In 2025, a few packed their bags to exit Louisville, while others did enter. And amidst this, the dynamics in the Nebraska Volleyball camp shifted. As the Class of 2024, featuring Lexi Rodriguez, Merrit Beason, Linday Krasue, and the rest signed off, 5 fresh faces joined Team GBR this season. But only one was a libero, ready to step into Rodriguez’s big role with the Huskers. Guess what, she’d made up her mind to join Coach Cook’s side after a single ‘midnight’ ring on her phone!

We’re talking about none other than libero Keri Leimbach, who joined Campbell Flynn, Ryan Hunter, Manaia Ogbechie, and Teraya Sigler straight into the Huskers’ tent. She made the unimaginable possible when she etched history by becoming the first Lincoln Lutheran to join Nebraska Volleyball. But you’d be shocked to know how casually this happened. No big schemes or bait-laying to snag this top recruit. But just a simple, real phone call and Leimbach was ready to go.

In an exclusive interview with Hail Varsity aired on January 16, Keri Leimbach was asked to give insights into her recruiting journey. Leimbach, the 4x state championships winner, started with, “So you can’t talk to them until you’re going into your junior year, June 15th. But I went to camps, and I got invited to Dream Team in my eighth-grade year and I think that’s when they first started like recruiting me heavily.”

But the mode of communication for Nebraska recruiters to break it out to Lexi Rodriguez’s successor, Leimbach, was through a midnight phone call.

Yes, she continued, “And then they called me midnight on like June 15th, so they offered me. And then, basically after that call, I was like I don’t want to talk to any other coaches like I want to go to Nebraska, so I committed.”

Well, it truly served her purpose. It had been Lembach’s self-admitted dream to be part of the Nebraska Volleyball side. So even though the next day, she had a couple of calls with other colleges, deep down, the answer was already in her head. Well, this isn’t the first time she’s made this confession. Keri Leimbach had previously admitted that schools like Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Ohio, and Creighton reached out to her. But she told them over the call, ‘I am going to my dream school.’

While her excitement only seems fair, why was recruiting her such a major call for Nebraska that they had to pick up the phone so late at night? Well, she’s called Lexi Rodriguez’s successor for a reason and we’ll be dishing that out for you.

Why is Keri Leimbach Lexi Rodriguez’s perfect successor?

Well, first off, there’s that libero connection. Secondly, the day Leimbach touched the historic 2000 digs mark for her school, it was the same as when Lexi Rodriguez entered the second rank in Nebraska Volleyball’s history. Thanks to her 1,720 digs, Rodriguez entered the space just below Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes on the Huskers’ top charts.

And well, another similarity could be John Cook’s immense faith in both their skills. Leimbach’s skills were undeniable thanks to her 5.3 digs per set average and her 2063 all-time career digs. She was also ranked as the top prospect out of Nebraska by PrepDig.com. That’s when Coach Cook praised her, too.

“Keri is a homegrown Nebraska girl who loves the school and the state. She’s always dreamed of being a Husker. Keri is a 5-4 libero but she plays with big range and personality. Her floor defense is exceptional, as she passed 2,000 career digs in high school. Keri is also a great passer. She’s calm and consistent on the court but not afraid to speak up and be fiery when it’s needed,” he went on and on about her achievements.

But, only time will tell if Keri Leimbach gets the title of being Lexi Rodriguez’s successor or if she actually pulls off that feat on the court. We believe she’s on her favorite side and about to go all out this season.

What do you feel? Let us know in the comments section below!