New Longhorn of the Week: Anja Kujundzic

For this week's New Longhorn of the Week, we're featuring transfer DS Anja Kujundzic from the VCU Rams. She grew up in Ljig, Serbia, which she describes as a small, charming town surrounded by nature, fresh air, and beautiful landscapes. It's one of those towns where everyone knows each other and has a super welcoming nature. That sense of community is her favorite part of her hometown, saying "It feels like home no matter how long I haven't been there because every time I go there, people are smiling at me and they know who I am."

She started training with professional volleyball teams in Ljig at just 14 years old, playing for 5 seasons in the Serbian Superliga. She then came stateside to compete at VCU, where she started as Libero both her freshman and sophomore years, earning Second Team All A-10 and A-10 All-Rookie Team selection in 2023. Anja joins the Longhorns with two years of eligibility remaining.

She says that this extensive and diverse volleyball experience is what sets her apart from other players. Serbian professional teams are super intense and have a high level of competition, so Anja learned to become disciplined and to stay composed under pressure: "I will always try to stay steady and keep my team calmed down in important moments." The culture of Serbian volleyball is to be incredibly stubborn, and she carries that with her into the states, saying "I refuse to back down until the final point."

Although she loves her home, there was a reason that she decided to come to the United States, and it's because there's not much opportunity to combine high-level volleyball with higher education in Serbia. Playing collegiate volleyball affords her the ability to grow both personally and professionally, and pursue the things she loves outside of volleyball while simultaneously competing at a very high level.

After graduation, she sees herself having a career in professional volleyball, but also one in fashion styling. For Anja, exploring her creative side by reading a book or filling her painting book is super important to her. Being in the US allows her to pursue both of these aspects at the same time.

Eventually, she wants to remain in the US but also stay connected to Serbia and Europe, ideally with something that allows her to go back and forth. Maintaining that connection to home doesn't come as easily for Anja as it does for many of her teammates. She's able to travel home for longer breaks like the summer and winter, but she doesn't really have that option any other times of the year. Instead, she takes advantage of shorter breaks by travelling within the US and getting to know her teammates better by visiting their homes. For example, Anja spent last week's spring break in Nebraska staying with senior Whitney Lauenstein and her family.

In her time on this side of the Atlantic, Anja has noticed some clear differences between here and her home. The biggest culture shock has been the food—"The portions in restaurants are huge. Serbian food is more traditional, healthy, home-cooked food." She does enjoy the diverse options in Austin though, and has found a couple of French and Italian restaurants as her favorites. Another major difference has been the pace of life. Anja says that everyone lives "fast" here, and that people are a lot more relaxed and unhurried in Serbia, adding "In Serbia we take time for everything." You don't go through a drive-thru to get your coffee in the morning, "you sit there for hours and gossip with your girl friends, and it's my personal favorite thing there."

Aside from coffee shop banter, Anja has a lot of interesting hobbies outside of volleyball. She really enjoys painting, rollerblading, scuba diving, and motorcycling. And no, driving motorcycles is not common in Serbia, that's just Anja. She is also passionate about traveling, which you might expect to hear from someone halfway around the globe from home.

Texas fans get their first look at Anja in a Texas uniform TODAY at the FAST Invitational in Houston, where the Longhorns will compete will 4 different teams from across Texas. Welcome to Austin, Anja!