Senior team
2013–2014: Debut with Serbia women's national team
At the age of 16, Bošković was called up to join the senior national team in December 2013 for 2 weeks of training. [10]
A year later, Bošković made her debut with the Serbia national team at the highest level, the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship. Despite being the youngest player in the team, Bošković made an immediate impact by being the top scorer for Serbia in most matches. She scored a total of 129 points in eight games, helping the team finish in seventh place. [11]
Legendary American player and now coach, Karch Kiraly was impressed with Bošković's performance, saying that she is "set for big things". He noted that she was the best scorer in the match against the United States, and that she has the potential to be one of the best players in the world.
“I’m still trying to understand how she’s still only 17 years-old. She’s far beyond her years and if she’s only 17 she’s got an incredibly bright future. She’s going to be a big and important player for Serbia for many years to come. She understands the game well, she can take these high swings and she’s a handful.” [12]
Bošković, who joined the team shortly before the start of the tournament, was pleasantly surprised to receive the national team call-up and felt grateful for the opportunity.
“I didn't imagine that I would play at the World Championship. I'm very happy just for the fact that I'm here. It's for sure a wonderful experience for me and for my future.” [13]
Despite being one of the least experienced players, Bošković participated in the tournament after her triumph at the 2014 Women's Junior European Volleyball Championship. Serbia's head coach, Zoran Terzic, revealed that Bošković had only trained with the senior national team for a mere three or four days before the World Championship. He stated that his plan was to include Bošković in this tournament to prepare her for the upcoming 2015 European Championship and the 2016 Olympic Games. [14]
2015–2016: First medal with national team, European Championship bronze medalist and Olympic Rio silver medalist
Bošković achieved her first medal with the senior national team by clinching the silver at the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup. This competition served as a qualification event for the Olympic Games, and Serbia's second-place finish secured their spot at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Bošković, emerging as Serbia's leading scorer, tallied a total of 159 points. Notably, she ranked among the top three highest scorers in the tournament and was the youngest player to be featured in the top 10 scorers' list. [15]
Bošković made her first appearance in Women's European Volleyball Championship and secured her first medal in a major tournament. The team's victory over Turkey in straight sets earned them the bronze medal at the 2015 Women's European Volleyball Championship. [16]
In the subsequent year, Bošković and the team achieved a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, marking Serbia's first-ever medal in Olympic Games volleyball history. Bošković, along with Brankica Mihajlović, led the team to the final by delivering remarkable performances, with Bošković scoring 20 points and Mihajlović scoring 22 points, in a thrilling five-set match against the world's number one and undefeated team in the tournament, United States. [17] Bošković, at the age of 19, stood out as a sensational talent and a key offensive force for Serbia during the tournament. She delivered an exceptional performance, ranking among the top three scorers in the competition. Bošković not only led Serbia in scoring but also secured the second spot in serving, following her teammate Milena Rašić. [18] Overall, Bošković recorded 10 aces, achieved a historic feat by becoming the first player in Olympic Games history to achieve serve speeds exceeding 100 km/h. [19]
2017: Bronze in World Grand Prix and European Champion
After a successful 2016 with Serbia, Bošković continued to shine at the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix. She led the team to a bronze medal victory, defeating the host team China in four sets. Scoring a remarkable 31 points in the bronze medal match, Bošković received the recognition of being named the Best Opposite Player of the tournament. [20]
In the 2017 Women's European Volleyball Championship, Bošković led her team to a flawless victory over the Netherlands, resulting in Serbia clinching their second European title, undefeated. This marked her first major title with the senior national team and her remarkable performance earned her the prestigious title of the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Bošković accumulated a total of 130 points, averaging an impressive 7.22 points per set, surpassing the scoring record of every other player in the competition.
Immediately after winning her first major title, Bošković shared her immense joy and commended her team for their exceptional performance throughout the championship.
“We are European champions, this feeling is incredible! We played really well, like one, as a team from the beginning. We lost only two sets from the start of the European Championship. We worked five months for this and you can see the result.”
