Rising star Kurtagić revels in maiden Final Four experience

At only 20 years of age, Hena Kurtagić is making waves in the CEV Champions League Women. In her debut season, the Serbian middle blocker has become one of the top players in her position, being nominated for the All-Star team in the European premium competition.

But now, the stakes are higher. With her side, Numia Vero Volley Milano qualified for the Final Four in Istanbul, after two clear wins against Eczacıbaşı Dynavit Istanbul in the quarter-finals, Kurtagić has a chance to win her maiden international trophy.

She went close, last season, when she played the final of the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup with Neptunes de Nantes, conceding a loss against Novara. But now, the anticipation is building up for the up-and-coming middle blocker.

“It's a really amazing experience for me. I still don't have a feeling that I'm playing in the Final Four right now. I think this feeling will come as soon as the first game starts. I'm really proud of my team that we survived, I mean, that we managed to qualify here because we had a lot of ups and downs during the season,” said Kurtagić after the team’s arrival in Istanbul.

Indeed, Numia Vero Volley Milano were one of the favourites for the title this season, after finishing as runners-up in the previous season, conceding a loss in the final against A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano, the team which they will be facing in the first semi-final on Saturday, and the team which denied Milano the title in Italy a few days ago.

In the 4th round, Milano had five wins and one loss, but that loss against VakifBank saw them finish second, with the same number of points, but one set less won throughout the six matches, as their 3:1 win against the Turkish side was not enough to propel them to the first place.

But then, the Italian powerhouse swept SSC Palmberg Schwerin in the play-offs, 3:0 and 3:0, and Eczacıbaşı Dynavit Istanbul in the quarter-finals, 3:0 and 3:0, with some exquisite performances from their roster, and Kurtagić herself, as the Serbian middle blocker became a key cog in the Italian side.

“This is really a big success for the team, because we played all the finals until now, and I hope this will be also be the case again, one more final we're gonna play. But it's not going to be easy, we have really strong opponents, so we will try to give our best and enjoy the moment on this Final Four,” adds Kurtagić.

Her ascent has been truly meteoric and while it’s not uncommon to see young players perform at this level, Kurtagić looks like a generational talent, with skill, excitement and passion for the game.

Kurtagić has 23 kill blocks this season – the fourth largest number in the competition, with 0.82 kill blocks per set, one of the best averages this season. And she says this performance is owing to her fantastic teammates, as Milano really have some excellent experience between them on the court and in the roster.

“I'm practicing and playing with good players, so I think just this, they teach me how to act and how to act in the court on this big competitions. So I don't have any feeling about that because I just enjoy play volleyball,” adds the Serbian middle blocker.

Yet how did ascension start? How did Kurtagić get into volleyball? 

“I started with volleyball, because I needed the grading class on school. So that's why I had to start playing volleyball.
So I started and in that moment everything just came one by one. Because without school I probably won't even start,” says Kurtagić.

And what is the secret for her excellent game?

“Patience and kind personality, maybe? I don’t know what to say,” smiles Milano’s middle blocker.