Every beautiful story may not have a happy ending. Every night may not have a sunny morning. On Thursday, the game between the Nebraska volleyball team and Penn State had every element to earn attention from the volleyball lovers. It had records on the list, a ticket to enter the NCAA volleyball championship, and supporters lined up to cheer the teams. It also had Lexi Rodriguez, a 5’5” libero, to make her own place among the giants. Did she make it in the end? Surely she did! But her squad failed to touch the finishing line. Is that the entire story? No, there’s more to it. 

On December 19, Nebraska volleyball was in yet another NCAA semifinal game. Last time, they had to leave the final with long faces, digesting a defeat from the Texas Longhorns. However, this time, the Longhorns failed to make it to the semifinal. Their wheels stopped in the Regionals. But for the Huskers, there were Nittany Lions. On Thursday night, they became the antagonists in the filled KFC Yum! Center to put a stop to the Huskers this time. 

In front of 21,726 cheering voices, the Big Red fell prey to the Nittany Lions. But there had been a fight before that. Lexi Rodriguez, Harper Murray, and Bergen Reilly did not let the opponents go with clean armor. The final scoreline says the result is 3-2. But it is more than that. The game was Lexi Rodriguez’s last collegiate game, and she did play it in that mood. 

In the game, Lexi made 15 digs. That number was enough to send her above Justine Wong-Orantes, arguably one of the best liberos in the Huskers. But it was the sad end, and that mattered to Lexi. She failed to thank everyone for giving her such a stellar collegiate career. In the meantime, she could only say in the post-game press conference, “Every single person, a part of this program. Oh, so sorry. It’s just truly amazing people, and they really changed my life, and they just believed in me, every single person, every single day from the moment that I stepped on campus.” After having a shining U21 stint with the US National Team, Lexi joined the Huskers in 2021. 

Those dates penned the story for her. In the next four years, the 21-year-old saw both heartbreaks and success from a close distance. But she never let herself be blown away by them. She held her position in the defensive third and became the leader of the pack. Her 1,897 digs explain the success part of it. But on Thursday, the world of volleyball had witnessed the painful end. 

Standing in the world of December 19, Lexi Rodriguez had everything. She claimed the title of AVCA Regional Player of the Year as the first Libero to ever snag it. She is a four-time All-American and also the first Libero to claim the title. Rather, in Huskers’ history, she is the third player to place her hand on this title. But from now on, Lexi Rodriguez will not be the current Husker player. The tag ‘former’ will sit beside her name. 

Eventually, Lexi Rodriguez will not be a part of a team that gave her so much. Things like this will break her heart. Ultimately, in the post-match press conference, Lexi had the chance to let her heart out. Meanwhile, she did that. In an emotional moment, she said, “I’m just so grateful for everyone, and I’ll say it for my entire life, that this program was the best thing that ever happened to me.” John Cook, the Huskers coach, sitting beside her, also found it hard to maintain his emotions. After all, it was the end of a phase in Nebraska that had everything. Additionally, it created some effects. Lexi’s mother explained a few parts about that impact. 

Lexi Rodriguez’s mother knows about her daughter’s impression 

As per coach John Cook, the prime reason behind the Huskers’ passing supremacy had been not the presence of him or the coaching staff. Remember, the Nebraska volleyball team has Jordan Larson, the four-time Olympian, on the coaching squad. Yet Cook voted someone else’s presence as pivotal for the squad. It is Lexi Rodriguez.

The coach even said, “I tell all of our passers, ‘Just watch Lexi. We don’t even need to coach you. Just watch Lexi.’” Per him, Lexi stood to be the gem among the passers in the squad. Watching her play could turn out to be a valuable lesson for all the newcomers. “When you watch some of our other passers who shank balls up and sideways, it’s because their arms are tight to their body. But this is what she does and is a master at. I’ll repeat this again. I tell our passers, ‘Just watch Lexi,’” he concluded his statement. In four years of her tenure in Nebraska volleyball, she sharpened her ability and took it to the top level. But with that, she also highlighted her position. 

Lexi Rodriguez brought the limelight to the libero position in her tenure. During her timeline, she claimed almost all the individual college titles. Furthermore, among the four nominees for the AVCA National Player of the Year award, Rodriguez could be the first Libero to ever win the trophy. What could be the better recognition of the post that has faced a crisis because of the rules? Lexi’s mom, Crystal, surely keeps her tab on it. In an interaction, she said, “She [Lexi Rodriguez] took a position that was very undervalued and somehow found a way to make that valuable.” After Thursday, the upcoming crop will have the responsibility to carry that flame. Lexi Rodriguez has completed her duty.