The volleyball journey of Utah State’s Mara Štiglic
Sophomore Mara Štiglic is killing it over 6,000 miles away from her hometown Rijeka, Croatia.
Since joining Utah State University Volleyball, Štiglic has quickly made a name for herself as a standout player. She plays as an outside hitter, an offensive leader that typically serves as the team’s primary attacker.
Štiglic’s volleyball career started at 11 years old when she fell in love with the sport. Just a few years later at 13, she joined the Croatian National Volleyball Team.
Her international experience expanded in 2020 and 2021, when Štiglic helped lead her volleyball club HAOK Rijeka to a second-place finish in the Croatian Volleyball Cup.
She then helped lead her team to a fifth-place finish at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U19 World Championship alongside fellow USU player Kate Lijic. In 2023, she was named the MVP of the Middle European Volleyball Zonal Association.
Rob Neilson, head coach of USU Volleyball, first discovered Štiglic two years ago. Neilson was in Croatia with a Mountain West All-Star team and saw Croatia’s national team compete. He was impressed watching Štiglic play.
“She was the best player on the court,” Neilson said.
USU signed setter Lijic for the 2024 season. When Lijic was asked if anyone from her national team was interested in joining, she said Štiglic may be.
“We were thrilled,” Neilson said. “We were so excited because we knew the type of player that she was and how athletically gifted she is.”
Even before becoming her coach, Neilson said he had a connection with Štiglic and her culture. About 20 years ago, Neilson served a mission in Croatia for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Mara Stiglic, 12, celebrates a point against Utah at the Wayne Estes Center on Sep. 6.
“It was really fun, you know, speaking a little bit of the language, getting to know her and her family,” he said.
Before starting her first season with USU in 2024, Štiglic competed in the Junior European Volleyball Championship with the Croatia team. She started practice at USU late, but Neilson noted she quickly took the opportunity to showcase her skills.
“The first day where she really showed what she could do, she just hammers this ball, and everybody kind of freaked out in the gym,” Neilson said.
Unfortunately, Štiglic faced challenges early in her collegiate career when she hurt her ankle, taking her out of play for the first month and missing most of the preseason games. But she made it back right in time for conference play, making a comeback Neilson described as “phenomenal.”
“She was really good, especially for a freshman, you know, her first time,” Neilson said.
Štiglic encountered another setback in the second half of conference play when she was injured her back. She was out of play until USU’s playoff match, returning with a strong performance. In this game, Neilson said she “played really well in a match that we ended up losing, but she was a bright spot for us.”
Štiglic said though she’s dealt with several injuries, that won’t stop her.
“I feel like it only makes me like stronger,” she said. “I was cheering for my team, and I feel like that made me more connected to them.”
Despite her injuries last year, as a true freshman, Štiglic appeared in 15 matches, starting in eight. She finished her first season with an impressive 156 kills, 52 digs, 30 blocks and 7 aces. Her performance ranked her No. 2 on the team with 2.79 kills per set and No. 10 in the Mountain West, averaging 3 kills per set during league play.
Štiglic said her decision to attend USU was driven by her desire to pursue her education. She wanted to go to school but didn’t want to stop playing volleyball.
“In Croatia, doing both of those things is really hard,” she said.
Currently majoring in marketing, Štiglic is also excelling off the court. Last year, she was named a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Mountain West honoree due to her 4.0 GPA.
“She’s the coolest kid,” Neilson said. “She just fits in. She adds so much to our culture.”
Looking ahead, Štiglic plans to go back to Europe and play pro volleyball for another few years after graduation. Her favorite part of volleyball is playing with a team.
“You’re not alone,” she said. “Even if you mess up, you always have someone who’s got your back.”
As the 2025 season progresses, Štiglic acknowledged their preseason record has not met their expectations, but she remains optimistic.
“I feel like we’re only going to grow from this and we’re going to be really good in the Mountain West Conference,” she said.
Looking forward, Neilson said their team is excited to see what she will do.
“We’re really excited about the progress that she will make,” he said. “I think she’s going to be a rock star for us.”