The head coach of the Serbian women's national team, Zoran Terzic, announced the expanded squad for the upcoming participation in the Volleyball Nations League. Thus, the team that Bulgaria will face on July 8 in Belgrade is now clear.
The Serbian team started preparations at the end of April, with 23 volleyball players currently training at the camp in the Serbian capital. Before the start of the VNL, our western neighbors will also participate in the strong friendly tournament "AIA Cup" in Genoa from May 22 to 24, where they will compete against Italy, Poland, and Turkey.
Among the names in the squad, one of the biggest stars of Serbian volleyball, middle blocker Hena Kurtagic, is logically present. The 20-year-old volleyball player, who is also the girlfriend of Bulgarian national player Alex Nikolov, continues to be a key figure in Terzic's project for rejuvenating the team.
Kurtagic had a strong season at club level and established herself as one of the most promising middle blockers in Europe. She is expected to be one of the main weapons of the Serbian team in the match against Bulgaria.

The Serbian squad also includes experienced players such as Maja Aleksic, Sladjana Mirkovic, and Aleksandra Uzelac, and the combination of proven names and a large number of young volleyball players is striking.

Serbia's expanded squad for VNL 2026:

Setters:
Sladjana Mirkovic, Marija Miljevic, Ana Jaksic

Opposites:
Vanja Bukilic, Tara Taubner, Mina Mijatovic, Anja Zubic

Liberos:
Bojana Gocanin, Stefana Pakic, Aleksandra Jegdic

Middle Blockers:
Maja Aleksic, Hena Kurtagic, Minja Osmajic, Masa Kirov, Jelena Delic, Ljubica Milojevic, Ana Malesevic

Outside Hitters:
Aleksandra Uzelac, Vanja Ivanovic, Branka Tica, Jovana Cvetkovic, Nina Cajic, Nadja Antonovic
It is noteworthy that the big star Tijana Boskovic is not included in Serbia's expanded squad. The captain of our western neighbors is absent from the group of 23 volleyball players who started preparations for the VNL in Belgrade.
Another significant absence in the Serbian squad is Katarina Dangubic. The outside hitter of Turkish giant VakifBank recently underwent surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament of her left knee after a severe injury sustained during the Champions League semifinals, and will certainly be out of play for a long time.

It is interesting that our national team already defeated Serbia in the last edition of the tournament. On June 8, 2025, Bulgaria started its participation in the VNL with a dramatic 3:2 (12:25, 25:19, 25:16, 10:25, 17:15) victory over the Serbian team in Ottawa. The victory was one of only three for the "lionesses" in the tournament last season.

Photos: Nikolay Varadinov and X