Anabel Kotzakov: The outside hitters path to Boise State

Photo via Boise State Athletics

Background

Boise State University’s volleyball star Anabel Kotzakov comes from a background unlike most.

Kotzakov spent the first four years of her life living between two countries.

She went back and forth every six months between Costa Mesa, California (her hometown) and Bulgaria, a country in Southeast Europe (her parents hometown). 

Kotzakov went to preschool and kindergarten in Bulgaria where she learned Bulgarian as her first language. 

It wasn’t until first grade that her family got citizenship within the United States and they fully settled in California. 

Kotzakov came into class unfamiliar with the English language. 

“I didn’t really know English,” said Kotzakov. “The teachers would talk to me and I would just say ‘I don’t know.’” 

She continued to spend every summer in Bulgaria to see her extended family and celebrate her birthday. 

Kotzakov went on to talk about the culture shock between the two countries.

“I feel like people here are definitely a lot friendly, everybody’s like, smiling and greeting you and talking to you,” said Kotzakov. “And I feel like just in Europe as a whole, if you don’t really speak the language, or you’re not from there, they’re kind of like, you know, the ‘stereotypical Americans.’ But yeah, people here are just a lot nicer.”

Pre-College Volleyball Journey

Kotzakov grew up doing martial arts and gymnastics, delaying the start to her volleyball career.

“So actually, I didn’t even want to play volleyball,” said Kotzakov. “I really wanted to be a gymnast when I was little. But then obviously I started getting really tall and gymnasts are short. And my mom was like, ‘You should try volleyball.’ And I didn’t want to go. I was crying in the car. But I actually went inside and I tried it, and I loved it. I was like, I want to keep going.” 

Kotzakov began playing volleyball at 12 years-old and never looked back. 

She was a four year starter and spent three on varsity on Newport Harbor High School’s team. 

Kotzakov led her team to its second-straight Surf League title and a 2-1 record in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division I playoffs.

By her senior year she was named the Surf League Most Valuable Player, All-CIF Southern Section Division I Team, Daily Pilot Girls’ Dream Team and Player of the Year. 

Kotzakov recorded 556 kills, 52 service aces, 190 digs and 48 blocks as a senior. 

She also played for Balboa Bay Volleyball Club of Newport Beach where her team took second-place at the 2022 Philadelphia Qualifier.  

The Transition to Boise State

Kotzakov started the recruiting process a little later and after looking mostly at schools in California, she decided to further her volleyball career at Boise State in March.

Kotzakov spoke on the struggles of adjusting to college as a student athlete.

“I’ve learned that change can be really hard,” said Kotzakov. “Transitioning into the first year of college and starting your sport right away, I didn’t get to first settle down. Living alone, making new friends and volleyball was all at the exact same time. It’s definitely a lot getting into a routine first year of college.” 

As a freshman, Kotzakov played in all 29 matches with 26 starts as an outside hitter. 

By the end of that year she recorded 199 kills, 26 service aces, 208 digs, 50 blocks and 253.0 points.

The current sophomore has served as a top Bronco for almost every match and already tied her career-high of 14 kills, a total she has now hit four times.

The team has a 6-3 record thus far. 

What’s Next

As the non-conference games are wrapping up, the Broncos are set to begin playing against their Mountain West competitors starting with an away game at Fresno State University on Sept. 26.

“My goal this year is to stay consistent and even if I’m not having the best day, to not get down on myself and just move on to the next play,” said Kotzakov. “Just keep playing at a high level and trust my skills. Everyone has bad days and it’s not good to beat yourself up on it.”

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