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Nebraska Volleyball Star Lexi Rodriguez Inks Historic NIL Deal With Panini America

Nebraska volleyball star Lexi Rodriguez has signed an NIL deal with Panini America, becoming the first female athlete to do so.

Matt Wadleigh

Nebraska Volleyball Star Lexi Rodriguez Inks Historic NIL Deal With Panini America
Nebraska Volleyball Star Lexi Rodriguez Inks Historic NIL Deal With Panini America /
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The Nebraska women's volleyball has sure been under the spotlight this season and it all began with 91,000 fans coming to Memorial Stadium to watch a volleyball match. 

Now, Cornhuskers volleyball star Lexi Rodriguez is cashing in on the NIL market and has inked a lucrative deal with Panini America. Rodriguez made the announcement on her X page, and this is the first-ever deal for Panini involving a female athlete. 

Rodriguez is a big name on the volleyball front and she was named as the AVCA Freshman of the Year and is in her junior season in Lincoln. She was also named as a unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection in her sophomore campaign, so there are lofty expectations for the junior from Illinois. 

When asked about the deal, Rodriguez revealed she is excited about inspiring the next generation, per Pete Nakos of On3. 

“I want to inspire the next generation of little girls,” she said. “I feel like that’s the majority of my following and my fan base. And so I’m always super excited whenever I receive opportunities, especially when it’s like the first female athlete to do it. I think it’s really a really cool opportunity because I want to make sure I’m sending out that message to little girls that kind of look up to me.”

The first Lexi Rodriguez trading card for Panini America is on the website and currently listed at $9.99, and there will be plenty of others being released after the NIL deal for the Cornhuskers star. There will be three different trading cards launched for Rodriguez. 

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Matt Wadleigh
MATT WADLEIGH

Matt Wadleigh covers the NIL on FanNation, writing about all of the topsy-turvy deals in the whacky world of college sports. Matt also works as a staff writer for Trojans Wire and Buffaloes Wire at USA Today and covers sports as a whole at ClutchPoints. In the past, Matt has written for various sites, including FanSided, Sportscasting, and many others. Matt attended Fresno State and is a Bulldogs fan through and through, but grew up in Southern California and still holds loyalties to the Padres, Chargers, Lakers, and Aztecs basketball. It's not always easy being a San Diego sports fan, but the future looks bright. Hopefully. 

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