Three Huskers Named Academic All-America; Lexi Rodriguez Joins Elite Company

Nebraska volleyball had more Academic All-Americans in 2024 than any other program.
Lexi Rodriguez waves to the fans at the Devaney Center.
Lexi Rodriguez waves to the fans at the Devaney Center. / Amarillo Mullen

Nebraska volleyball's success has continued into 2025.

The Huskers had three players earn College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America honors. The announcement was made Tuesday morning.

Bergen Reilly and Lexi Rodriguez were named to the CSC Academic All-America first team, and Merritt Beason was selected to second team.

Nebraska's total increased to 43 Academic All-America awards, the most of any volleyball program in NCAA history. The University of Nebraska has produced 365 NCAA Division I Academic All-Americans across all sports.

Nebraska libero Lexi Rodriguez (8) dives for the ball.
Nebraska libero Lexi Rodriguez dives for the ball during the second set against Wisconsin on Nov 24, 2023, in Madison, Wis. / Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

This is the first time since 2008 that the Nebraska volleyball program has had three Academic All-Americans in one season, as well as two student-athletes among the seven on the first team. Nebraska's three honorees were followed by Creighton's two. No other Division I school had multiple honorees.

Rodriguez earned her third career Academic All-America honor and second straight first-team accolade. The senior libero recorded a 3.65 undergraduate GPA and 4.00 graduate GPA pursuing a master's in integrated media communication. She joins Sarah Pavan, Laura Pilakowski, Janet Kruse and Virginia Stahr as the only three-time Academic All-Americans in Nebraska volleyball history. Rodriguez was a four-time AVCA All-American for the Huskers and finished her career as Nebraska's career leader in digs with 1,897.

Bergen Reilly (left) high fives Merritt Beason (right) after Beason's kill.
Bergen Reilly (left) high fives Merritt Beason (right) after Beason's kill. / Amarillo Mullen

This is the first Academic All-America honor for both Reilly and Beason.

Reilly, a two-time AVCA All-American and two-time Big Ten Setter of the Year, carries a 3.81 GPA, majoring in business and law. Beason, who finished her two-year Husker career with All-Big Ten First Team honors both years and AVCA All-America First Team accolades in 2023, posted a 3.57 undergraduate GPA and a 4.00 graduate GPA, pursuing a master's in applied science


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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.