Vlasic plans a volley good TN season
TEAM Northumbria’s Croatian captain has warned the club’s volleyball rivals the Sport Central side has targeted a clean sweep of domestic honours this season.
Jurja Vlasic is one of only two returning players on Dave Goodchild’s women’s roster.
The Northumbria University Masters student is hungry for revenge following dramatic defeats at the hands of derby rivals Durham last season.
She said: “We are good enough to be at the top this season.
“We are going to be very competitive and I can already see it is going to be extremely tough to play against us.
“We are going for all of the championships and all of the trophies. We expect to win them all.”
Traditionally TN set the benchmark for women’s volleyball in the UK.
However, North East rivals Durham won both the BUCS Championship and knocked TN out of the Super 8s play-offs earlier this year.
Those defeats still prey on the mind of an ambitious Vlasic and she added: “Last year Durham were the only team who had the better of us.
“They managed to beat us in two of the biggest games of the season but both matches went to five sets. We were not far away.
“We are a new team with plenty to prove.
“There are players with no history against Durham - which might be a good thing - but it is important they are aware of what that rivalry means and where this season’s threat could come from.”
Vlasic and Paige Fullerton are the only survivors from a 2016/17 roster which included longserving duo Whitney Phillips and Magda Ropiak for the last time.
However, Goodchild has bolstered the TN ranks with a raft of fresh and exciting talent more than capable of returning the Tynesiders to the top of the volleyball pile.
Vlasic said: “Already - after the first full week of training - it feels good to have a new group of players.
“Only two of us are returning and having so many players coming in fresh has been a great experience.
“Everyone is eager to give their very best and everyone is buying into what coach Goodchild is trying to do here.”