Player of the Week

Each week of the spring and fall seasons, one player who was originally reported as a recruit by AVSR Global is named Player of the Week for an exceptional performance.

November 20, 2023: Mila Ilieva

Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County.

America East Conference.

NCAA Division I.

Junior, 6'0" Middle Blocker.

First reported by AVSR Global in 2019.

Home: Vidin, Bulgaria

See Ilieva’s bio at the UMBC website.

Last Week:

• Ilieva was named the Most Outstanding Player of the America East Conference finals for the second year in a row, and UMBC won its fourth consecutive bid to the NCAA championship tournament.
• UMBC swept Binghamton 3-0 in the AEC title match after rolling past Bryant 3-0 in a semifinal, earning the league’s automatic NCAA bid.
• Ilieva scored nine kills on nine swings at a perfect 1.000 rate in the title win over Binghamton. Against Bryant she posted nine blocks.
• In the America East this year Ilieva hit at .341 efficiency and averaged 1.51 blocks per set. UMBC is 8-2 in the AEC and 17-7 overall.
• Ilieva’s hometown of Vidin sits along the Danube River. She competed for the Bdin-Vida club and Bulgaria’s junior national team.
• Ilieva trained in track and field at young ages before she specialized in volleyball. She excelled as a sprinter and high jumper.

Excerpt from 2019 AVSR Global report:

“Swift and springy. She’s a dynamic, fast-twitch athlete. … Unusually versatile. … Plays six rotations as a MB/OH and primary passer. … Swing is fast and clean, and she’s outstanding at adjusting to sets.”