Barbara Jelić Ružić

Barbara Jelić Ružić (born Jelić ; born May 8, 1977 in Novo mesto , SR Slovenia ) is a former Croatian national volleyball player .

Barbara Ružić measures 1.93 meters and moved to the highly endowed Japanese league at the age of 17, where she stayed for five years and was named the best player in various categories several times.

Playing in the outside and diagonal position, she led the Croatian national team , with her father Ivica Jelić as national coach, to three silver medals at the European Championships in 1995 , 1997 and 1999 , as well as a sensational seventh place at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and a sixth place at the 1998 World Cup in Japan . Barbara Ružić often scored more points than all of her teammates combined. She was the best point collector at the 1998 World Championships, the 1999 World Cup and the Olympic qualification. In 1998, 1999 and 2000 she was voted the best volleyball player in Europe.

After her time in Japan, she played in the Italian and Turkish leagues - interrupting her career when she became a mother - before retiring in 2004. Persuaded by her father, she put on the national jersey again at the 2005 European Championship in her own country to motivate young players. After a convincing third place in group A, eighth place was achieved.

Web links

• Barbara Jelić Ružić in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )