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Nebraska Volleyball's coach recently gave a sweet reaction to Lexi Rodriguez winning the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award. The latter joined a list of elite athletes, including Michael Phelps, Carl Lewis, Caitlin Clark, and Simone Biles, with this historic win on April 15, 2025.
This award is for the athletes who produce exceptional performances in their collegiate career, Olympic Games, or any other marquee event events in the United States. The former Nebraska star toppled ice hockey player Trey Augustine, basketball player Cooper Flagg, football player Ashton Jeanty, fencer Lee Kiefer, and figure skater Ilia Malinin to earn this honor.
Notably, Rodriguez became the first volleyball player from the Nebraska Huskers team to win this award. Shortly after the announcement of this award, the Cornhuskers' coach, Dani Busboom Kelly, dropped her reaction on her Instagram story. She shared a Husker volleyball post that lauded Rodriguez for the incredible feat. Making her feelings known, Kelly wrote:
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"First Husker to ever win this award! Congrats Lexi!"
Along with being the first Husker to win this award, Lexi Rodriguez is also only the third volleyball player in history to earn this prestigious honor. The 22-year-old has had an illustrious collegiate career at Nebraska volleyball, as she wrapped it up as the school's all-time career leader in digs with 1,897.
Lexi Rodriguez penned an emotional note for the Nebraska volleyball team
Lexi Rodriguez concluded her NCAA career after competing in the semi-finals of the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Championships. Her team was bested by Penn State, who took the lead in the third round and dominated the match, advancing to the finals. Following this loss, Rodriguez turned pro and shared an emotional message on Instagram through a video.
Reflecting on the four years she spent as a Husker, the athlete shared that being a part of this team made her dream of playing volleyball come true. She said:
"Hi Husker Nation, it's Lexi. I wanted to say Thank you one last time. The Last four years have been better than I could have ever imagined. I know I never won a National Championship but to me I won way more just by being a part of this program. Nebraska Volleyball allowed a little girl's dream to come true - the dream of playing for something bigger than herself. The dream of playing the sport she loves on the biggest stage and a dream of finding a family that stuck by us through everything," former Nebraska volleyball player said.
Lexi Rodriguez joined the Nebraska volleyball team in 2021 and is currently competing for the Omaha Supernovas. Her team recently reached the finals of the inaugural edition of the League One Volleyball finals; however, they fell short of attaining the title in front of Austin.
