Ilieva Named to BIG EAST All-Conference Team

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Seton Hall freshman Tsvetelina Ilieva (Sofia, Bulgaria) was named to the All-BIG EAST Volleyball Team on Thursday. Ilieva and Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) earned BIG EAST All-Freshman Team honors.

Ilieva is the first Pirate to be named to the prestigious top team since 2018, and the first Seton Hall freshman to receive the honor since Shelby Manthorpe in 2011.

Ilieva was a force for the Pirates during a strange, COVID-19-shortened spring volleyball season. The outside hitter led the Pirates and ranked seventh in the BIG EAST in points, eighth in kills and 10^th in service aces among conference-only matches. Playing in all 44 sets this season, she routinely played all six rotations and was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on March 9. Ilieva recorded three double-doubles and twice topped 15 kills in a single match. On March 19, she erupted for a career-high 20 kills at Villanova. In a victory over Sacred Heart on Feb. 27, Ilieva had 15 kills and career-bests of 16 digs and five blocks.

Jakubowski led all BIG EAST freshmen and ranked fifth overall in the conference in assists per set. A player in all 44 team sets this year, she led the Pirates with seven double-doubles in 11 matches this season. A rare team captain as a freshman, Jakubowski erupted for a career-high 44 assists to go with 10 digs in a victory over Sacred Heart on Feb. 27. In the last match of the year, at Connecticut, she had a double-double with 20 assists and matched her career-high with 17 digs.

2020-21 Volleyball All-BIG EAST and Major Awards

BIG EAST Player of the Year
Efrosini Alexakou, St. John's, Jr., OH

BIG EAST Libero of the Year
Averi Salvador, Villanova, Grad Student, L/DS

BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Delaney Hogan, Xavier, Fr., MB

Coaching Staff of the Year
Providence (Head Coach: Margot Royer-Johnson)

All-BIG EAST Team
(listed alphabetically by institution, then last name)
Melody Davidson, Butler, RS-Jr., MB
Caylee Parker, UConn, Jr., OH
Keeley Davis, Creighton, So., OH
Naomi Hickman, Creighton, Sr., MB
Jaela Zimmerman, Creighton, Jr., OH
Savannah Rennie, Marquette, Gr., MB
Hope Werch, Marquette, Sr., OH
Taylor Wolf, Marquette, Sr., RS/S
Allison Barber, Providence, Sr., S
Emma Nelson, Providence, So., OH
Efrosini Alexakou, St. John's, Jr., OH
Tiziana Baumrukova, St. John's, Sr., S
Rachele Rastelli, St. John's, Jr., RS
TSVETELINA ILIEVA, SETON HALL, FR., OH
Riley Homer, Villanova, Fr., OH
Sophia Howling, Villanova, Jr., MH
Averi Salvador, Villanova, Gr., L/DS
Delaney Hogan, Xavier, Fr., MB
Carrigan O'Reilly, Xavier, So., S

All-BIG EAST Freshman Team
(listed alphabetically by institution, then last name)
Kiara Reinhardt, Creighton, Fr., MB
Jill Pressly, DePaul, Fr., OH
TSVETELINA ILIEVA, SETON HALL, FR., OH
TAYLOR JAKUBOWSKI, SETON HALL, FR., S
Riley Homer, Villanova, Fr., OH
Delaney Hogan, Xavier, Fr., MB

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Tsvetelina Ilieva

Taylor Jakubowski

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