29°c A few clouds
15°c Cloudy periods
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Her time is now
But sophomore sensation was on Wesmen's radar at a young age
Ozana Nikolic sat out her Grade 10 volleyball season but missed the game so much, she asked to practise with the Wesmen. Now, she is a Wesmen. (PHOTOS BY JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Ozana Nikolic
Ozana Nikolic was only in Grade 10 when she walked into coach Diane Scott's office to ask if she could practise with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen women's volleyball team.
You'd have to give Nikolic points for creativity. That day she was just trying to find a place to play.
Fast forward four years, the 19-year-old Nikolic is in her second season with the Wesmen after being named CIS and Canada West rookie of the year last season.
"I remember the look on her face that day but Diane didn't laugh, so that was good," Nikolic, a left-side player who is working toward her degree in science, said with a smile. "She explained I had to attend the university to play for the Wesmen, but that's when I started to get to know Diane and what university volleyball was all about. I've tried to make it an opportunity to learn and grow, to become a better person as well as a better student and athlete."
A graduate of the U of W Collegiate, Nikolic is already in a leadership role on the team, thanks to her athletic ability and upbeat personality.
"Ozana understands about being part of a team," Scott said. "Her life is part of a team."
Nikolic is the eldest of Marko and Zeljana Nikolic's six daughters. Her five sisters are aged 6, 8, 11, 13 and 17.
"I have my own volleyball team at home," Nikolic said, laughing.
While her five siblings were born in Canada, Nikolic was born in Croatia. Her parents, one Serbian and one Croatian, left the former Yugoslavia to escape the Bosnian War. Nikolic was 15 months old when the family moved to Canada in 1995.
Hers is a close-knit family, which was why Nikolic's hectic schedule of school and volleyball at first seemed too much. But after sitting out her Grade 10 year, she returned the following year.
"She played so well, my husband and I looked at each other and said, 'Nothing is going to stop her,' " said Ozana's mom Zeljana, noting Nikolic developed as a player despite never attending development camps for financial and family reasons. "Our focus is really on our family time and not to be that ambitious unless there is really such a gift as Ozana has. She has talent, which in a way, scared us. What is going to happen with our little child? But we are very proud of her and very happy. We are very faithful and it is clearly a gift from God."
As the Wesmen play this weekend in Regina against the Cougars, Nikolic is second in the conference in kills per set with 4.15 behind Manitoba's Rachel Cockrell (4.42) and second in points per set with 4.62, also behind Cockrell (4.82).
"Oz had a chance to come in last year and play and flourish with a more experienced team. This year, she's taking on more responsibility, she wants more responsibility and she's capable of handling it," Scott said. "Ozana has a confidence about her but at the same time, she loves being part of a team and the kinship of the team. She's comfortable having fun and having support around her but being a leader at the same time."
Nikolic said there's parallels between being part of a big family and part of a team.
"You learn that to win as a team, you have to work as a group, accept each other's faults and differences and work with that as well," she said. "Learn that losing is part of life and the only way to get through it and grow from it is to stick together as a team."
ON TAP
IN WINNIPEG
Today and
Saturday
Bisons women's hockey: Manitoba Bisons vs. UBC Thunderbirds, Max Bell Arena, 7 p.m.
ON THE ROAD
Bisons men's hockey: at UBC, today and Saturday
Wesmen women's and men's volleyball: at Regina, today and Saturday
Bisons women's and men's volleyball: at UBC Okanagan, today and Saturday
Bisons women's and men's basketball: at Regina, Saturday and Sunday
Wesmen women's and men's basketball: at Brandon, Saturday.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 16, 2012 C3
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Sobey clan to alter city market
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- New crowd plan for Taylor Swift get-together
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Teen on train tracks from York Landing
- Teens face charges after Transcona robbery
- Man wanted after two banks robbed
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Bomber fans wowed by new stadium
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Two Winnipeg teens identified as victims of crash
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Father, daughter seriously injured in ATV crash
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Filipino singer Charice comes out as lesbian; Catholic official says she's in identity crisis
- Baked Alaska: Unusual heat wave hits north, with temps topping 80 degrees (26C) in Anchorage
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- New crowd plan for Taylor Swift get-together
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Sobey clan to alter city market
- Accounts and accountability: UK committee says bankers must take more responsibility
- Youths charged in fatal shooting of chief's grandson, 5, on Alberta reserve
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- Only one workshop to be held on vacant land at The Forks
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Priest kept silent about accusations against Storheim, court hears
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- Geothermal heat coming to some Manitoba First Nations
- Spiralling cost of land raises new home prices
- Baked Alaska: Unusual heat wave hits north, with temps topping 80 degrees (26C) in Anchorage
- Rogers and MTS announce new network sharing agreement
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Door openers being used to break into garages, police warn
- Province formally opens Mental Health Crisis Response Centre
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.