Sara Blicavs makes triumphant return to the WNBL
The UC Capitals have made a major splash in free agency, signing Opals star Sara Blicavs for the WNBL 2025/26 season.
The 6’3” forward has been one of the WNBL’s most consistent stars, entering her 16th season in the league. Her resume is extensive, with two WNBL Championships (2014, 2020), an All-WNBL Second Team selection (2020), representing the Opals in the 2022 Tokyo Olympics and winning bronze in the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup.
Her last WNBL season with the then Melbourne Boomers was during the 2023/24 campaign, where she averaged 10.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists, leading the Boomers to the Semi Finals and eventually coming off second best to the Flyers.
After that season, Blicavs’ career was put on hold due to pain in her back. She decided to address the injury and underwent a spinal fusion and disc replacement in late March.
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Over 12 months since the surgery, Blicavs’ is back to full strength, dominating in the NBL1 South with her junior club, the Melbourne Tigers.
Her comeback continued as the 32-year-old was selected for the Trans-Tasman Series, impressing the Opals enough to be selected for Australia’s upcoming FIBA Asia Cup squad in July – where she will be coached by current Capitals head coach Paul Goriss.
“I’m very excited to go to a program where I know it’s going to be a lot of fun because of the people, and I’ll be playing under a phenomenal coach in Paul Goriss,” Blicavs said.
“I’ll be playing with some talented players, some up-and-coming players and now that the team’s adding more established veterans, I think there’s a big opportunity for us to do special things this season.
“Physically, I feel like a 23-year-old again and back to my old ways in terms of how I’m moving and playing. I feel like I’m going to be bringing a lot of versatility to the team.”
Coach Goriss explained the Capitals were searching for veteran leadership and frontcourt talent this off-season, with Blicavs filling both roles perfectly.
Blicavs joins Zitina Aokuso, Monique Bobongie, Jayda Clark, Jade Melbourne and Nyadiew Puoch on the Caps’ 2025/26 roster.
Sara is one of many elite athletes in the Blicavs family, and arguably is the most accomplished.
Sara’s mother Karen Blicavs (nee Ogden) won the first league MVP of the WNBL in its inaugural season in 1982 and again in 1983. Father Andris represented the men’s national team in the Olympics and Sara’s brother, Mark, has played over 270 AFL games and won a premiership with the Geelong Cats.