Lexi Rodriguez may have moved to LOVB Omaha, but her name’s still ringing loud in Husker Nation. After all, the 21-year-old wrapped up an exceptional last season with the Big Reds. Apart from the NCAA loss to Penn State, she had an exceptional year, winning the Big Ten Conference and setting a new program record with 1897 career-high digs. But for anyone keeping count of her individual awards, she’s now missed two in a row!

Yes, Lexi Rodriguez is a 4x All-American, and she’s even been awarded the Big Ten Defensive Player and Libero of the Year honors thrice thanks to her sound defense. No wonder the professional League One Volleyball Team chose her as a prime pick. But when it comes to lifting titles as the sport’s top woman, she’s had a bit of tough luck, missing two important marks on the trot. One in December 2024, and another one just today.

On January 18, Olivia Babcock, a Pittsburgh Panther, was announced as the 2025 Honda Sport Award winner, edging out Lexi Rodriguez and the rest of the finalists, including Sarah Franklin, an ex-Badger, and Brooklyn DeLeye, the Kentucky star. For Babcock, this honor came in after administrators voted for her from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Also, it opens doors to other possible wins as the recipient of this sports award enters the finalist list for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2025 Honda Cup, to be presented in June.

But it meant another upsetting loss for Lexi Rodriguez. However, Babcock’s stats justify why exactly she was the ideal pick. Looking at her impressive averages this season, standing at 5.94 points, 4.72 kills, 1.82 digs, and 0.62 aces per set, it’s easy to understand the unanimous decision gravitated in her favor. She also set a single-season program record with 71 aces, including the golden game where she pulled off 12 aces in one match. On the other hand, Rodriguez’s cutthroat defense saw her earn a season-high 22 digs with 4 assists in a sweep at Ohio State in October.

Clearly, both Olivia Babcock and Lexi Rodriguez have different specialties. One had led the Panthers’ offense campaign in 2024, while the other was a libero for the Huskers with her best defense game on in her senior year. Yet, for a sophomore to give a senior a run for her money, it’s quite a commendable win for Babcock. But, for Rodriguez, it was a continued heartbreak after she’d lost the AVCA National Player of the Year title to the same person, Babcock. But if we look at it, not all was lost, as Lexi Rodriguez’s career wins from the last season nearly outweighed her losses.

Why should Lexi Rodriguez continue keeping her head high?

Well, why not? Not every day does a collegiate player get an entry into a professional volleyball team. But Lexi Rodriguez did. After all, she’s always been a standout, like when she became the only Libero from the Huskers to ever earn 4 All-American honors. No wonder Nebraska posted her name on the list of CSC Academic All-American honorees on January 13 with the caption, “Queens of the court & the classroom.”

Indeed, this is nothing but the truth. She has been a dominator on the court. Just look at how she narrowly surpassed Justine Wong-Orantes’ record of most digs about 4 weeks ago. Not only did Rodriguez enter the Huskers’ history books with it, but she also said, “There’s been some jokes around Just in the team.” However, she agrees that having Wong Orantes’ support is something that Rodriguez is truly thankful for. After all, she has been to that Olympic court where Lexi wishes to see herself one day. And now, the two are even together in the LOVB tent.

But do you think Lexi Rodriguez’s award misses are justified? Or was she a better-deserving candidate than the rest of the lot? Let us know your opinion below!