Europeans Abroad: Uzelac leads Fluminense to first-round win in Brazil
News
European volleyball players are spread all over the world during the 2023-2024 club season, playing big roles in their teams. Many of them are currently away from the continent, competing in some of the top leagues on the planet, and we’ll help you follow their journeys by providing periodic updates on how they’re doing.
Brazil
Serbian rising star Aleksandra Uzelac had a strong performance in her first match in the Brazilian Superliga, leading her team Fluminense FC to a straight-set victory over Barueri Volleyball Club on Saturday.
The 19-year-old Serbian led all scorers in the team’s road match, tallying 23 points with 20 kills, two aces and one block, and earned the Most Valuable Player award in her first national match in the country.
The two other European players who also compete in Brazil, Russian Sofya Kuznetsova and Bulgarian Dobriana Rabadzhieva had mixed results with their team Dentil Praia Clube, which on Tuesday swept Associação Atlética São Caetano but on Friday fell in three sets to SESI Vôlei Bauru. The Europeans didn’t appear in the first match and produced four points each in the second.
China
In China, the weekend marked the start of the country’s men’s league and two highly accomplished European players had a positive start in the country where they’re playing for the first time with Shanghai Bright.
Serbian opposite Aleksandar Atanasijević and Polish outside hitter Michał Kubiak tallied 16 and 13 points respectively as their team topped Guangdong Shenzhen Baoan Mingjinhai in straight sets on Sunday.
The Chinese League also started well for Montenegrin outside hitter Ivan Zvicer, who got 20 points, and Serbian opposite Boris Buša, who registered eight, as their team Liaoning Shenfu Yueteng overcame Hebei Baoding in the tie-breaker.
Among the women, Russian Anna Lazareva had a formidable week, leading her team Beijing BAIC Motor to two victories – she scored 35 points against Fujian Anxi Tiekuanyin on Tuesday and another 15 against defending champions Tianjin Bohai Bank, who didn’t count on Turkish star Melissa Vargas due to an injury. Serbian Katarina Lazović, who also plays for Beijing, produced ten points on Tuesday and 13 on Saturday.
On Tuesday, in a match reuniting six European players, Bulgarian middle blocker Hristina Vuchkova (15 points) and Serbian outside hitter Brankica Mihajlović (14) led their team Liaoning Tengda to a three-set victory over the Shenzhen Zhongsai of Serbian Jelena Blagojević (14), Dutch Iris Scholten (nine), Ukrainian Oleksandra Bytsenko (two) and Azeri Mariya Kirilyuk. On Saturday, Mihajlović tallied 16 points and Vuchkova 11 in a sweep of Guangdong Jiangmen Huati.
United States
The American Athletes Unlimited women’s league completed its third season this week and crowned its 2023 champion. The league is played in a different format, with players earning individual points according to their performances and actions on the court.
The only European player to take part in this year’s edition, German opposite Saskia Hippe ranked 15th among the 45 participating players with 2,304 points – she was the fifth-best team in her team in the fifth and final week of the league with 333 points.