University of Maine second-year guard Sigi Koizar isn’t the loudest or biggest player on the team, but she’s one of the most talented.

Koizar is enjoying a fantastic sophomore campaign, much of which is due to a summer of training and competitive play overseas.

Ever since playing for the Austrian national team last summer, Koizar has been noticeably more aggressive on the court.

“I think Sigi really had a breakthrough moment this summer when she was playing for her national team back home in the women’s division,” UMaine head coach Richard Barron said. “She had 35 points in the small country championship.”

Her newfound aggressiveness started before the summer, at the end of her first year at UMaine.

Koizar believes that her confidence on the court goes hand-in-hand with her play this season.

“[Confidence] started at the end of last year,” Koizar said. “The seniors were leaving and all of a sudden I wasn’t a freshman anymore, so it was a different mindset this year.”

The interesting thing is Koizar had a good first year, averaging 4.9 points per game and seing action in all 32 games.

This year, the change in her approach and improved play is evident in every game. Koizar hasn’t missed a start and is averaging 13.3 points per game in conference play, good enough for ninth in the America East. She is also just under five rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

The women’s basketball team has strong upperclassman leadership from fourth-year guard Courtney Anderson and third-year forward Liz Wood, but that doesn’t mean that Koizar isn’ta leader in her own right. She is described by her coach as a “leader by example,” whose consistency and work ethic help set the tone for her team.

Koizar came to the United States from her home country of Austria as an exchange student in her junior year of high school. She stayed with her host family in Millinocket, Maine and, after returning to Austria for her senior year, decided to attend UMaine to play basketball.

“I like the landscape of it,” Koizar said. “I don’t like the cold, that’s for sure. But it’s nice, rural. Quiet.”

While many European basketball players struggle with being away from their family, Koizar has found a home with her host family in Millinocket. Her host family attends every home game and their three-year-old can often be seen on the court after the game dancing with the team.

“Whenever people go home, I go home to Millinocket,” Koizar said.

After her time as a biology student at UMaine is done, it is likely that Koizar will return to Austria. As much as she has been enjoying her time in Maine, travelling will likely be her next move.

“I thought it would be cool to play overseas in Europe,” she said. “I still want to go to school after this but probably somewhere in Europe. It would be fun to go to school there and play basketball at the same time.”

When pressed for her favorite moment from her time at UMaine, Koizar doesn’t talk about the 23 points she had at Stony Brook University or the double-double she recorded when the Black Bears hosted Binghamton University last week. Instead, her favorite moments come from when she sees her team play together.

“There were times when our defense works really well and the other team can’t score or when your offense comes together and gets an easy layup with five seconds left on the shot clock,” Koizar said. “That’s when I feel the best.”

As for the team, Koizar credits them with helping her adjust to the different style of basketball played in the United States. With the Black Bears sitting at third in the conference, Koizar knows that they have a chance to do something special.

“We’ve just got to give it everything we’ve got and whatever happens, happens.”