Sophie Bukovec

Biography

Less than a year after Sophie Bukovec partnered with veteran Heather Bansley, the duo qualified for Paris 2024 by winning the NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament in June 2024. They had first competed together in July 2023 at a Beach Pro Tour Challenge event in Edmonton. 

Bansley and Bukovec earned their first victory together in September 2023 at a Beach Pro Tour Futures tournament on home soil in Halifax. In 2024, they posted two more podium finishes in Beach Pro Tour Challenge events, placing second in Recife, Brazil and third in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Bansley had come out of retirement to partner with Bukovec. In 2022, Bukovec played with Bansley’s former teammate, Brandie Wilkerson. Their one-season partnership was highlighted by a silver medal at the 2022 FIVB World Championships, which was just their fifth tournament together. After the worlds, they were quarterfinalists in two Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 tournaments in Gstaad and Hamburg. 

After the partnership with Wilkerson dissolved, Bukovec played three Beach Pro Tour events in early 2023 with two-time Olympian Sarah Pavan.  

Back in 2014, Bukovec had won gold at the FIVB U21 World Championships with Tiadora Miric. They were the first Canadian women to be junior world champions in beach volleyball. They had competed at the FIVB World U19 Championships in 2013 and in 2014 they also competed at the FIVB U23 World Championships. Bukovec debuted on the FIVB World Tour in 2018 with Julie Gordon. 

Bukovec began her collegiate career playing indoors at McMaster University, winning the 2013 OUA Championship and being named tournament MVP. For her sophomore year, she transferred to Long Beach State University and helped them win the 2014 Big West Conference Championship. She then transferred to the University of Southern California where she began playing beach volleyball. As a junior in 2016, she was team captain and helped the Trojans win the inaugural NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship. USC repeated as national championships in 2017.  Bukovec was a two-time All-American honouree. 

A Little More About Sophie

Getting into the Sport: Started playing competitive volleyball at age 14… Outside Interests: Enjoys reading… Founder and executive director of a volleyball academy, The Northern Elite, through which she coaches and mentors younger athletes… Graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree… Works as a party and event decorator… Odds and Ends: Always travels with her late father’s necklace… Favourite mottos: “It’s not a sacrifice if you love what you are doing” and “You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last”…