UNCW’s Ali Zalaya named CAA Defensive Player of the Year

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — After a great turnaround season, a UNCW women’s basketball team member is racking up multiple conference awards.

Seahawks forward Ali Zalaya is the Coastal Athletic Association’s Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the CAA’s First Team All-Conference and the CAA’s All-Defensive Team.

The Arizona native is the second player in Seahawks history to be named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

She finished 7th in the nation in blocks, 12th in defensive rebounds per game and led the conference with 10 double-doubles on the season.

Zalaya said her game has always been focused on defense and how that can help the team win.

“It’s a pride thing, I think defense is pride and again, its something that’s easily controllable,” Zalaya said. “It’s like, it’s something that keeps you going, it can be a game-changer and they always say defense wins championships and that’s always been a goal. And so that’s what I focus on, rebounding, protecting the rim, helping my teammates. Not everything is perfect but I’m there to help clean it up for them.”

Zalaya holds UNCW’s single-season record for blocks with 79 and is 8th in program history in blocks.

Her performance helped the Seahawks finish 9th in the conference with 8 conference wins after finishing 14th last year.