Adrian Hernandez/THE RIDER
Freshman setter Lana Rnjak is proving she is truly built for the net and making an immediate impact in her first season at UTRGV, leading the Southland conference with an average 9.58 assists per set.
As of Oct. 19, Rnjak earned her fourth Southland Conference Setter of the Week honors, making her the only SLC player to win a weekly award four times this season.
“We knew how talented she was when we recruited her, and it’s just kind of shining, but I don’t think those things get to her head,” head coach Todd Lowery said. “I don’t think the individual words or accolades get to her. She’s very team focused, she’s very culture focused, so I think she’s going to become a huge leader for this team over the next two or three years. She definitely has all the things to be a captain and has that mindset.”
Rnjak made her debut Aug. 28 against West Virginia, recording 36 assists and four kills in four sets. Despite UTRGV ultimately losing the season opener 3-1, Rnjak’s performance set a strong foundation for her ongoing career.
A week later, following UTRGV’s sweep of Texas State, Rnjak earned her first Southland Conference Setter of the Week award.
As a setter, Rnjak directs the offense by delivering the ball to the hitters and deciding which players to utilize during each play. Throughout the season, she has developed on-court chemistry with redshirt junior hitter Julianna Bryant and junior hitter Martina Franco.
During UTRGV’s match against Stephen F. Austin, Rnjak tallied up 40 assists, allowing Bryant to garner 13 kills.
“If [Rnjak] sets me a little low, but she still tells me to rip it, I’m gonna rip it, because I know that even if the block is there, [Rnjak] is right under me to cover it, so I think she was really good about communication,” Bryant said. “I think it shocked not only me, but the entire conference alone that no matter where [Rnjak] is on the court, she’s gonna find the person that she trusts, and at that time, she trusted me, and she just knows that I put the ball in. She just kept feeding me, and I had probably had one of my best games that day, so props to [Rnjak] for really finding me in any circumstance that she’s in.”
Adrian Hernandez/ THE RIDER
Franco, who also plays as a hitter, adds to the offense alongside Rnjak. Rnjak’s setting and Franco’s attacking are key components of the Vaqueros offense.
Franco and Rnjak share a common background of coming to UTRGV from another country, Franco from Argentina and Rnjak from Serbia.
“I remember my [first year] was so hard,” Franco said. “It was not the best memory I have of my freshman year, and I see [Rnjak,] I see she’s developing so fast, and she looks happy here, and she also had a good relationship with every player, and she’s friends with everybody.”
Before joining UTRGV, Rnjak was a part of the Serbian Youth National Volleyball Pipeline, where she competed against fellow UTRGV volleyball player, Ema Petkovic.
“My dad was pretty convinced that that was my path. And I believed him, and from, like, [the] first practice, I experienced in Serbia. I fell in love with sports,” Rnjak replied when asked why volleyball is special to her.
Moving from the European club system to American college volleyball presented challenges for Rnjak, who initially struggled to adjust to the faster pace of the game.
However, Lowery and Rnjak said she has adapted quickly and now prefers the faster style of play.
With several games remaining in the season, Rnjak has proven herself to be a valuable leader, player and friend for her teammates and coaches.
“I really love how supported we are here in the Valley,” Rnjak said. “And, like, watching all those little kids coming here and watching us play, that’s really an honor, and I would like to thank everybody for coming here, and encourage everybody to keep supporting us.”
For more information on the women’s volleyball team, visit goutrgv.com.
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