PITMAN, NJ --- Stockton University senior outside hitter Nicole Palmer (Islip Terrace, NY/East Islip) has been named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Women's Volleyball Player of the Year for the third time in her career to headline an impressive slate of award winners and all-conference honorees.
 
Additionally, William Paterson University junior Bella Demers (Maumee, OH/Maumee) was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season; Montclair State University freshman Aleena Whitehead (San Antonio, TX/Ronald Reagan) is the Rookie of the Year; and Rowan University head coach Casey Burford and her staff were tabbed the Joy Solomen Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
In total, 22 student-athletes earned all-conference recognition for the fall 2026 season. All-conference and major award selections were determined by a vote of the league's head coaches and were based on conference-only performances.
 
Palmer, now a four-time First Team All-Conference selection, adds a third Player of the Year award to the honors she earned in 2023 and 2024. A four-time NJAC Player of the Week this fall, the senior led the conference in both kills per set (4.18) and points per set (4.82) in league play. Her 117 kills tied for the most in the NJAC, and her 15 service aces ranked fifth in the league at 0.54 per set. Palmer also contributed in the back row with 85 digs (3.04 per set) across 28 conference sets, recording double-doubles in four NJAC matches, including a 17-kill, 22-dig effort in a win over Montclair State.
 
Demers, now a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, anchored the William Paterson back row once again. A two-time NJAC Defensive Player of the Week this season, the junior libero led the conference with 5.46 digs per set in league play, totaling 131 digs in 24 conference sets. Demers posted double-figure digs in all but two matches this season, including seven of eight NJAC matches, and topped 20 digs in four conference matches. She also earned Second Team All-Conference recognition for the second straight season.
 
Whitehead made an immediate impact as a freshman, earning NJAC Rookie of the Year honors as one of the league's top defenders. The libero was named NJAC Defensive Player of the Week four times this season, the most of any player in the conference. In conference play, Whitehead led the NJAC with 173 digs and ranked second with 5.41 digs per set across 32 sets. She recorded double-figure digs in all but two matches this season, including all eight NJAC matches, highlighted by a season-high 35 digs in a win at New Paltz. She also earned Second Team All-Conference recognition.
 
Burford, a Rowan alumna, along with assistants Matt Verlinghieri, Emma Gosbin, Jena Kaul, Jared Morales and Julia Bowes guided the Profs through a season of transition in her first year at the helm, earning Joy Solomen Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Picked fourth in the NJAC preseason coaches' poll, Rowan went 26-3 overall and a perfect 8-0 in conference play to claim the NJAC regular season title, and the Profs are receiving votes in the AVCA national poll. Rowan placed a league-high five players on the all-conference team, including First Team selections Abby Chadwick and Jessica Smart.
 

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