Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez
Kralj Signs With Sens Olympique
7/12/2019 8:24:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Last summer, Sydney Kralj's dream of playing professional volleyball came true when she signed a contract to play in Germany.
This summer, Kralj is taking the next step in her career after she signed with Sens Olympique Club Volleyball, a professional team in Sens, France.
"I got an offer I couldn't refuse with a successful team that's right outside of Paris," said Kralj, noting Sens Olympique took second in the French League and enjoyed a deep postseason run last year. "I'm not done playing, I still feel I have so much to learn."
Kralj is one of the most accomplished setters to play in California Baptist University's NCAA era, despite being a Lancer for only two seasons. She earned two All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and three All-West Region awards, along with being voted the PacWest Setter of the Year the last two seasons.
After graduating from CBU, Kralj spent her first professional season in Vechta, Germany playing for VFL Oythe in 2018. She'll leave for France in the middle of August to prepare for year two abroad and will take the lessons she learned in Germany with her.
"Germany was awesome, it was so fun and definitely a learning experience being immersed in a completely different culture," Kralj said. "Obviously, I liked it so much that I wanted to keep playing. I am living the dream, and I am super happy about it."
This year in VFL Oythe, Kralj was a challenge with learning a new style of offense and defense. She made the adjustment and earned plenty of playing time in Germany while adjusting to playing volleyball professionally instead of collegiately.
"You have a lot of time professionally, you're not working another job or going to school," Kralj said. "You have to work on keeping yourself motivated and busy. It challenges you to be more independent and keep learning."
Once it became clear about a month and a half before the season ended that VFL Oythe was not going to advance to the playoffs, Kralj started working on putting together game film from her first professional season to show to other potential clubs.
Sens Olympique knew it was going to lose both setters from its 2018 team, so began looking for a new setter while it was in the postseason. They came across Kralj, and the two sides decided to team up for 2019.
"They run a similar offense to what we run at CBU," Kralj said. "[VFL Oythe] didn't run the same offense so I had to learn and that was a good experience. I am happy to go back to something I know and that I am really successful at, though."
Kralj's push to turn volleyball into a career did not really start until she transferred to CBU from Cal State Los Angeles in 2016. Originally, she made the move because she wanted to contend for league championships and experience the NCAA postseason. The Castro Valley native certainly got that, as the Lancers went 49-10 and qualified for the playoffs in her two years with the team, and also went 29-1 overall and 20-0 in the PacWest to win the conference title and host the D-II West Regional in 2017.
In the NCAA era (2013-17), Kralj enjoyed the best two seasons of any Lancer setter. She posted the top two single-season marks in total assists (1,132 and 1,105) and assists per set (11.39 and 10.99) and graduated as the NCAA-era leader with 2,237 career assists. That total ranks fifth in CBU's rally-era record book, while her 11.19 assists per set are tops in the NCAA era and tied for second in the overall rally era.
"I definitely think had I not gone to CBU, I wouldn't be pursuing professional play," Kralj said last summer. "The volleyball and athletic programs at CBU instill that greatness and this drive to keep pushing. I don't think I would have gotten there without that drive and that push from CBU."
This summer, Kralj is taking the next step in her career after she signed with Sens Olympique Club Volleyball, a professional team in Sens, France.
"I got an offer I couldn't refuse with a successful team that's right outside of Paris," said Kralj, noting Sens Olympique took second in the French League and enjoyed a deep postseason run last year. "I'm not done playing, I still feel I have so much to learn."
Kralj is one of the most accomplished setters to play in California Baptist University's NCAA era, despite being a Lancer for only two seasons. She earned two All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and three All-West Region awards, along with being voted the PacWest Setter of the Year the last two seasons.
After graduating from CBU, Kralj spent her first professional season in Vechta, Germany playing for VFL Oythe in 2018. She'll leave for France in the middle of August to prepare for year two abroad and will take the lessons she learned in Germany with her.
"Germany was awesome, it was so fun and definitely a learning experience being immersed in a completely different culture," Kralj said. "Obviously, I liked it so much that I wanted to keep playing. I am living the dream, and I am super happy about it."
This year in VFL Oythe, Kralj was a challenge with learning a new style of offense and defense. She made the adjustment and earned plenty of playing time in Germany while adjusting to playing volleyball professionally instead of collegiately.
"You have a lot of time professionally, you're not working another job or going to school," Kralj said. "You have to work on keeping yourself motivated and busy. It challenges you to be more independent and keep learning."
Once it became clear about a month and a half before the season ended that VFL Oythe was not going to advance to the playoffs, Kralj started working on putting together game film from her first professional season to show to other potential clubs.
Sens Olympique knew it was going to lose both setters from its 2018 team, so began looking for a new setter while it was in the postseason. They came across Kralj, and the two sides decided to team up for 2019.
"They run a similar offense to what we run at CBU," Kralj said. "[VFL Oythe] didn't run the same offense so I had to learn and that was a good experience. I am happy to go back to something I know and that I am really successful at, though."
Kralj's push to turn volleyball into a career did not really start until she transferred to CBU from Cal State Los Angeles in 2016. Originally, she made the move because she wanted to contend for league championships and experience the NCAA postseason. The Castro Valley native certainly got that, as the Lancers went 49-10 and qualified for the playoffs in her two years with the team, and also went 29-1 overall and 20-0 in the PacWest to win the conference title and host the D-II West Regional in 2017.
In the NCAA era (2013-17), Kralj enjoyed the best two seasons of any Lancer setter. She posted the top two single-season marks in total assists (1,132 and 1,105) and assists per set (11.39 and 10.99) and graduated as the NCAA-era leader with 2,237 career assists. That total ranks fifth in CBU's rally-era record book, while her 11.19 assists per set are tops in the NCAA era and tied for second in the overall rally era.
"I definitely think had I not gone to CBU, I wouldn't be pursuing professional play," Kralj said last summer. "The volleyball and athletic programs at CBU instill that greatness and this drive to keep pushing. I don't think I would have gotten there without that drive and that push from CBU."
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