NU Notes: Rodriguez Named Finalist for AVCA National Player of the Year
Nebraska senior libero Lexi Rodriguez has been named one of four finalists for the AVCA National Player of the Year Award, which will be presented on Friday at the AVCA All-America awards banquet.
Last week, Rodriguez became the first ever libero to be named AVCA Region Player of the Year. She is a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player and Libero of the Year and will look to become the third player in program history to be selected as a four-time All-American when the postseason honors come out on Wednesday.
A four-year starter and three-year team captain, Rodriguez has climbed to No. 2 in school history in career digs with 1,882, needing just nine more to break Justine Wong-Orantes' school record of 1,890.
Rodriguez is one of five Huskers in school history to earn first-team all-conference honors four times in a career, and she is only the second player in Big Ten history to earn three Big Ten Defensive Player/Libero of the Year honors (Paula Gentil, Minnesota, 2002-04).
This season, Rodriguez leads the Huskers with 3.91 digs per set as the team has climbed to No. 4 nationally in opponent hitting percentage on the season (.139). NU led the nation in opponent hitting percentage in both 2022 and 2023. Rodriguez was named to the NCAA Lincoln Regional All-Tournament Team on Sunday after leading the Huskers to two more dominant defensive outings. Nebraska is holding its opponents in the NCAA Tournament to a combined .066 hitting percentage, the best mark of any team.
Rodriguez and the Huskers will face No. 2 Penn State on Thursday night in the NCAA Semifinals on ESPN. The match will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first semifinal between No. 1 Pittsburgh and No. 4 Louisville at 5:30 p.m. (CT).
Rogers Named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week
Following her record-setting performance at the Husker Holiday Classic, senior Jenna Rogers was named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced this week.
A native of Rutherford, N.J., Rogers cleared a personal-best and Husker school record 6-3 1/4 (1.91m) in the high jump and took the early collegiate lead. The six-time all-american is the first Husker in program history to be named the National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
Nebraska returns to competition on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 at the Graduate Classic, hosted by the Huskers at the Devaney Center Indoor Track. Field and running events are set to start at 12 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on huskers.com.
