The Bowling Green State University volleyball program and head coach Danijela Tomic announced the signing of Marija Tabak Thursday afternoon.
Tabak, a 6-foot outside hitter from Split, Croatia, will join the Falcons after playing for Salt Lake Community College this past season.
“We are thrilled to welcome Marija to BGSU and our volleyball program,” said Tomic. “We are excited that she is starting her journey as a Falcon in January, so she can be with us in the gym during spring training.
“Marija comes from a great family and is a proven winner and a great teammate. She will elevate our team offense and defense with her all-around skills, versatility and competitive spirit.
“Marija is also a great fit for our team culture with her maturity, strong character, academic excellence, athletic drive, and team-first attitude.”
This past season at Salt Lake Community College, Tabak was a standout for the Bruins leading the team to a 27-7 overall record and 10-0 conference standing.
Over the course of the season, she was named offensive player of the week for her conference three times and defensive player of the week once. The season performance earned her All-Conference and All-Region honors at the conclusion of the year.
Appearing in 30 matches and starting 17, Tabak landed 264 kills for Salt Lake, finishing second on the team while maintaining a .267 hitting percentage.
She closed out the season with five straight matches with 10-plus kills, averaging 13.4 kills and a hitting percentage of .340 over the five-match stretch.
Tabak filled out her stat line with 130 digs, 47 blocks and 46 aces. She tallied four double-doubles and posted arguably her best match on Oct. 12, landing 13 kills with a .308 hitting percentage to go along with 18 digs and a season-high six aces.
Tabak comes from an athletic family as well. Her father, Dragan, played soccer and her mother, Mirjana, was a member of the Croatian National Team for basketball.
Tabak also played club volleyball for OK Split, winning several national championships. She was a member of the Croatian Junior National Team and earned back-to-back MVP honors during the 2022 and 2023 Croatian Junior National Championship.
“I chose Bowling Green because I really liked the attitude and friendliness of the girls and coaches as soon as Coach (Tomic) told them I was coming to BGSU,” said Tabak.
“I was very impressed by Coach Tomic’s approach and how willing everyone is to help. I am a person who likes challenges, and I believe that by coming here I am putting myself in front of another challenge that my teammates will help me get through and, while doing it, enjoy it.
“I also liked the width of the school at the academic level and the fact that I can study what interests me and what I like.”
