaign featured 14 double-doubles and a pair of triple-doubles. On Nov. 8 in a pivotal win over co-champion Simon Fraser, Henderson delivered a 20-dig, 16-assist, 13-kill triple-double in perhaps her best statistical performance of the campaign. She reached double digits in assists in all but four matches and averaged 0.42 blocks per set on the defensive side of the ball. Henderson averaged 5.58 assists per set and 3.12 digs per set last season, earned a GNAC Offensive Player of the Week award and picked up CSC academic all-district honors.
 

10489Tessa Onaga – University of Alaska - #16
Libero – 5-3 – Senior
Honolulu, Hawaii – ‘Iolani School
Previous Honors: H.M. All-American (2025) | GNAC Defensive Player of the Year (2025) | 1st Team All-GNAC (2025)
 
Honorable mention All-American status from the AVCA was well-deserved for Onaga last year after she emerged as one of the top defensive specialists in the NCAA Division II west region. Onaga ranked fourth in the conference with 4.46 digs per set in 2025, fueling the Nanooks’ lineup with a stellar defensive presence. She reached double digits in digs in all but four matches last season, eclipsing the 20-dig plateau on 11 occasions and hitting a season-high 29 on Sept. 12 against Cal State San Bernardino. Onaga also recorded a pair of double-doubles, reaching 11 assists in two different matches. Contributing offensively as well, Onaga ranked ninth in the GNAC with 0.35 service aces per set last fall.
 

10491Lee Ivakina – University of Alaska Anchorage - #209986
Outside Hitter – 6-0 – Senior
Varna, Bulgaria – Navarro College
Previous Honors: 1st Team All-GNAC (2025)
 
Ivakina is the top-returning offensive presence in an Alaska Anchorage lineup that will look to build off last year’s share for the conference title. She posted a team-best 3.22 kills per set in 2025, ranking her eighth in the conference. On her first day as a Seawolf she announced her arrival with a 20-kill effort, marking her first of 22 matches last year reaching double digits in that category. Also a force defensively, Ivakina put up 15 double-doubles and overall ranked seventh in the conference with 3.69 points per set. She totaled 2.78 digs per set and 0.49 blocks per set. Those figures were good enough for a first-team all-conference nod in her debut campaign with the Seawolves.
 

10492Bella Burney – University of Alaska Anchorage - #14
Middle Blocker – 6-0 – Senior
Tumwater, Wash. – Tumwater High School
 
A reliable fixture in the lineup since debuting as a freshman in 2023, Burney will take to her senior season with preseason accolades for the first time in her career. Among the conference’s top middle blockers, Burney ranked 10th in the league last fall with 0.96 blocks per set and 112 total blocks on the campaign. Burney narrowly missed a double-double in one of her top efforts of the year, posting a season-best eight total blocks to go along with nine kills on Oct. 11 in a victory over Simon Fraser. By all measures, Burney’s 2025 season was her best statistical performance as her 112 blocks were 39 more than her previous season high of 73 in 2024.
 

10493Kailey Willsey – Central Washington University - #126416
Middle Blocker – 6-0 – Sophomore
Yakima, Wash. – Davis High School
Previous Honors: GNAC Freshman of the Year (2025) | 1st Team All-GNAC (2025)
 
Willsey handled the transition from high school to college volleyball without missing a beat, emerging as the GNAC’s top freshman and garnering first-team all-conference in her debut season. A force at the net, Willsey ranked fourth in the GNAC with 1.16 blocks per set racking up 118 total in her freshman season. She reached double digits in blocks on three occasions, with her top mark being a dozen on Oct. 18 against the Alaska Nanooks. Willsey was also efficient on the offensive side of the ball, reaching double figures in kills in four different matches and ranking second in the GNAC with a hitting percentage of .338. Stepping up in the regular-season finale, Willsey delivered a season-high 14 kills to go with four blocks in a five-set win over Simon Fraser to help CWU maintain a share for the 2025 GNAC title.

10494Ellie Marble – Central Washington University - #6
Outside Hitter – 6-0 – Senior
La Conner, Wash. – La Conner High School
Previous Honors: 1st Team All-GNAC (2025) | H.M. All-GNAC (2024) | NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team (2025)
 
A battle-tested senior in the CWU lineup, Marble is set for her fourth season on the floor in Ellensburg. She averaged 2.20 kills per set last fall, reaching double digits in 11 different matches. She added a career-best 3.26 digs per set on her way to completing nine double-doubles, and she eclipsed 20 digs in a match on four occasions. Marble capped her junior campaign with an all-tournament worthy performance at the NCAA West Region Championships, posting a 20-dig, 10-kill double-double while adding six blocks in the Wildcats’ narrow five-set defeat against Fresno Pacific. Marble enters her fourth season at CWU averaging 2.46 kills per set and 2.89 points per set in her career.
 

10501Abby Black – Northwest Nazarene University - #76535
Outside Hitter – 5-11 – Senior
Wenatchee, Wash. – Wenatchee High School
Previous Honors: 1st Team All-GNAC (2025) | H.M. All-GNAC (2024)
 
A two-time all-conference selection, Black returns for her fourth season of action at the Johnson Sports Center. The offensive catalyst for the Nighthawks in 2025, Black ranked sixth in the conference with 3.28 kills per set which was a career single-season best by almost a half-kill per set. Emerging into a fully-developed collegiate player last fall, Black also turned in 3.19 digs per set and 0.56 blocks per set – both figures being career bests. Down the final stretch of the season, Black posted three consecutive matches with 20 or more kills and overall she reached double figures in that department 16 times last season. She notched a dozen double-doubles with her top statistical match being a 21-kill, 21-dig effort against Western Oregon on Nov. 6.
 

