“She’s the best libero that I’ve ever watched play volleyball,” said Bergen Reilly last year when Lexi Rodriguez became an AVCA National Player of the Year finalist. While it was Olivia Babcock who ended up getting the honor, Rodriguez (and Babcock) now could be looking at international accolades coming her way.

The 2025 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League is slated to kick off in early June and conclude in late July. With that in mind, the USA is in full preparation mode to bring together a band of skilled volleyball athletes, and Lexi Rodriguez is at the forefront to make her national debut.

Huskers Online staff reporter Abby Barmore posted on X on May 8, sharing that a pool of 30 players is set to go against each other in a bid to book a spot in Team USA ahead of the Volleyball Nations League. The former Nebraska star, Lexi Rodriguez, has also been named in the list. “Former Husker libero Lexi Rodriguez is one of 30 players and 4 liberos to be selected for the VNL team,” Barmore’s post notes, highlighting that the final team will only have 14 players who will compete at each of the preliminary rounds. The first round round will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro from June 4-8. From there, it’ll move to Belgrade, Serbia (June 18-22), before finally returning home to Arlington, Texas (July 9-13).

Rodriguez will be competing against Morgan Hentz (Stanford), Zoe Jarvis (UCLA/Texas/USC), and Lauren Briseno (Baylor), with the first two athletes already boasting previous VNL experience. The USA women have won the VNL title thrice since the tournament’s inception, but haven’t been able to bag the same result in the last three years. Naturally, all sights are set on bringing an end to the drought, and the National Team Head Coach Erik Sullivan is hopeful.

“We’ve had an incredible group of athletes in the gym so far — they’re bringing great energy, a strong work ethic, and a real commitment to getting better every day. This roster brings together a lot of exciting skill sets, and it’s been fun to see how quickly they’re connecting and pushing each other. Our more experienced athletes have done a great job setting the tone and sharing their experience, which has been huge for our younger athletes,” said Sullivan, who will be juggling national duties with coaching LOVB Austin starting the 2026 season. “As we head into VNL, I’m looking forward to seeing this group grow and take on the challenge of international competition together,” he added.

Rodriguez’s chance to make the national team comes only days after winning the 2025 AAU James E. Sullivan Award. In April, Lexi became the first-ever Nebraska athlete to win the prestigious award, and John Cook’s successor, Dan Busboom Kelly, was elated by the Lincoln alum’s triumph. “First Husker to ever win this award! Congrats to Lexi!” wrote the new Nebraska volleyball head coach on social media.

However, while that was indeed a seminal feat, Lexi hasn’t had the best time of her professional career in recent months. Maybe being named in the final team for the VNL would help to change that.

Lexi Rodriguez’s resume makes her a perfect contender for the national team

The Huskers were on a roll throughout the 2024 NCAA campaign. Riding on a pristine 22-1 home record, Nebraska went on to win the Big 10 title for a remarkable 36th time. For obvious reasons, Coach Cook wanted to win the national title as well as the perfect parting gift for the seniors who were set to leave Nebraska by the end of the season. Moreover, with the team not winning the NCAA championship since 2017, Cook believed Lexi Rodriguez & Co. needed to have a taste of what it feels like to be national champs.

However, the dream remained unfulfilled as Penn State defeated the Huskers in the NCAA semi-finals. The heartbreak was profound. And yet, Lexi had established herself as a Nebraska legend. With 1,897 career digs, Rodriguez established herself as the most prolific libero to have stepped onto the campus. Then came the chance for Lexi to build on her collegiate career.

Rodriguez was drafted by LOVB Omaha for the inaugural League One Volleyball tournament. The team started off impressively, but controversies weren’t far away. With Olympian libero and Nebraska alum Justin Wong-Orantes on the team, Lexi found it hard to get play time with the Omaha team. Fans were irate at how Rodriguez wasn’t getting to see more action. In her first season, the libero played 10 games and racked up 37 digs, helping her team to reach the final, which they eventually lost to LOVB Austin.

But can all those numbers reflect in Lexi Rodriguez’s performance when she puts forth her bid to represent the nation at the upcoming Volleyball Nations League? What do you think?