VINCENNES, Ind. - The Vincennes University volleyball team recently added another piece to its puzzle for the 2019 season.

Trailblazer Coach Gary Sien has confirmed Olga Vasovic of Belgrade, Serbia, has made her pledge to the Trailblazer volleyball program.

Vasovic is the daughter of Goran and Snezana Vasovic and plans to major in economics while at VU.

“Olga is someone who can play in all six rotations and can play well on both the left and right sides,” Sien stated. “We really like her skill set and think she will fit right in with our program.”

Vasovic is a 6-foot-1 outside hitter which adds to the plethora of hitters Sien will have at his disposal this upcoming season.

“We do not really lose a whole lot from last year’s team as we bring back the bulk of our offense,” the coach said. “We bring back eight players and six of them are hitters. So in addition to this recruiting class we should have 10 or 11 hitters/blockers to work with.”

Sien mentioned his program likes to bring in players who can add more than just one element to the program. With Vasovic accustomed to playing within the international rules, it helped mold her into the type of player Sien looks for in his recruits.

“In the U.S. in college you get to have 15 substitutions, whereas in international you only have six substitutions (per se), so if you go in and out you are done,” the VU coach explained. “So it helped hone her into an all-around player. She can play the back row just as well as the average sized back-row player.”

Vasovic also comes from an athletic family. Her father was a member of the Serbian National Basketball Team during his junior years and played for an elite Serbian team called Partizan before injuries mounted to halt his playing. Her older sister, Sonjaa Vasovic, played NCAA Division I volleyball at Siena College and was part of the 2014 team that won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title. Sonja was also named to the MAAC All-tournament Team in 2014 and is currently a graduate assistant coach at Chicago State University.

Sien noted that having her older sister in the United States, plus the success of the VU program over the past couple of years, are reasons VU appealed to Olga.

“With her sister being over here already, she is familiar with the programs in the U.S.,” Sien said. “And I just think with what we have been able to do these last three years and being in [NJCAA] Division I helps. We also have the reputation of recruiting international and we have been getting just an incredible amount of response to potential international recruits.

“Word of mouth is really doing a lot for our program,” Sien concluded.

Olga contacted the VU program through email in which she sent video of her playing. Sien mentioned the two have had several conversations through Skype and her English language skills are already exceptional.

Olga is currently a member of the Dunav Volleyball Club in Belgrade. Club coach Vladimir Milosevic spoke highly of the future Trailblazer.

“She competes at both junior and senior levels,” Milosevic said. “She can be utilized as an outside hitter due to her consistent serve/receive as well as right-side hitter where she can show off her powerful swing and strong blocking ability. She is a well-trained, skilled player who can contribute to the team in many areas.”

In addition to her skills on the court, both her club coach and future coach at VU stated Olga is just as great off the court.

“She has many different qualities as a person,” Milosevic said. “She is responsible, always a positive attitude, a great leader, and just a hard working individual who is persistent and committed to success.”

Sien added, “She is someone who is very goal-oriented and she knows what she wants to do and is using her volleyball skills to come over here and achieve those. She is very serious about her studies and we just feel like she is going to be a great fit here.”

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MARCIA MARTINEZ, Sports Information Director & University Life Reporter
812-888-4164 office, 314-599-1519 cell, VUNews@vinu.edu, mmartinez@vinu.edu
VINCENNES UNIVERSITY, Department of University Relations, www.vinu.edu/news/newsroom