10500Emily Garten – Saint Martin’s University - #159151
Outside Hitter – 5-10 – Senior
El Dorado, Calif. – El Dorado High School
Previous Honors: 1st Team All-GNAC (2025) | H.M. All-GNAC (2023)
 
Garten earned her second-career all-conference award last fall, landing on the first-team after a standout statistical campaign. In her third year with the Saints, Garten ranked third in the GNAC with 3.60 kills per set on a .233 attack percentage and was 10th in the conference with 0.34 service aces per set. Garten also chipped in 2.70 digs per set and wound up fourth in the conference with 4.09 total points per set in 2025. Averaging career single-season bests in both kills and digs, Garten enters her fourth year with the Saints on the cusp of 1,000-career kills with 914 and counting. She reached double figures in kills 16 times and hit the 20-kill mark four times, while completing eight double-doubles on the season. Garten enters her senior season ranked ninth in GNAC history with 0.48 service aces per set and 16th in conference history with 138 total service aces.
 

10495Megan Omlid – Seattle Pacific University - #39983
Outside Hitter – 5-9 – Sophomore
Stanwood, Wash. – Lakewood High School
Previous Honors: H.M. All-GNAC (2025)
 
Another one of the league’s top freshmen in 2025, Omlid made an immediate impact upon arriving at Seattle Pacific out of Lakewood High School. The team’s leading attacker, Omlid ranked fifth in the GNAC with 3.50 kills per set, 0.37 service aces per set and 4.03 points per set in her collegiate debut. Reaching double figures in kills 21 times, Omlid also chipped in 3.11 digs per set and posted 18 double-doubles in her freshman season. She capped the year with a highlight performance, recording a season-high 22 digs to go along with 16 kills in the finale at Alaska Anchorage.
 

10496Christina Lopez – Seattle Pacific University - #17
Libero – 5-4 – Senior
Surprise, Ariz. – Valley Vista High School
Previous Honors: H.M. All-GNAC (2025)
 
One of just two starters still on the roster from the Falcons’ 2023 GNAC title-winning squad, Lopez returns for her fourth season in the Emerald City as one of the top defensive players in the conference. Continually improving her numbers throughout her career, Lopez had a GNAC-leading 4.86 digs per set in 2025 – 0.76 digs per set higher than her previous single-season best. Lopez also posted a personal-high 1.10 assists per set in her junior campaign and grabbed her first collegiate double-double with a personal-best 11 assists to go with 24 digs on Oct. 16 at Western Oregon. Lopez enters her fourth season with the Falcons with 1,104-career digs and a career average of 4.30 digs per set.
 

9519Macyn Unger – Simon Fraser University - #116577
Libero – 5-9 – Senior
Prince George, B.C. – Duchess Park
Previous Honors: H.M. All-GNAC (2024 & 2025)
 
A two-time all-conference selection at libero, Unger is at the core of a Simon Fraser squad that captured a share of its first-ever conference title in 2025. She ranked third in the GNAC last season with 4.49 digs per set and was eighth in the league with 0.35 service aces per set. Unger reached double digits in digs in all but one match last fall, posting a season-high 27 on Oct. 25 at Seattle Pacific. Through the first three seasons of her career, Unger ranks 26th in GNAC history with 4.40 digs per set and has totaled 1,259 in her tenure as a Red Leaf.
 

10502Megan Hawkins – Simon Fraser University - #4
Outside Hitter – 6-0 – Junior
Kitchener, Ont. – Grand River
Previous Honors: H.M. All-GNAC (2025)
 
Hawkins earned her first-career all-conference accolades after a breakout performance in 2025. She posted 2.82 kills per set – up almost an entire kill per set from her 2024 figure of 1.96. She also ranked second in the conference with 0.45 service aces per set and wound up 10th overall in points per set with 3.51. Hawkins eclipsed double digits in kills in 15 matches last season, including a career-high 25 on Oct. 11 against Alaska Anchorage. She also contributed 2.75 digs per set and completed a dozen double-doubles in her second season on the floor for the Red Leafs.
 

10498Delaney Speer – Western Washington University - #16363
Pin Hitter – 5-11 – Senior
Maple Valley, Wash. – Tahoma High School
Previous Honors: H.M. All-American (2025) | 1st Team All-GNAC (2025) | H.M. All-GNAC (2024)
 
Landing on the AVCA honorable mention All-America list last fall, Speer had her best season yet with the Vikings. One of the GNAC’s top all-around players, Speer ranked fourth in the conference with 3.58 kills per set and third with 4.12 points per set. In her third season at WWU, Speer averaged 3.43 digs per set and 0.32 service aces per set, contributing in all aspects of the game. Speer posted 16 double-doubles including five in-a-row to finish the 2025 season. She posted a career-high 28 digs to go along with 20 kills on Oct. 23 against Seattle Pacific, marking one of the GNAC’s top single-match performances of the year. Speer enters her fourth season with 757-career kills and 864-career digs, with a realistic chance to join an exclusive 1,000-kill/1,000-dig club that features just 26 names in the history of the GNAC.

10499Emily Vossenkuhl – Western Washington University - #2
Middle Blocker – 6-1 – Senior
Ridgefield, Wash. – Ridgefield High School
Previous Honors: H.M All-GNAC (2023, 2024 & 2025)
 
The lone three-time all-conference selection on this year’s preseason team, Vossenkuhl has put together a sturdy career during her time with the Vikings. In three seasons she has amassed 307 total blocks and her average of 1.14 blocks per set ranks her 16th in conference history. One of the GNAC’s top middles in 2025, Vossenkuhl ranked third in the league with 1.20 blocks per set and a hitting percentage of .305. She had multiple total blocks in all but three matches and twice reached her season high of nine total blocks. Also contributing offensively, Vossenkuhl reached double figures in kills on five occasions.