Every Husker and volleyball fan had been counting down the days, just waiting for that one epic moment—Lexi Rodriguez’s long-awaited pro debut. For almost a month, she had been with the LOVB Omaha team, and yet the fans only kept on asking, when is Lexi playing? Indeed, the day was set for February 9th when Omaha had to come face to face with Salt Lake in a very close encounter.

With Omaha sealing the deal in a 3-2 victory (25-17, 25-21, 18-25, 19-25, 15-12), Lexi finally made her grand entrance in the fifth set. It was a debut worth the hype, but what made it even more interesting? The head coach of the Omaha team revealed some backstage secrets—guess what? Lexi was in a sort of trance even moments before stepping on the court!

LOVB Omaha hopped on TikTok to drop some must-see post-game footage, capturing Lexi Rodriguez as she talked about her first reaction to hitting the court for her pro debut. And let’s just say—it was as wild for her as it was for the fans! Lexi kept it real, saying, “Fifth set, my name gets called. I’m gonna do whatever I can to try and help this team get a win. So, yeah, it’s definitely a crazy moment. Can’t even remember really what happened, but it was a lot of fun.”

Omaha’s head coach, Suzie Fritz, recollected, “Beginning of the match, I said, ‘Lexi, you’re gonna be serving some. And for Kimmy.’ And she goes, ‘me?’ I went, ‘yeah, yeah, you.'” Yep, Lexi was pinching herself! But her coach trusted her and so did her teammate Jaali Winters.

Winters chimed in with the ultimate vote of confidence, saying, “And to be fair, none of us were nervous when she came in. Like, she’s doing the same great stuff at practice every day, so she came in and did what she does every single day.” Talk about a debut to remember! Lexi might’ve been caught off guard, but she did what she does best—stepped in, showed out, and left fans buzzing.

And guess what? Lexi Rodriguez made sure to give a shout out to where it was due! Fresh off her pro debut, she hit up Instagram to flex her first ace as a pro volleyball star, sharing a clip from the game. But the real gem? The words of gratitude she dropped right under the video—“@kennediorr taught me everything I know.” Yes, instead of thanking the Olympic champion and former Husker, Jordan Larson, she thanked her former teammate Kennedi Orr for her mentorship. But while Lexi is all about learning from the best, her former coach John Cook once wanted everyone else to follow her example.

All the eyes on Lexi Rodriguez!

At Nebraska-Lincoln, Lexi Rodriguez is not only a player but also a prototype of a great player. She has 1,897 digs and numerous All-American recognitions; therefore, she has earned a reputation that is difficult to top. And who better to testify to that than the legendary John Cook himself? “I tell all of our passers, ‘Just watch Lexi. We don’t even need to coach you. Just watch Lexi,’” he once said, explaining the secret of her perfect passing.

While some players are still working on their technique, Lexi seems to be a natural–she is a real artist. “I’ll repeat this again. I tell our passers, ‘Just watch Lexi.’” Indeed, when you have a talent like her on the court, you just have to take notes. Therefore, when LOVB Omaha continued to sit Lexi on the bench game after game, fans could not help but wonder. Was it because of the Olympic champion Justine Wong-Orantes who was occupying the position? Or was there some other factor involved?

One fan could not contain their anger late January when Justine was again placed in the lineup against LOVB Madison in another Omaha match, saying, “Lexi deserves better than this, especially after that brilliant season at Nebraska.” From that day to this, Lexi was patiently waiting for her pro debut and now that she has, is the tide turning?