Tijana Bošković

Tijana Bošković (Тијана Бошковић; born 8 March 1997) is a Serbian professional volleyball player.

In 2013, she won a silver medal at the 2013 European Youth Olympic Festival, where she was named the Most Valuable Player and Best Spiker.

In the final against Slovenia, she scored 29 points all by herself, but unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough to win the gold medal for her team.

At just 16 years old, Bošković received a special call-up to join the senior national team in December 2013 for a two-week training session.

Bošković is left-handed and has been one of Serbia's key players ever since her debut with the national team in 2014.

By the age of 21, she had already played in gold medal matches in all major tournaments (Olympic Games, World Championship, and European Championship), and she was one of the players who contributed a lot of winning points for Serbia.

Bošković's record in major championships is nothing short of phenomenal – 10 majors played, reaching the semifinals 9 times and making it to the finals 7 times.

So far, she has never missed standing on the podium in every major she has played, except for her debut year at the 2014 World Championship.

The next year brought an incredible achievement as Bošković played a pivotal role in Serbia's U19 national team securing victory in the 2014 Women's Junior European Volleyball Championship by defeating Slovenia in an exciting five-setter match.

Bošković earned her the well-deserved title of Most Valuable Player, as she topped the scorers with 38 points in the final match.

This victory was a historic moment for Serbian volleyball, as it marked their first gold medal in a junior-level competition.

A year later, Bošković stepped onto the world stage, making her debut with the Serbia national team at the prestigious 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.

Despite being the youngest player on the team, Bošković left an instant impression by emerging as the top scorer for Serbia in many matches.

She showcased her talent by scoring a total of 129 points in eight games, contributing significantly to the team's seventh-place finish.

The iconic American player turned coach, Karch Kiraly, was thoroughly impressed by Bošković's performance, expressing that she is "set for big things."

Kiraly's words of praise acknowledged Bošković's exceptional talent and hinted at a promising future for her in the world of volleyball."'I'm still trying to understand how she's still only 17 years-old. She's far beyond her years and if she's only 17 she's got an incredibly bright future. She's going to be a big and important player for Serbia for many years to come. She understands the game well, she can take these high swings and she's a handful.'"Bošković, who joined the team shortly before the start of the tournament, was pleasantly surprised to receive the national team call-up and felt grateful for the opportunity."'I didn't imagine that I would play at the World Championship. I'm very happy just for the fact that I'm here. It's for sure a wonderful experience for me and for my future.'"Despite being one of the least experienced players, Bošković participated in the tournament after her triumph at the 2014 Women's Junior European Volleyball Championship.

Serbia's head coach, Zoran Terzic, revealed that Bošković had only trained with the senior national team for a mere three or four days before the World Championship.

He explained that his plan was to include her in this tournament as preparation for the upcoming 2015 European Championship and the 2016 Olympic Games.

Bošković achieved her first medal with the senior national team by clinching the silver at the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup.

The team's victory over Turkey in straight sets earned them the bronze medal at the 2015 Women's European Volleyball Championship.

She is also a two-time Olympic medalist, having won silver at the 2016 Rio Games and bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

This competition served as a qualification event for the Olympic Games, and Serbia's second-place finish secured their spot at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Bošković, emerging as Serbia's leading scorer, tallied a total of 159 points.

Notably, she ranked among the top three highest scorers in the tournament and was the youngest player to be featured in the top 10 scorers' list.

Bošković made her first appearance in the Women's European Volleyball Championship and secured her first medal in a major tournament.

In the following year, Bošković and the team accomplished a remarkable feat by winning a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

This achievement marked Serbia's first-ever medal in Olympic Games volleyball history.

Bošković, alongside Brankica Mihajlović, led the team to the final, delivering outstanding performances in a thrilling five-set match against the world's number one and undefeated team in the tournament, the United States.

At the age of 19, Bošković emerged as a sensational talent and a key offensive force for Serbia throughout the tournament.

Her outstanding performance placed her among the top three scorers in the competition.

She not only led Serbia in scoring but also secured the second spot in serving, following her teammate Milena Rašić.

In a historic achievement, Bošković recorded 10 aces and became the first player in Olympic Games history to achieve serve speeds exceeding 100 km/h.

After a successful 2016 with Serbia, Bošković continued to shine at the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix.

She has won gold medals with the Serbia women's national volleyball team at the 2018 and 2022 World Championships, and the 2017 and 2019 European Championships.

Being selected for the 2019 European Volleyball Confederation Female Volleyball Player of the Year award, Bošković has recorded an impressive achievement by receiving that award for three consecutive years (2017, 2018, 2019).

Bošković became the first woman to spike and serve at a speed exceeding 110 km/h.

During the Eczacıbaşı Dynavit–Imoco Volley Conegliano match at the 2022 FIVB Club World Championship, Bošković broke the women's world record for the fastest serve at a lightning speed of 111.4 km/h.

Not stopping there, she also smashed her own record for spike speed by hitting the ball at an incredible 110.9 km/h in the same game.

This puts her as the second-fastest spiker in women's volleyball history, sharing the spot with Annie Drews, just behind Paola Egonu.

Bošković began her national volleyball team career when she was just 15 years old, joining the Serbian junior team.