Phelan was Arkansas' first AVCA All-American, first volleyball athlete voted GTE Academic All-American and first SEC H. Boyd McWhorter winner while lettering from 1995-98. She led the Razorbacks to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including her senior year when the team advanced to the Round of 16. A two-time first-team All-SEC selection, she also was a member of the 1997 team that defeated Florida to win the SEC Tournament. Phelan was the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1999 and was the state of Arkansas' NCAA Woman of the Year that same year.