Being named a team captain is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a player. However, with this great honor comes a heavy dose of responsibility. Captains lead by example and set a model of excellence for their teammates to follow through their hard work, dedication and accountability. Talent is only one part of the formula. Team captains treat their teammates with respect and are willing to hold them accountable for each and every action on and off the court.
 
Jurja Vlasic is such a leader. The senior from Zagreb, Croatia sets the tone for the Dons with her desire to lead by example, an unbridled passion and enthusiasm for the game and her ability to motivate others and lift team morale. She knows when to speak up and as importantly knows when to keep quiet.
 
Her road to captaincy wasn't an easy one. A serious shoulder injury sidelined her for half of last year and wiped out any chances of competing during the sand season. After undergoing surgery, Vlasic's faith in the long and rigorous rehabilitation process was rewarded when she returned to the court in time for the start of training camp in August.
 
She forms a half of one of the top setting combinations in the West Coast Conference along with junior Kiara McKibben, The duo has set the Dons to victories in their first 13 matches and has been instrumental in USF maintaining one of the top hitting percentages in the WCC.
 
"Jurja exemplifies everything we want players in our program to be," said head coach Gilad Doron. "She works extremely hard, takes volleyball very seriously and is always very well prepared. Her personality and leadership skills are great for her position. She loves responsibility, understands the game and her enthusiasm is very infectious.
 
"Over the past three years, she has experienced some success and has also had some setbacks due to some injuries, which I think have made her more appreciative of all of her opportunities. I'm very happy to see her playing so well because of all of the hard work I know she put in just to get back on the court. It wasn't an easy process."
 
A psychology major, it may come as no secret Vlasic channeled the power of positive thinking throughout her rehabilitation process. She aspires to pursue a career as a sports psychologist after her playing days are over. Hard working and compassionate, Jurja is practices yoga, loves hiking and can be found studying in one of her many favorite coffee houses near campus.
 
"Know Your Dons" is an on-going feature on USFDons.com designed to personalize the student-athletes of the University of San Francisco. Meet the captain, Jurja Vlasic.
 
Student Life
Favorite spot on campus: Gleeson Plaza
Favorite class: Learning, Memory & Cognition because it was interesting to learn how people perceive, think and learn
Hardest class: Biology
Favorite place to study on campus: I used to study on UC Fourth Floor or the library, but now I study only off campus, mostly at Fifty Fifty Coffee House on Geary.
Balancing the demands of school and your sport: I feel balanced when I do my priorities first.
What experience made the biggest impact on you in the classroom? Being accepted in the Honors Psychology program, which allowed me to conduct my own research in the field of Sports Psychology
The best thing about USF is: Diversity
 
Pop Culture
Favorite TV show: Friends & Orange Is the New Black
Favorite movie: Life is Beautiful
Last book you read: You'll See It When You Believe It by Wayne Dyer
Favorite singer or band: They change every month
What's on your iPOD: Chill music
 
Team
Top skill: Charismatic leadership 
One thing you are always working on: Setting
One skill of one of your teammates you wish you had: Oly's (Okaro) vertical jump.
Pre-game rituals or superstitions before events: Visualization at night, breathing exercises in the morning, shower right before the game. I'm not superstitious, rather routine oriented.
Funniest teammate: Kat "The Hammer" Pilepic
Favorite Gilad Doron saying: "Let the game come to you."
Favorite bonding moment with your team: I loved the rope course and hamster balls were amazing, but nothing is as powerful as team hug after the win.
 
Sports
Sports teams I follow: I love watching all sports and follow big events, I don't have specific favorite team.
Favorite athlete: Irina Kirilova
Favorite athletic memory: Junior Croatian National Team
Biggest sports thrill: Making history for Croatia by qualifying to FIVB World Tour Open in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with partner Dalida Vernier. Playing against and watching the best of best in the world of beach volleyball.
My second-best sport: Beach volleyball
Sport I'm the worst at: Golf
Earliest sports memory: When I was three and half years old, my father put me on his back and swam into the depths of the Adriatic Sea. He let me go from his back and I slowly learned how to swim with his help.
First sport you ever played: I did swimming first and then played tennis, quickly learned that I'm not enjoying individual sports.
 
Food and Travel
Favorite meal: Fish from Adriatic Sea with cooked spinach, olive oil and garlic
Favorite ethnic cuisine: Mexican
Favorite snack food: Nuts
Guilty pleasure: Peanut butter
Least favorite food: Mushrooms
If I had to cook all of my meals, I'd survive on: Chicken, carrots and broccoli
Who is the best cook on the team: Sara Staengle
If stranded on an island, what would you bring with you: A book and a volleyball.
Most interesting place you've ever visited: Barcelona
Place you'd most like to visit someday: South Africa
Favorite place in San Francisco: Marin Headlands and Land Ends
Describe your perfect day in San Francisco: Practice in the morning, coffee from Fifty-Fifty, hike in Marin Headlands, watching sunset at Land's End, movies night with my teammates.
 
This and That
Hobbies: Yoga
Pick three words to describe yourself: Hard-working, persistent and loving
Early riser or night owl: Early riser
Something people would be surprised to know about me: I'm not natural setter, when I was younger I always practiced and played as hitter. Switched the positions turning 17
Person I'd most like to meet: Irina Kirilova, amazing setter and great leader
Talent I wish I had: Vertical jump
Role models: My 11-year older brother
My parents were right when they said: "You never know how you will benefit from this experience in the future."
Moment in my life I'll always remember: Summer nights at the balcony in my house on the Croatian coast: watching the sky full of stars, sensing the fresh air and the sea, having great conversations with my best friends, and crying and laughing until the dawn.
Things I collect: Quotes
In 10 years, I'd like to be: A wife, mother and sports psychologist with professional volleyball career behind me.
If I could trade places with someone for a day, it would be: Yvonne Gomez
Three people from history you'd like to have dinner with: Irina Kirilova, Drazen Petrovic and Sigmund Freud
Pet peeves: Bad attitude (indifference and complaining)
Cats or dogs: Dogs
Best advice you've ever received and who was it from: "Think with your own head" from my brother.
Describe your perfect day: Practice in the morning, coffee with my brother, watching big sports event live (e.g. Croatian Final Basketball Championship), and movies night with my three best friends from Croatia.
Tell us about your hometown: Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Simple, interesting architecture, lots of green area, lots of coffee shops.
Describe the student-athlete experience at USF: I love USF. We play in one of the best volleyball conferences in the country. I'm having fun learning material from Psychology classes. I have great support from Athletic Department, great teammates, and excellent coaches. It is never boring in San Francisco, there is always something to do or something to see. Despite numerous challenges on and off the court, I rarely feel homesick. It is just great diverse environment with tons of opportunities on a regular basis.