NEWARK, N.J. - Junior hitter Tsvetelina Ilieva had a match-high 16 kills and Binghamton volleyball (11-5, 2-1 America East) collected 11 blocks in a 3-0 road win over NJIT (6-15, 0-3 AE) Sunday afternoon at the Wellness and Events Center. The Bearcats won 25-22, 25-17, 25-20 for their fourth victory in the last five matches.

Binghamton led from start to finish in the first two sets. In the opener, BU jumped ahead 12-4 and behind seven kills from Ilieva, held off a late Highlanders charge. Freshman opposite side hitter Giulia Bonifacio finished the set with a kill and the Bearcats hit an efficient .333 with 15 kills and just two errors. 

In the second set, BU rolled to an 11-3 start and NJIT drew no closer than five the rest of the way. Ilieva and Bonifacio each had five kills and freshman libero Madison Konopka added eight of her match-high 17 digs. 

In the third set, BU trailed 5-2 early before another kill from Ilieva tied it at 9-9. From there, an 8-3 Bearcats run turned the tide. Sophomore Stefana Stan (7 kills) finished it with a put down on match point. 

Freshman setter Lottie Scully had 29 assists and nine digs. Junior Stephanie Gatto led the team with six block assists. With her big day at the net, Gatto took over the conference lead in blocks (1.21/set), just ahead of senior teammate Anna Sprys (1.18), who had five blocks on Sunday.  

"Today was a good test for us to see how we would bounce back after Friday's loss," head coach Allie Yaeger said. "I was happy with our blocking and our sense or urgency to get the job done in three sets. We served aggressively and were able to take NJIT out of system. Our hitting efficiency from our outside hitters today was exactly what we needed. We played smart and took big swings at crucial moments."

The Bearcats begin a busy, three-match week with a non-conference test Wednesday at Colgate.