Lexi Rodriguez. Merritt Beason. Sarah Franklin. Ally Batenhorst. Jess Mruzik. Apart from ending their collegiate careers in the same season, they have another similarity. All of them have signed up for American professional volleyball leagues. In just months, they will show up on the court huddling with each other. For a few of them, the professional offer has come as a bonus. How? Players like Lexi Rodriguez will represent the same region they did in their collegiate years. But here comes someone who has accepted an immense challenge. What is that? 

In the coming days, the Indiana native will not represent any American professional volleyball club. Instead, she will leave the continent to join her chosen club. And here’s another fun fact: the 5’8” former Dayton volleyball star has Nebraska Huskers coach John Cook among her fans. Can you guess the identity of the player? Yes, she is that ‘undersized’ outside hitter from Dayton. 

On December 24, the X-handle, Avid broke the news. As per the update, Lexie Almodovar has inked a contract with Bahçelievler, a Turkish professional volleyball club. In the past, the club had players like Derya Cebeciouglu. The outside hitter holds special fame for representing the Turkish women’s volleyball team.

In her stint with the national team, Derya has claimed the 2023 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League. Would the former Flyer have the same chance in the coming days, entering the US national senior squad? A lot of chances are waiting for her. Especially, her numbers on the court signify only great things for her. Want to know how? 

In her redshirt senior year, Lexie Almodovar reached the pinnacle of her prowess. How? Just look at her numbers. In the entire volleyball season this year, Almodovar had 572 kills, at least 200 more than her nearest chaser in the program. The sheer number of attacks was astounding—1335! Those numbers speak volumes regarding her work ethic, movement, and ability. The responsibility to take the Dayton Flyers to the NCAA Regional Semifinal pushed her limits. 

This year, in the regular season, Lexie Almodovar took a prominent role in maintaining the Dayton Flyers’ 22-game winning streak. She reached double figures in kills in at least 21 of those games. Not just that, Almodovar left her mark in the digs’ count as well. After her last collegiate match, Lexie had 286 digs, inflicted in the entire season. These fireworks had not been missed by John Cook. He praised showers on the outside hitter in a critical time. 

The volleyball standout has her flowers from the American legend 

Before the much-anticipated NCAA Regional Semifinal, Nebraska volleyball program coach John Cook couldn’t stop himself from praising Lexie Almodovar. The veteran coach equaled her with Jill Gillen, the Arkansas volleyball standout. He even said, “She’s just undersized, but man, she’s a heck of a player, does everything great.” Last year, Gillen single-handedly kept Arkansas volleyball alive in the Race of the Races. This year, Lexie Almodovar had the same task for the Flyers. She did it from her capacity. 

In the NCAA Regional semifinal, Almodovar scored 20 kills against the Nebraska Huskers. Her wrath in the third set cost the Huskers dearly. They lost the set, the first one in this year’s NCAA contest for them. And it was one of the handful of sets they lost on their home turf. All credit went to Lexie Almodovar’s relentless effort. A suitable support from the other end could have done a miracle for the Flyers. But Lexie’s stars didn’t align. She lost the game but left the arena with her head held high. Now, her fans will expect to see her in a similar raging form in a faraway region.