Binghamton volleyball entered the 2025 season as the reigning America East regular-season champions. But after welcoming 11 newcomers to the roster, the Bearcats looked much different from the team that captured a conference title just a year earlier. One of those additions quickly became one of the team’s most vital players.

Senior outside hitter Merima Smajlovic arrived at Binghamton after spending three seasons at Seattle University and immediately became a key contributor to the Bearcats’ lineup. Serving as one of the team’s captains, Smajlovic brought experience and stability to a roster undergoing significant change. She appeared in all 100 sets across Binghamton’s 26 matches, helping the Bearcats finish 12-14 overall and 6-4 in America East play. Binghamton earned a spot in the America East Championship, where it pushed top-seeded UMBC to five sets before falling 3-2 in the semifinals.

The senior made the rest of the court feel her presence in nearly every aspect of the game. She recorded a team-high 349 kills while adding 315 digs, 45 total blocks, 17 service aces and 12 assists. She posted 15 double doubles and finished fourth in the conference in kills per set at 3.49 and points per set at 4.15, while ranking sixth in digs per set at 3.15.

Her production earned her America East First Team All-Conference honors and two America East Player of the Week selections. She was also named to the Binghamton Invitational and Black Knight Invitational All-Tournament Teams.

Several performances showcased Smajlovic’s ability to impact matches in multiple ways. Against Fordham on Aug. 29, she recorded 16 kills and a season-high 28 digs. Less than a month later, she posted 21 kills and 13 digs in a four-set victory over Southern Illinois Edwardsville. Those performances reflected the kind of player she was throughout the season, one who consistently contributed on both ends of the court.

“You know, [Smajlovic] was really consistent for us tonight,” head coach Allie Yaeger said after Binghamton defeated the University of New Hampshire on Oct. 17. “With her, you kind of always know what you’re going to get and that’s consistency.”

Although she spent just one season at Binghamton, Smajlovic arrived with an accomplished resume. In three years at Seattle, she totaled 448 kills, 650 digs, 80 aces and 74 blocks across 71 matches. She carried that experience with her to Vestal and quickly became one of the conference’s top all-around players.

For a team integrating new faces and trying to remain competitive in the America East, Smajlovic provided something invaluable. Her statistics placed her among the conference’s best players, but her steady presence may have been just as important to the team. In only one season in green and white, Smajlovic became a leader, a reliable source of production and one of the driving forces behind another postseason appearance for the Bearcats, influencing her selection as Pipe Dream’s Female Athlete of the Year.