Where her idol stopped once, Lexi Rodriguez has just crossed the same route. Throughout her career, the Libero has never compromised with her playing quality. Rather, her spark impressed John Cook, Nebraska volleyball coach, like nothing else. In his decades-long service for the Huskers, Cook has seen so many Liberos. Yet, for Rodriguez, he saved his best comment. In one interaction, he said, “I always think she can dig more, but I also think we can kill every ball and block every ball.” Remember, the same squad once housed players like Kayla Banwarth and Justine Wong-Orantes. Yet, for Rodriguez, there has been a special celebration. Any reason? 

Nebraska volleyball history often spotlights names like Banwarth and Wong-Orantes for their countless digs. Both players topped the charts, not only in college volleyball but also at the national level. Lexi Rodriguez may not yet have a resume having similar fame, but following her game versus Oregon, she will undoubtedly have something to display.

The update says that on November 7, Rodriguez just went past her idol Bagworth by scoring 1,707th digs in her career for the Huskers. However, after the first set of the game against Oregon, Rodriguez stood at 1,709 digs, claiming the second position in program history. Only Justine Wong-Orantes is standing ahead of her with 1,890 digs, amassed in her college volleyball career. In the end, Rodriguez concluded her fireworks with 14 digs as the Huskers handed the No. 12 squad a 3-0 defeat. However, the day felt sweeter, marking another achievement. 

After the loss against the SMU in Dallas on September 3, the Big Red has yet to face a heartbreak in its away games. Remember, since September 3, the Huskers squad has faced several ranked opponents in their backyards. But no one has posed a threat to the Lincoln-centered team. Isn’t that something remarkable? Surely it is. However, Lexi Rodriguez’s scintillating record made the day stand out. It seemed like everything came full circle, with her going past Kayla Banwarth. But how? 

Lexi Rodriguez pays her gratitude to someone who once brought her to the Nebraska Huskers 

Since her emergence in the Nebraska Huskers in 2021, Lexi Rodriguez has been continuing to show what she is capable of. In her freshman year, the Sterling native totaled more than 20 digs for a staggering eight times. That also included her career-high 28 scores. She claimed that on two occasions. Next year as well, Rodriguez continued to display her fiery form and collected unbelievable numbers. The 2023 went down the same lane, making her the fifth player in school history with 1,424 career digs. Now, she is second on the list. But do you know who brought her under the Nebraska Huskers’ wings? It was Kayla Banwarth. 

Three years ago, Kayla made Lexi commit to the Huskers. At that moment, Kayla was playing her role as the assistant to John Cook. The chance overwhelmed Rodriguez. The emotion ran so deep that she didn’t give much thought before signing the deal and said yes to Kayla and Cook. After serving the Huskers for three years and playing multitudes of games, Rodriguez still remembers her signing day and the factor that made her sign. Shedding light on that, she said in an interaction, “I love her, and she’s honestly the reason I’m here.” Meanwhile, Banwarth crowned her with something. In one of her interactions, the legend said, “She commands the court. She truly is the quarterback back there. To see her blossom into that role has been really neat.” The fans will want to continue the Nebraska Huskers star similarly in the upcoming day.