IZN_2020_W_SER_ITA_034

Serbia’s Maja Ognjenovic and Tijana Boskovic at Tokyo 2020

Maja Ognjenovic is back! The prominent playmaker is part of the extended roster of 30 players Serbia’s new head coach Giovanni Guidetti called up for the upcoming 2023 season in the Volleyball Nations League. The names of as many as 13 of the 14 athletes, who defended Serbia’s title at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship appear on the list, officially announced by the national federation.

38-year-old Ognjenovic is one of the best setters of all time, a true legend of Serbian volleyball and a key member of the country’s golden generation, contributing to most of their national team’s major achievements this century.

She played when Serbia won the first major international medal in their history, the 2006 World Championship bronze. She played when Serbia won their first Olympic medal, the Rio 2016 silver. She played when Serbia conquered the World Championship title in 2018. She played when Serbia won their second Olympic medal, the Tokyo 2020 bronze. These are just four of a total of 16 medals Ognjenovic collected from major world-level or continental-level competitions with the national team. She was named the Best Setter of the European Championships as many as four times, in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. Besides her glorious club career, the distinguished playmaker’s number of national team caps has already reached 302 and counting…

Ognjenovic skipped the entire 2022 national team season and did not take part in winning her country’s second world title. However, she will be back in 2023, saying that Olympic gold at Paris 2024 is her greatest motivation.

“I am convinced we can do it, and above all that we will go to our fifth consecutive Olympics,” she said in a Sportklub interview. “I expect us to qualify in China. Our pool will be difficult, but there are no easy ones. In any case, I am here to help the national team as much as possible. I can't wait until we all get together again…

“Giovanni asked me several times if I really wanted to continue playing for the national team. It was a little funny to me, and quite strange to him that my answer was positive every time. I explained to him that this is my team and that these are my girls, that I belong here and that I don't feel any problem to come back to the team after a year's break and take my place. Age is really not a problem for me. As long as I deliver what I can and what I expect, I will not think about the end of my career.”

The national team will commence preparations for the new season on May 3 in Belgrade. However, Ognjenovic is among those who will not show up on that day because of ongoing club duties. In fact, her Turkish team Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul will participate in the CEV Champions League final on May 20, after which she will take some time off to rest and will most likely join her Serbian teammates for July’s VNL Finals in the United States, if they qualify.

Serbia will launch their VNL 2023 campaign on May 31 in Antalya. In competition week two, they will play in Brasilia and then travel to Suwon for the last week of the Preliminary Phase. Later in the season, the team has the CEV European Championship from August 15 through September 3, before travelling to China from September 16 through 24 for the FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifier, where they will compete with the home team, Canada, Czechia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Netherlands and Ukraine for two spots at the 2024 Olympic Games.

The only notable absence from Guidetti’s list among those who triumphed as 2022 world titleholders is the name of experienced outside hitter, two-time world champion, two-time Olympic medallist and Rio 2016 Dream Teamer Brankica Mihajlovic.

Serbia women’s national team full roster:

Setters: Ana Jaksic, Andrea Tisma, Bojana Drca, Maja Ognjenovic, Marija Miljevic, Sladjana Mirkovic
Opposites: Ana Bjelica, Jovana Zelenovic, Tara Taubner, Tijana Boskovic
Outside hitters: Aleksandra Uzelac, Bjanka Busa, Bojana Milenkovic, Branka Tica, Isidora Kockarevic, Jovana Cvetkovic, Katarina Lazovic, Mina Mijatovic, Sara Lozo
Middle blockers: Hena Kurtagic, Iva Sucurovic, Jovana Kocic, Jovana Stevanovic, Maja Aleksic, Mina Popovic, Minja Osmajic
Liberos: Aleksandra Jegdic, Bojana Gocanin, Stefana Pakic, Teodora Pusic

  • Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 on VBTV