North Carolina State University Athletics
Evans Named Senior CLASS Award Candidate
3/2/2021 12:23:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
OVERLAND PARK, KAN. – NC State volleyball senior Melissa Evans has been selected as one of thirty NCAA women's volleyball student-athletes as a 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award Candidate, for her success on and off the court.
Evans is the second NC State volleyball player to receive the honor, behind Julia Brown in 2017, and one of three candidates from the ACC.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division 1 senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Evans has been a four-year standout for the Wolfpack volleyball program and is just beginning to make her mark. She is a three-time All-ACC honoree, the third player in school history to receive three conference honors. She surpassed the 1,000 career kills mark in the Fall of 2020 and currently ranks fourth in the rally-scoring era at NC State with 1,080 kills. Her 408 kill sin the 2019 season are the third-most in the rally-scoring era at NC State.
Academically, Evans successfully completed her undergraduate degree at NC State in Fall 2020, doing so in three and a half years. She is currently enrolled in the Master's of Communication program.
Evans has shown herself as a strong leader on and off the court for the Wolfpack, helping lead the team through the challenges of the last year. She has been a large voice for social justice on NC State's campus and in the surrounding community. She is a co-creator and Vice President of the Black Athlete Coalition, a student-led organization to amplify black student-athletes on pressing issues in the black community and student-athlete community. Additionally, Evans serves on the leadership committee of Pack United, a student-athlete driven initiative in the NC State athletic department. They lead discussions of social justice, privilege, and inequalities across NC State's campus and the surrounding community.
As a part of Pack United, she has organized and led peaceful demonstrations, organized fundraising events, shared her personal story, and led discussion groups via Zoom in conversations on social justice, inequality, privilege, voting and other pressing issues.
Evans also routinely works with the Wolfpack Volleyball Summer Camps and has spent time volunteering as a volleyball mentor at nearby elementary schools, helping teach teamwork and communication skills to young children.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed down to 10 finalists later this month, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2020-21 NCAA Division 1 Women's Volleyball Championship in April.
Senior CLASS Candidates
Whitney Brown, Robert Morris Alli Lowe, Colgate
Camille Conner, Texas A&M Elizaveta Lukianova, Miami
Gabby Curry, Kentucky Mac May, UCLA
Ciara DeBell, Marshall Meghan McClure, Stanford
Kylie Deberg, Missouri Chinaza Ndee, Pitt
Nadia Dieudonne, Western Kentucky Caitlyn Newton, Purdue
Dani Drews, Utah Regan Pittman, Minnesota
Melissa Evans, NC State Yossiana Pressley, Baylor
Thana Fayad, San Diego Stephanie Samedy, Minnesota
Emma Granger, Robert Morris Lauren Sanders, Washington
Paige Hammons, Florida Isabella Seman, Elon
Stef Jankiewicz, Illinois State Avery Skinner, Kentucky
Kenzie Koerberg, Utah Jamie Smith, Iona
Nicole Lennon, Rice Erika Ward, Bryant
Madison Lilley, Kentucky Anne-Marie Watson, UCF
Evans is the second NC State volleyball player to receive the honor, behind Julia Brown in 2017, and one of three candidates from the ACC.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division 1 senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Evans has been a four-year standout for the Wolfpack volleyball program and is just beginning to make her mark. She is a three-time All-ACC honoree, the third player in school history to receive three conference honors. She surpassed the 1,000 career kills mark in the Fall of 2020 and currently ranks fourth in the rally-scoring era at NC State with 1,080 kills. Her 408 kill sin the 2019 season are the third-most in the rally-scoring era at NC State.
Academically, Evans successfully completed her undergraduate degree at NC State in Fall 2020, doing so in three and a half years. She is currently enrolled in the Master's of Communication program.
Evans has shown herself as a strong leader on and off the court for the Wolfpack, helping lead the team through the challenges of the last year. She has been a large voice for social justice on NC State's campus and in the surrounding community. She is a co-creator and Vice President of the Black Athlete Coalition, a student-led organization to amplify black student-athletes on pressing issues in the black community and student-athlete community. Additionally, Evans serves on the leadership committee of Pack United, a student-athlete driven initiative in the NC State athletic department. They lead discussions of social justice, privilege, and inequalities across NC State's campus and the surrounding community.
As a part of Pack United, she has organized and led peaceful demonstrations, organized fundraising events, shared her personal story, and led discussion groups via Zoom in conversations on social justice, inequality, privilege, voting and other pressing issues.
Evans also routinely works with the Wolfpack Volleyball Summer Camps and has spent time volunteering as a volleyball mentor at nearby elementary schools, helping teach teamwork and communication skills to young children.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed down to 10 finalists later this month, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2020-21 NCAA Division 1 Women's Volleyball Championship in April.
Senior CLASS Candidates
Whitney Brown, Robert Morris Alli Lowe, Colgate
Camille Conner, Texas A&M Elizaveta Lukianova, Miami
Gabby Curry, Kentucky Mac May, UCLA
Ciara DeBell, Marshall Meghan McClure, Stanford
Kylie Deberg, Missouri Chinaza Ndee, Pitt
Nadia Dieudonne, Western Kentucky Caitlyn Newton, Purdue
Dani Drews, Utah Regan Pittman, Minnesota
Melissa Evans, NC State Yossiana Pressley, Baylor
Thana Fayad, San Diego Stephanie Samedy, Minnesota
Emma Granger, Robert Morris Lauren Sanders, Washington
Paige Hammons, Florida Isabella Seman, Elon
Stef Jankiewicz, Illinois State Avery Skinner, Kentucky
Kenzie Koerberg, Utah Jamie Smith, Iona
Nicole Lennon, Rice Erika Ward, Bryant
Madison Lilley, Kentucky Anne-Marie Watson, UCF
Players Mentioned
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