Lexi Rodriguez is not leaving Nebraska. The phenomenal defense specialist/libero said yes to LOVB Omaha’s proposal. She will soon join the professional volleyball squad and will be on the court again. Notably, LOVB Omaha’s first match will kick off on January 10 against Houston. The first home game will come on January 24. The Nebraska Huskers fans will gain the chance to see the ‘former’ star again, playing in Nebraska. But the problem is Lexi is ‘former’ now. 

On January 24, Lexi Rodriguez will not play at her favorite Bob Devaney Sports Center. She will neither don the iconic Huskers volleyball jersey. Nor will the fans get the chance to sing “Go Big Red” in the gallery. Lexi is now a Nebraska alum. She doesn’t have the tag anymore. Things like these were enough to break her heart. On December 21, the former Huskers star shared her emotions on TikTok through a video post. 

Lexi Rodriguez kept the caption of the post: “for everyone wondering… she is not coping well 🥺.” Meanwhile, the post showed her wearing the Huskers volleyball jersey, sitting on her bed with a sad face. She also kept a few lines on the video. It read, “POV its 3 am and you just played ur last college volleyball game.”  So Lexi took the video on Thursday this week after the Huskers bowed out from the semifinal round of NCAA volleyball championships. 

Well, the day remained a roller coaster for the 21-year-old. She had the opportunity to help her program thwart Penn State’s challenge on the court. The Huskers’ fans had been all set to see their favorite winning yet another NCAA Final Four battle. Additionally, a victory over the Nittany Lions would have helped the squad settle its score. The Nittany Lions were the only team to defeat the Big Red in the Big Ten Conference this season. So a victory could have been the only solution. Rodriguez, on the other hand, had a personal milestone to touch on the same night. 

Lexi had a fair chance to dethrone Justine Wong-Orantes. Justine had the glory of claiming the most number of digs for the Nebraska volleyball program. Ultimately, Rodriguez’s 15 digs on Thursday night helped her to go past the Olympian. But the victory over Penn State remained a distant dream. Nebraska left the contest facing a 2-3 defeat. The dream to reach the semifinal was crushed to the ground. Meanwhile, Lexi had to leave the KFC Yum! Center with a long face. It was her last collegiate game, and the four-time All-American had the disappointment. 

In the post-game press conference, the two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year couldn’t hold her tears. She could see her four-year tenure in Nebraska in front of her eyes. The reminiscing about it made her thankful. She could have said many things regarding her battles. But Lexi Rodriguez chose to hang onto her sweet memories. Those memories might have kept her emotional in the late hours of Thursday. What were those? How did Lexi represent those? 

Lexi Rodriguez will never forget the Huskers 

On Thursday, Lexi Rodriguez took time to gather her emotions. She had two individuals on her side, coach John Cook and teammate Merritt Beason. Those faces remained most familiar to her in the Huskers fold. Although Beason joined the program in 2022, Lexi has been in Nebraska since 2021. So bidding goodbye to the Huskers proved a mountainous job for her. In the press conference, the libero soaked in those emotions. She eventually spilled, “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.” From a U21 star to being a four-time All-American, she has covered a long route in the last four years. 

According to Lexi Rodriguez, the journey would not have been possible without everyone’s support from the House of Big Red. However, the list also includes the supporters. Without their continuous cheering, the Sterling couldn’t have been the sweetheart of Nebraska. In the end, Rodriguez dropped the ultimate truth. She claimed, “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.” Only Lexi Rodriguez could feel this kind of emotional rundown. Now it seems like she had a sleepless night because of those emotions.