LOVB Omaha head coach Suzie Fritz has an enviable selection dilemma on her hands. On the one hand, volleyball fans have been clamoring to watch young superstar libero Lexi Rodriguez make her debut for Omaha. On the other hand, when you have 2-time Olympic medalist and 2021 Olympic champion, Justine Wong-Orantes, playing libero, is there room for anyone else? Amidst the competition for the top spot in the league, it is this internal competition between Rodriguez and Wong-Orantes that has onlookers intrigued.

Although Wong-Orantes is a highly successful volleyball player domestically and internationally, Rodriguez is no slouch herself. The records she set during her college career at the University of Nebraska are a clear indication as to why fans have been calling for her inclusion in the starting lineup. Like Wong-Orantes, Rodriguez also played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In fact, during her college career, Rodriguez broke the record set by Wong-Orantes for most career digs for the Cornhuskers with 1897 digs to Wong-Orantes’ 1890. In response, Wong-Orantes offered her congratulations in a heartfelt video message.

Despite Lexi Rodriguez’s record-breaking stint with the Cornhuskers, Wong-Orantes’ experience speaks for itself. She is considered the best active libero in U.S. women’s volleyball—an honor that was reinforced at the Tokyo Olympics, where she paired her gold medal with the title of ‘Best Libero.’ Not to mention, Wong-Orantes is one of the founding members of the newly formed LOVB Omaha team, alongside outside hitter Jordan Larson. In the world of volleyball, few have a pedigree that can rival Wong-Orantes’. But amidst the team selection drama, what does the athlete in question have to say?

Lexi Rodriguez & Justine Wong-Orantes: An Environment of Respect

For her part, Lexi Rodriguez has had nothing but adulation for Wong-Orantes. When asked about what it was like to have Wong-Orantes as a teammate by HuskerOnline, Rodriguez said, “I literally remember the first day walking into the gym and just like passing next to her and being like, ‘Wow!’ Just like even the first day and watching her do simple things and how calm she is and just her technique is top tier.” Rodriquez also spoke positively about how training with Wong-Orantes will be a good learning experience. “And so I feel like every day getting to watch that over time will just be super helpful for my game,” she said.

Despite fans vocally voicing their preferences online, Rodriguez has clearly paid no heed to the outside noise. Speaking to HuskerOnline, Rodriguez stated, “I played every match at Nebraska, and so definitely an adjustment, but I think I’m kind of prepared when I was coming into this that I might not play; I might play as a serving sub.” She further added, “Like I was pretty open to whatever it was gonna look like and kind of just coming into this specific season, my rookie year, after just playing a whole season, just ready to learn and embrace kinda this new game, this new era of volleyball.”

It’s clear that Rodriguez sees Wong-Orantes as a guiding force and mentor. Her comments indicate that at this stage in her career, she values the opportunity to learn from Wong-Orantes over being the team’s default starting libero. Coming up, Omaha takes on Austin at home on January 26th, where fans will get their next opportunity to see whether Rodriguez will get her first start or if Wong-Orantes will be back in action.