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Nebraska Volleyball's Lexi Rodriguez Named a Finalist for AVCA Player of the Year

Libero Lexi Rodriguez is one of four finalists for the top award in the sport.

Kaleb Henry

Lexi Rodriguez (8) and Laney Choboy (6) smile as they run off the court after advancing to the Elite Eight.
Lexi Rodriguez (8) and Laney Choboy (6) smile as they run off the court after advancing to the Elite Eight. / Amarillo Mullen

Nebraska libero Lexi Rodriguez's weekend just got busier.

The Husker will play in the national semifinal against Penn State Thursday, with a win propelling the team to the national championship on Sunday. Regardless of the result, Rodriguez will take in the AVCA All-America awards banquet on Friday to see if she is named the player of the year.

Rodriguez is one of four finalists for the award. She is joined by right side Olivia Babcock of Pittsburgh, outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye of Kentucky, and outside hitter Sarah Franklin of Wisconsin.

Lexi Rodriguez passes the ball back to Wisconsin's side of the court.
Lexi Rodriguez passes the ball back to Wisconsin's side of the court. / Amarillo Mullen

Last week, Rodriguez became the first ever libero to be named AVCA Region Player of the Year. She is a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player and Libero of the Year and will look to become the third player in program history to be selected as a four-time All-American when the postseason honors come out on Wednesday.

A four-year starter and three-year team captain, Rodriguez has climbed to No. 2 in school history in career digs with 1,882, needing just nine more to break Justine Wong-Orantes' school record of 1,890.

Rodriguez and the Huskers will face No. 2 Penn State on Thursday night in the NCAA Semifinals on ESPN. The match will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first semifinal between No. 1 Pittsburgh and No. 4 Louisville at 5:30 p.m. CST.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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