Draft Prospect Profile: OH Nina Čajić
Draft Prospect Profile: OH Nina Čajić
Towson transfer Nina Čajić embedded herself in the record books with Tennessee.
The stateside career of Nina Čajić began at Towson, a small school in the Colonial Athletic Association, after an assistant coach on an overseas recruiting visit saw her touch the rim of a basketball hoop. The opportunity they gave her paid off hundredfold; Čajić was an all-conference performer in each of her four seasons there and amassed nearly a thousand kills during that time. Yet, her standards were set higher than just a few accolades.
“I was playing an outside back in Serbia, but the assistant coach recruited me as a right side. So for three years at Towson, I spent playing right side and only being in for three rotations. So I kind of had this feeling that I needed to finish something at Towson and just do all four years there,” she said. “I kept asking my coach, ‘I think I can do this. I want to be a six rotation player. I want to serve. I want to do defense.’ And then finally, my fourth year, one of the seniors outside graduated. So he was like, ‘Yeah, I think you can do this.’”
Čajić feasts on the idea that she has something to prove. It’s part of what fueled her to achieve greatness in the lower levels of collegiate volleyball. Following her transfer to play for the Tennessee Lady Vols, it’s propelled her to the ultimate heights of SEC competition as well.
On September 19, Čajić set the NCAA Division 1 single-game kills record.
The magical game came during the Lady Vols’ non-conference slate against Western Michigan. It was following a loss to Wofford in what should have been a tune-up. Čajić found the floor 42 times. It was an astonishing performance, unlike anything the sport has seen in decades. Čajić herself didn’t realize the significance until everything was said and done. She wasn’t hungry for the record books, she was hungry for revenge.
“I was very upset and I just wanted to beat Western Michigan so bad at that point because it felt like we had something to prove to everyone that, like, we can do this and we're good enough. I just think I was using my rage. I don't want to say rage. I just wanted to… I wanted to win so badly. So my setter kept feeding me the balls and I was getting the kills. I just felt very, very confident that any ball she can set me at any time I'll terminate and I’ll get ourselves a fighting chance to win,” said Čajić.
“When the records were posted, I was like, ‘Okay, so it was a big deal. Okay, good.’ But it was just a win. In my mind, I just wanted to win so bad. So, if it took 42, it took 42. But yeah, we got that done.”
Clearly, she has the skills to be an offensive dynamo. That’s aided by her time playing six rotations, and exploding from back row has become her favorite way to attack the ball. Her arm talent translates well to the service line, too, and Čajić boasts 30 aces. The level of competition in the SEC is too high for any one player to consistently lean on their own talent, though. That’s been the biggest lesson for Čajić since transferring — she has no choice but to be smart with the ball.
“The SEC is just like a different breed. The block is way higher. The defense is way better around the block. So it's just like tougher to score, which I think is another challenge for me to overcome. Sometimes you really want that kill and you want to go for it, but it's just learning to play smarter when you know you have four hands and sometimes even six hands in front of you and where you need to place the ball to just give yourself a chance to score again after,” she said.
She’s also learned to handle difficult situations in serve-receive.
“If the passing unit is under pressure and the serve is coming and maybe there was an ace before or an error before, knowing when to just put the ball high in the middle and make the setter, you hopefully give yourself a chance instead of trying to push it too tight or trying to force a perfect ball when it's not there,” she said.
There’s always room for improvement. Čajić was remarkably honest with me when it came to what she’s looking to improve on, specifically, her blocking prowess and defensive instincts.
“I feel like I can be a big presence in block. But that's something that I really am working on and, you know, watching film back and just trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong, because the numbers are not there statistically. So I currently for me, it's blocking, but obviously, like, defense too. I would love to pick up more balls when I'm in the middle back,” she said.
Middle back defense wasn’t a subject I was particularly expecting Čajić to bring up when discussing room for improvement. She has seven performances in at least 8 digs and tallies more total digs than the usual outside hitter. On the other hand, raw numbers don’t always equate to true talent; more digs can mean a player is being targeted as the weak link in opponent scouting more often.
By her own admission, Čajić isn’t the vocal leader type. She gets in, gets things done, and gets out. That businesslike mentality also applies to her plans once her NCAA eligibility runs out at the end of the season. Once day, she said, she’d like to play in her home country again. Ultimately, though, she wants to play for a coach who will hold nothing back in helping her become great. Whether that happens in the United States or not is almost incidental.
“I don't know if I can say this, but just, like, no BS. You know, I like an honest coach. I like to know how it is. I don't like someone who's going to tell me what I want to hear, because that's how you grow as a player. So I think just when it's a little more strict, and just like to the point. ‘We’re here to get better, that's what we're gonna do.’ I just like a no BS coach,” she stated, much to my amusement.
If an American team came calling and seemed like the right fit, she would definitely entertain the opportunity.
“I think for this next upcoming season of American volleyball, I might want to stay here in the States for the January to May season. But I'm just thinking about it. I don't know how it's gonna pan out, what's gonna happen, but I'm very interested to try out, you know, see what this new American league is all about. I know a lot about European clubs and European leagues and how that works, but this is very new for everyone. So, I'm not opposed to trying and seeing if I like it, and maybe staying here longer,” she explained.
The one thing muddying the waters is her status as an international player. The PVF allows each team just two foreign-born players, and spending one of those on a rookie would be a risky move when international veterans are available to sign. How much interest would the league have in a player whose present role would be an off-the-bench offensive specialist?
Then again, Čajić has a tendency to come out on top in any situation. She digs deep and finds a way. Pro teams in every sport like analytics, but they love a winner, and that’s exactly what Čajić has proven herself to be.
“I love improving my game. That's the only reason I transferred in the first place because I wanted something more for myself. I think I'm very coachable. And I think that's my pitch — I'll do whatever it takes to be great. So if you want to make a great player, I'm down.”
Some quotes were lightly edited for clarity. To watch entire Tennessee games, click here and here. To watch Čajić play at Towson, click here.