VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton volleyball garnered a bounty of America East honors befitting of the regular season champions. The conference released its season awards Thursday afternoon and the Bearcats were prominently represented after a record-breaking 17-7 regular season.

First-year head coach Allie Yaeger and assistant CJ Werneke were voted Coaching Staff of the Year and junior outside hitter Tsvetelina Ilieva was the unanimous choice for Player of the Year to highlight the haul. In addition, BU received five all-conference selections - most in program history. 

Joining Ilieva on the all-conference first team was junior outside hitter Stefana Stan. Earning second team all-conference laurels were senior middle Anna Sprys and freshmen Giulia Bonifacio and Lottie Scully. Bonifacio and Scully also earned All-Rookie honors and Sprys and Stan also collected All-Academic honors.  

"I'm so proud of how far our players have come and it's very humbling for them to be receiving these all-conference awards," Yaeger said. "The hard work and dedication by this entire squad led to the success of these five players. They couldn't have done it without every single player pushing them every single day. This is a special group of players and it's very rewarding as a coach to see your vision for this program unfold before your eyes. This group bought into the culture and believed from the start that we could do big things. I continue to be excited for the future of this program."

Yaeger and Werneke orchestrated a dramatic turnaround of the program. The Bearcats won more matches than the last four years combined and the regular season win percentage (.708) is the highest in the program's 21-year Division I history. Binghamton went 8-2 to secure the program's first-ever regular season title and host role for the upcoming America East tournament. It's the fifth time BU has received the top coaching honor after former coach Glenn Kiriyama won it four times in 12 years, including in 2005 when Yaeger was an assistant. 

In her first season at Binghamton after transferring from Seton Hall, Ilieva earned the league's highest honor. She ranked second in the conference in points per set (4.41) and third in both kills (3.76/set) and aces (32). Ilieva produced six double-doubles and racked up 15 or kills in 15 matches. She was even more dominant in conference play with a league-leading 4.29 kills and 4.8 points per set. Ilieva becomes just the second Bearcat to earn the league's top honors, following Gaby Alicea in 2017. 

Stan earned her second all-conference honor after being a second-team selection last year. In conference play, she ranked second in attack percentage (.333) and fourth in kills (3.08/set). Stan recorded double-digit kills in five of her last six matches, including a career-high 26 in BU's big road win at UMBC. She began her career with All-Rookie honors in 2020. Stan also earned academic honors her 3.49 GPA in business administration. 

Sprys was one of three Bearcats on the second team after an outstanding season. She led the conference in blocks (1.32/set) and was fifth in attack percentage (.296). She compiled five or more blocks 11 times during the regular season and had several crucial offensive performances, including a 17-kill showing against Albany. Sprys also was selected for academic honors, thanks to her 3.82 GPA in accounting. The honors are the first of Sprys' career.

Bonifacio and Scully were key contributors all season and each earned second team honors. Bonifacio was the most dominant freshman in the conference, having earned Rookie of the Week eight times in 12 weeks. She ranked fourth in points scored (3.71/set) and was fifth in kills (3.02) - both best among all freshmen. She ranked eighth in attack percentage, aces and digs, and registered seven double-doubles. Scully anchored BU's offense from the setter spot. She was Setter of the Week four times and led the league's most potent attack. In conference play, Scully led all setters with 10.42 assists per set.