Nebraska libero Lexi Rodriguez has been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America First Team.
Rodriguez carries a 3.65 GPA majoring in advertising and public relations and was one of seven student-athletes selected to the first team. A third-team selection last year, Rodriguez is the first Nebraska volleyball player to earn multiple Academic All-America honors at Nebraska since Kori Cooper (2008-09). Rodriguez is also the first Husker to earn first-team honors since Kadie Rolfzen in 2016.
Her selection increased Nebraska's total to 40 Academic All-America awards, the most of any volleyball program in NCAA history. The University of Nebraska has produced an NCAA-Division I best 354 Academic All-Americans across all sports.
Rodriguez was a first-team AVCA All-American this season, her third career All-America award. She was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career, becoming the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive that honor twice in a career. She earned AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten First Team honors for the third time. Rodriguez, who averaged 3.60 digs and 1.24 assists per set, led a Husker defense that ranked first nationally in opponent hitting percentage for the second straight year.
The junior from Sterling, Ill., was twice named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week this season despite opponents frequently tailoring their game plans to avoid Rodriguez on the court. Rodriguez was a first-team AVCA All-American in 2021 and a second-team AVCA All-American in 2022. She also received Academic All-Big Ten recognition for the second year in a row.