Lexi Rodriguez Expresses Gratitude as She Says Goodbye to Nebraska Volleyball

Lexi Rodriguez reflects on her journey and shares heartfelt gratitude as she bids farewell to Nebraska volleyball.

Oct 21, 2023; Lincoln, NE, USA;Nebraska Cornhuskers libero Lexi Rodriguez (8) before the match against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

It's hard to process the fact that Lexi Rodriguez has finished her career as the libero on the Nebraska volleyball team without winning a national championship but reality smacked Husker Nation in the face Thursday night with a 3-2 loss to Penn State in the Final Four.

The moment her career ended was inevitable and the last accolade she added to her legendary career was the all-time digs leader with 1,897.

But with a quivering lip, Rodriguez fought back tears as she expressed gratitude for her time in a Husker uniform.

“Every single person (that’s) a part of this program is just truly amazing people, Rodriguez said, wiping away her tears. “They really changed my life. They just believed in me, every single person, every single day, from the moment I stepped on campus. You can’t find that anywhere. You truly can’t.

“I’m just so grateful for every one. And I’ll say it for my entire life that this program was truly the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Rodriguez almost wasn't a Husker and if head coach John Cook didn't listen to his then assistant coach Kayla Banwarth, she would have walked away from the program's Dream Camp without an offer. Banwarth pleaded and insisted that Cook made an offer that day.

“Kayla is like, ‘We’ve got to offer her, we’ve got to offer her.’ She’s going into ninth grade. I’m like, ‘She’s too small. I want taller liberos. We’ve got to cover the court.’ I was using some examples of some liberos in other programs at that time that were six-foot liberos that people were using. She goes, ‘Coach, we are offering.’ She’s in my face, pounding on my chest: ‘We are offering her. We are not letting her leave without offering her.’

“So I did. Lexi walked from my office to the elevator, which is about 40 feet, hit the button with her mom — they were getting ready to go down. She stopped, walked back in my office and committed. That’s the story. And here we are. Time goes by fast.”

Her career with Nebraska is over but her next chapter is just getting started. She's also staying in Nebraska.

Rodriguez was named the fifth member of the LOVB 6 and will begin her professional career with LOVB Omaha joining the very person whose record she broke – Justine Wong-Orantes.

LOVB Omaha will play its first match on Jan. 10, facing LOVB Houston at the Fort Bend County Epicenter at 7 p.m. CST.

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