Anne Buijs, a player representing the Netherlands, openly acknowledged that her team had been thoroughly prepared to face Serbia. However, they encountered difficulties in containing the formidable duo of Bošković and Mihajlović. Buijs also conceded that Serbia outperformed their team, making them the superior side on that day. [21]
2018–2019: World Champion, back to back European Champion and Olympic Games Qualification
During the first edition of the VNL, the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League, Serbia ranked 5th in the tournament, and Bošković stood out as the best attacker, registering an impressive total of 206 successful killing spikes. [22]
Bošković played a pivotal role in helping Serbia achieve a historic milestone by securing their first-ever title at the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, by defeating Italy in a thrilling five-sets game. Bošković's was honored Most Valuable Player of the tournament, and once again, she emerged as the top scorer for Serbia, amassing a total of 193 points. She also istinguished herself as the best spiker in the championship, boasting an impressive success rate of 53.7% in her spike attempts. One of the highlights of the final match was Bošković's incredible attack, where she managed to find a sharp angle over a high triple block with just a bump set from the libero. Achieved a spike speed of 102.7km/h during this impressive play, this feat was even applauded by the Italian head coach, Davide Mazzanti. [23]
Bošković and Serbia continued their winning streak in majors by securing back-to-back European titles at the 2019 Women's European Volleyball Championship. They triumphed over the host team, Turkey, in a nail-biting five-set match, leaving the 10,000-strong home crowd in Ankara in stunned silence. Recognized for her outstanding performance, Bošković was named the Best Opposite and Most Valuable Player of the tournament. She became just the second player, following Russia's Tatiana Kosheleva, to earn the MVP award two times in a row.
At the 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournaments, Bošković contributed a total of 75 points in the three matches played, securing her team's qualification for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Bošković not only ranked among the top three highest scorers in the tournament but also was the best spiker, achieving an impressive success rate of 56.9% in her spike attempts.
2021: Olympic Tokyo bronze and European Championship silver medal
Tijana Bošković is widely acknowledged as one of the most dominant volleyball players in the world. Her prominence in the sport was underscored in 2020 when she was included in the Roster100 by the International Volleyball Federation, an honor reserved for the 100 most influential volleyball players between 2010 and 2020. [24]
At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Bošković earned the title of Best Opposite in the Tokyo 2020 Dream Team [25] as she carried her team to a bronze medal victory. She achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first player to score 30 points or more in three different matches within a single Olympic Games tournament. She accomplished this feat twice in three sets, registering 34 points against Japan and 33 points against Korea, and added 32 points in a four-set defeat against Brazil. Bošković and Jordan Thompson are the only players in Olympic Games history to score 30 or more points in just three sets. [26] She also joins the ranks of Yekaterina Gamova and Kim Yeon-Koung as the third player to have three entries in the list of those who have scored 30 points or more in a single Olympic Games match. Bošković emerged as the tournament's top scorer, scoring a total of 192 points [27] across eight matches, averaging a staggering 24 points per match. She showcased exceptional efficiency as an attacker, converting 165 of her 313 swings for an outstanding 52.7% kill rate. [28] Additionally, she was the second-best server with 12 aces. During the matches against Japan and Korea, Bošković single-handedly scored 34 and 33 points, while her teammates contributed a total of 30 and 25 points in total. [29]
Just a month after the 2020 Summer Olympics, Bošković earned the Fans' All Star Team Best Opposite with 263,932 votes, [30] as her team secured the silver medal at the 2021 Women's European Volleyball Championship. With this achievement, Serbia's women's volleyball national team became the only European team, encompassing both men and women, to claim a medal in both the 2020 Olympic Games and the 2021 European Championship. Bošković was the top scorer of the tournament, amassing an impressive total of 215 points. She consistently led Serbia in scoring throughout all nine games, registering 196 successful attacks with 52.3% killing spike rate. Bošković broke the women's world record for spike speed during the semi-final match against Turkey, reaching an astounding speed of 110.3km/h. [31]
Tijana Bošković's exceptional performance in 2021 is widely regarded her own career peak, as she heavily dominates the statistics in both tournaments. At the end of the year, she was chosen as the 4th place for The Best Player (women) of 2021 by volleyballworld. [32]
2022: Back-to-back World Champion
At the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Bošković took on the role of team captain for the first time in her senior national team career, stepping in for Maja Ognjenović. Under her leadership, Serbia successfully defended their second World title. Bošković's remarkable contributions earned her the titles of Most Valuable Player and Best Opposite of the tournament. She became the second player in history to achieve back-to-back World Championship MVP awards, after Cuba's Regla Torres, [33] making her the only player in the history of European volleyball to achieve this feat. Bošković was the most efficient attacker of the tournament, with 55.6% killing spike. [34] In Serbia's opening match against Canada, Bošković set a record by delivering the fastest serve in this edition, reaching an impressive speed of 106.8km/h. [35]
2023: Volleyball Nations League and European Championship silver medal
Bošković has often chosen to take a break following a demanding national team and club season, as the FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League is not considered a major tournament in volleyball. This year, she made her return to the VNL after skipping the last two editions, with her last appearance in week 1 of the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League held in Belgrade, Serbia. Bošković, along with team captain Maja Ognjenović, rejoined the Serbian team during week 3 of the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League in Suwon. Over the course of four matches, she scored a total of 109 points with an impressive 58.8% success rate in her spike attempts. Bošković became the first player, both male and female, in this edition to score 39 points or more in a single match. While she led her team to victory in three out of four matches, Serbia's team fell short of making it to the finals as they finished outside the top 8 in the preliminary round.
