Slađana Drezić: We Want a European Medal as a Birthday Gift for the Club

In recent seasons, Vojvodina has been dominating the women's domestic water polo scene. They have won four consecutive "double crowns," and this season the ambitions have grown. In Novi Sad, they dream of success on the international stage.

The first step was successful. In the Challenger Cup qualification tournament in Novi Sad, the "red-whites" finished in second place and secured a spot among the top eight in the relatively new European competition, launched last season.

"Voša" entered the season with a changed team. Good reinforcements were brought in line with the ambitions.

"We kept the core of the team. Russian Hamzajeva left, and we also lost Lolita Avdić, who moved to the Italian Civitavecchia, but practically we could not count on her last season due to injury. We had several new players. Experienced Jovana Pantović returned to the club and will only play in the Challenger Cup. Jovana Radonjić came from Red Star, as well as Brazilian Jennifer Pereira Calvacante, who has proven to be a great addition," says Sladjana Drezgic, the Vojvodina coach, in an interview for the UVTS website.

The start of the European season came at an inconvenient time, both for Vojvodina and for our other representative in Europe, ŽVK Crvena zvezda.

The domestic championship has not yet begun, and the Challenger Cup matches were our first official games of the season. It is always necessary for the team to gel, for new players to adapt. It was very helpful for us to have had training matches with quality teams shortly before the qualifications, such as Turkish Galatasaray and Romanian Unirea, also participants in the Challenger Cup."

Aside from the inconvenient timing, Sladjana Drezgic highlights another issue.

"The players still remember Vojvodina's debut on the European stage last season and the unlucky elimination when we were only one goal away from passing to the Fina.

Vojvodina hosted Maltese Sliema, British Manchester, and the winner of the first edition of the Challenger Cup, Turkish Izmir in the qualifications. After a convincing victory over Sliema in the first round (20:5), it was clear that they could secure advancement in the second round. And they did so, defeating Manchester (14:9).

Finally, against Izmir, the 2024 Challenger Cup winner, they lost 8:13 and progressed from the second spot in the group. The Vojvodina water polo players kept pace with the Turkish team for nearly two quarters, but then faltered, eventually softening the defeat in the final stages.

"We achieved the win over Manchester primarily thanks to good defense. Midway through the match, we gained a crucial advantage with a series of five consecutive goals. The defense worked very well in that match; it was the basis for the victory.

Perhaps we didn't approach the last game properly. The reasons for that could be found in the fact that progress to the next phase was already secured, and the opposing team had two Olympians, Australian Daniela Jacković, a silver medalist with Australia in Paris, and Canadian Emma Wright, which also had a psychological impact on our team. We managed to stop the left-handed Canadian but not the Australian representative. The girls tried, but our shooting was off, we missed many chances with a player advantage. I believe that this Vojvodina team has the quality to perform better and could have made the game more competitive."

The most important thing is that we achieved the goal, qualifying for the second phase, but the first phase of the tournament showed that we still have a lot to work on, especially in the attack and self-confidence."

Next Up: The Fight for the Final Four and Higher Goals

The first goal has been fulfilled, but there are still several steps to go. Novi Sad's team knows that more serious and difficult tasks lie ahead.

"Our desire is to win a medal in the Challenger Cup and thereby celebrate the jubilee of Water Polo Club Vojvodina, which marks its 90th anniversary next year. Five years ago, for the 85th anniversary, we brought the first senior state champion title to Water Polo Club Vojvodina and rounding off that cycle with the first European medal.

From December 6 to 8, Vojvodina will play in the second, quarterfinal phase of the Challenger Cup. They will once again be the hosts, welcoming Portuguese Benfica, Croatian runner-up Mladost, and German Blau-Weiß from Bochum. The first two teams advance to the Final Four.

"Benfica was the most pleasant surprise of the first phase of the competition. They took first place in a demanding group in Alba Iulia, considering it was one of the highest quality groups alongside the Novi Sad group. They have several very experienced players in their squad."

Zagreb’s Mladost owes Vojvodina from the previous season. In the qualifiers last year, Novi Sad's team finished third in the group with the same number of points as the first-placed Jadran and second-placed Mladost, but due to the lowest score in head-to-head matches, Vojvodina "fell below the line." The two teams met in the last round, and in the last minute and a half, Mladost made the necessary score that sent both Croatian clubs to the "Final Six."

"Compared to last season, Mladost has rejuvenated. They reached the second phase with three convincing wins, but honestly, they did not have a tough group. However, Zagreb’s team still has a very quali...

Benfica is the favorite, and with the other two teams, we will probably fight for advancement. I expect a very competitive tournament. Basically, anyone can beat anyone, and it is possible that in the end, a circle of several teams with the same number of points will be formed. There will be many matches where nuances will decide, and the psychological preparedness of the teams can play an important role."

Concerning domestic competitions, Vojvodina is once again aiming for the "double crown," the fifth in a row. The season has not started yet, the schedule has not been announced, but it is certain that Novi Sad's team will have easier tasks on the domestic scene this season.

"In a way, a senior team, as our team is young with several junior players. Red Star has rejuvenated, Palilula, which was once a serious rival, is restarting.

We Are No Longer Standing Still, But Moving Backward

The situation in the clubs inevitably raises, still a painful issue, the state of women's water polo.

"Every club with a women's team does its best to maintain and improve that team, to develop younger categories. But, clubs alone cannot do it if we don't have any system. Players, who are very young, leave, abandon water polo, go abroad...

When it comes to the development of our women's water polo, I think we are no longer stagnating but moving backward. The results of the national teams both in the senior and younger categories tell everything and are the only true measure. Both at the club and national team levels, countries that used to be behind us, such as Turkey or Israel, are catching up or have already overtaken us.

In 2026, Belgrade will host the European Championship, and it seems that few are thinking about what kind of women's national team we will have for that tournament.

The base exists. For example, the 2008 generation of water polo players has potential but no results. It is obvious that we lack a good system through which they should progress."

Clubs Deserve Respect, But a System is Needed

Sladjana Drezgic points out that many countries have recognized that by investing in and introducing a good system in women's water polo, a good result can be achieved faster than in men's water polo, citing Israel and Turkey as examples. An excellent example is the club from Novi Sad.

Vojvodina has paid a lot of attention to its women's water polo team and school in recent years. The senior team debuted in the Serbian Championship in 2012. Since then, we have won four titles, played in Europe. However, even for Vojvodina's first team, the question of who will play next season is up in the air. It depends on many factors, with finances being key.

We are developing and working with younger categories, trying to gather as many girls as possible, to be a base for women's water polo in Vojvodina. One of the advantages of Novi Sad, as well as Belgrade compared to smaller places, in attracting young athletes, not just water polo players, is that many of them come to big cities for education. We, among other things, want to keep those girls who leave their city or club because of school in water polo. We prepare them to join the first team if there is a generational change.

I commend all clubs; they do everything they can to ensure the survival of women's water polo, but we need a system to move forward.