Varaždin, Croatia, June 22, 2019. She might be the shortest person in today’s final of the CEV European Golden League, but Nikolina Bozicevic is a proof that height isn’t everything in Volleyball. The Croatian libero, who shone in the semi-final against Spain, finished a successful club season with her team Vasas Obuda BUDAPEST.
The libero position is perhaps the most humbling one on the volleyball court. Those players who lead the scoreboard often cast a shadow on their teammates who work in defense. But Nikolina Bozicevic found appreciation in the Hungarian League, receiving three MVP awards throughout the last season with Vasas Obuda. Following successful few months with her club, who reached the 8th Finals phase of the 2019 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup, she is now facing a chance to win the gold medal with Croatia at #EuroLeagueW.
The 24-year old libero always wanted to play volleyball and follow the steps of her mother who used to be a volleyball player. That desire grew in her since she was 5, but she tried different disciplines at first. When the chance of joining an amateur club appeared, Bozicevic jumped at the opportunity.
The libero position wasn’t the first choice for Nikolina, who began her volleyball journey as an outside-spiker. While coaches suggested she should give it a go, Bozicevic stuck with the outside-spiker position until her teenage years when she eventually gave in and became a libero. “I was maybe a little bit too old to change position, but I liked it then and I stayed as a libero,” she recalls.
“You don’t have to be so tall as a libero. More importantly you need to be fast,” Bozicevic explains after laughing about her height. Putting aside the physical attributes, the 1.63m tall Croatian thinks the right approach is the most difficult part of being a libero: “The most difficult part is that you have to get used to not scoring points. You are there to defend and push your teammates to play better. You have to be a team player. This should not be hard, but you need to have this thought inside you.”
Nikolina Bozicevic is one of the athletes who enjoy using social media to connect with fans.
After finishing her season in the Hungarian league, Bozicevic is now hoping to test her skills in a new league. And while she is still growing and learning her craft, Nikolina mentions a libero idol she looks up to - Italian Monica De Gennaro, who in Nikolina’s opinion is the best libero in the world.
Outside volleyball, Nikolina is one of the players who most actively use social media channels. “I treat Instagram like a hobby. I think that nowadays marketing and sports go together and I like to do it. Would I like to do it more in the future for fun? Why not. But volleyball comes first right now,” she concludes.
The #EuroLeagueW final between Croatia and Czech Republic will begin tonight at 18:00 CET. You can follow the match live at eurovolley.tv.