11/03/2021 16:54
Božana Butigan living a dream season in Italy with #EuroVolleyW in sight
News from the National Federations
Zagreb, Croatia, March 11, 2021. Božana Butigan is a 190 cm tall, 20-year-old middle blocker of the Croatian women’s national team, who this season is playing for Italy’s heavyweight A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO under the guidance of Daniele Santarelli - who coincidentally coaches Team Croatia as well. Many would say that this is an ideal combination, because she is a young player with a great future ahead, now placed under the control and supervision of the national team coach who has an insight into her progress.
“I am very happy with the season, very satisfied. I play more than I could have hoped for, the coach gives me a chance all the time and I think I use it well, so I can say that I have been progressing in every way. Sure, I still have a lot to learn, but I can truly say that my season has been successful this far,” she says.
Conegliano is a major force that aims for gold in every competition they contest. That is sometimes not the ideal environment for the development of young players, since such clubs always aim high and for trophies. “I am aware of that, but it is also an additional motive for me to try even harder. The injuries of my teammates in the position of middle blocker also helped me, so I have had many opportunities to play and gain experience,” she continues.
We will be able to check her progress very soon, because from May to the beginning of September, the Croatian national team is due to contest the CEV European Golden League, the FIVB Challenger Cup and finally, as icing on the cake, the EuroVolley, with the pool stage on home soil in Zadar. “I cannot wait to gather with the other girls. I am so looking forward to it, because I have not been home for eight months, and I have not seen anyone, I only talk to my teammates over the phone. I want to show everyone how much I have progressed this season.”
Until then, Božana has one more harvest of medals left. “In the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup, we defeated Busto Arsizio the same evening when my former club HAOK Mladost Zagreb won the Croatian Cup again, for which I congratulate them from the bottom of my heart. In the Cup, but also in the championship, where we are in first place, we are going for gold, but also in the CEV Champions League where we want to lift the trophy for the winning team at the Super Finals in Verona on May 1,” says Božana full of optimism.
While playing in the highly competitive Italian national league, she continues to pursue her education as well. “I am in the second year of the Edward Bernays School of Communication Management, I have passed five of the seven exams this far, I still have two to take, but I think I will manage them as well, because they have an understanding for my professional Volleyball obligations. Moreover, I am very pleased that I have already learned to master the Italian language. My two roommates, who are both Italian, help me a lot, so I constantly ask them something and I learn faster. If it was not for the coronavirus pandemic and the measures that the authorities are now tightening, the season would be perfect,” concludes Butigan.
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