RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Southland Conference (SLC) announced its weekly volleyball awards Monday, with The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) freshman setter Lana Rnjak earning her third SLC Setter of the Week award of the season and second consecutive weekly honor.
 
Rnjak helped lead UTRGV to a 2-0 week at home, defeating UIW 3-1 and Houston Christian 3-0, as the Vaqueros remained unbeaten in Southland Conference play. She tied her career high with 44 assists against UIW on Oct. 1 before setting a new career high with 45 assists against Houston Christian on Oct. 3, totaling 89 assists for the week. Rnjak also posted a double-double against UIW with 13 digs to go with her 44 assists.
 
UTRGV hit .248 as a team against UIW, with Ema Petkovic posting a career-high 26 kills while hitting .429 and Martina Franco adding 18 kills. Against Houston Christian, the Vaqueros hit .256, with Petkovic, Franco and Julianna Bryant all reaching double-digit kills. Rnjak now ranks second in the SLC and 92nd nationally in assists per set at 9.22.
 
Additionally, the Vaqueros had a pair of SLC Honorable Mention selections. Petkovic earned Honorable Mention honors for Offensive Player of the Week after posting a career-high 26 kills while hitting .429 in the win over UIW, a mark that tied for the eighth-most kills in a four-set match in the NCAA this season. She added 11 kills against Houston Christian to finish the week with 37 total kills.
 
Bryant earned SLC Honorable Mention honors for Defensive Player of the Week. Bryant tied her career high with a .667 hitting percentage against Houston Christian, recording 14 kills on just two errors, and finished the week with 10 total blocks, including five against UIW and five against Houston Christian.
 
UTRGV returns to action Wednesday for a Southland Conference match at Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m.

UTRGV Volleyball's 2026 SLC Weekly Awards 
Lana Rnjak, SLC Setter of the Week, Sept. 7
Lana Rnjak, SLC Setter of the Week, Sept. 28
Lana Rnjak, SLC Setter of the Week, Oct. 5

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