"There are not many women coaches": Blagojević ready to make her mark in #CLVolleyW quarterfinals

"Women coaches are rare - I want to change that," Jelena Blagojević said a few months ago, imagining that her first opportunity as a head coach might come in two or three seasons. The chance arrived much sooner than expected. By mid-February, the Serbian legend had already stepped into the role, and will now guide KS DevelopRes Rzeszów in the quarterfinals of the CEV ZEREN Group Champions League Volley 2026 | Women.

KS DevelopRes Rzeszów topped Pool E and was one of five teams who qualified directly to the quarterfinals, back then Jelena Blagojević was an assistant coach by head coach Cesar Hernandez Gonzalez, who she replaced in mid-February due to decision of the club's board. She became only the fifth woman - and the first foreign woman - to hold a head coaching position in the history of the Tauron Liga. Now, she is set to make her debut in the role in the #CLVolleyW quarterfinals against Eczacıbaşı Istanbul.

"I was a little bit surprised by the club’s decision because everything happened very quickly," Blagojević admitted. "It's also a special moment because we are getting close to the end of the season, so there hasn't been much time to prepare, to set some rules or work on tactical details. We have basically been playing every three days. But I'm happy for this opportunity. In the last few TauronLiga matches I felt good about the way the team was working. I'm satisfied with our progress so far, but I hope we can improve even more and prepare well for the upcoming games in the domestic league and in the Champions League."

Now 37, Jelena Blagojević enjoyed a highly successful playing career. A two-time #EuroVolleyW champion and an Olympic bronze medalist from Tokyo, she made her final appearance for the Serbian national team after winning silver at the 2021 #EuroVolleyW, co-hosted by Serbia.

At club level, Blagojević played in Serbia, Italy, Türkiye, China and Poland. She spent eight seasons in the Polish league - including six in the jersey of DevelopRes - gaining valuable experience on the biggest Volleyball stages.

Throughout her career, she already knew that one day she wanted to share that experience with the next generation by staying in the sport as a coach.

"I always knew that after my playing career I wanted to stay in Volleyball and become a coach. In my last years, from the moment I stopped playing for the national team, I had the opportunity to stay with the Serbian team as an assistant coach thanks to Daniele Santarelli, and later also thanks to Giovanni Guidetti, who included me in their staff. For me it was a great experience to see Volleyball from another angle and to learn a lot about this job."

She eventually retired as a player after the 2024/2025 season with Budowlani Łódź and immediately returned to Rzeszów, this time as an assistant coach.

A few months ago, in one of her interviews, Blagojević pointed to another challenge she hopes to address in her new role. "I feel sorry that there are only a few women coaches. I think there should be more, and I hope that with my work I can help change that," she said.

Asked about a potential role model, she mentioned one of the most iconic names in Volleyball history. "There are not many women coaches. Lang Ping is definitely the most successful women’s coach and one of the most successful coaches in general in Volleyball history, so she could definitely be a role model. I also had the opportunity to play in China, so I heard many great things about her."

Now Blagojević has the chance to become only the second female coach to reach the #CLVolleyW Final Four - after Lang Ping, who led Volley Modena to the Champions League title in the 2000/01 season. It will not be an easy task. DevelopRes’ quarterfinal opponent is Eczacıbaşı Istanbul - the same team the Polish side faced at the same stage of the competition in the 2022/2023 season, when Blagojević was still on the court as a player for DevelopRes.

"We are very happy to have this opportunity to play at this stage of the competition and to face one of the best teams in Europe," Blagojević said. "Eczacıbaşı have great players and a great coach, so of course they are the favourites. But we will give our best and try to play our best volleyball. If we do that, I believe we can have our chances and we will try to use them. Competing with the best and trying to give our best - that's what this is about. The Turkish league is probably one or two levels above ours, but this is also a great opportunity for us to play against top players. We will try to use that chance and enjoy the game."