“Joining LOVB felt like the right move for kicking off my professional career, especially being surrounded by seasoned players who have been through this grind before.” That’s how Lexi Rodriguez set the tone as she waved goodbye to her Husker days and stepped into the pro volleyball world with LOVB Omaha. But as the season kicked off, the vibe wasn’t exactly what fans expected. Everyone—especially Nebraska diehards—were holding their breath for her grand debut, which finally arrived on February 9.
And after that, instead of lighting up the court, Lexi found herself clapping from the sidelines more than anything else… and yeah, folks noticed. Cut to February 28—Avid Volley jumped on X and dropped a spicy stat that basically lit the fanbase on fire. “We’re two months into the LOVB season and the only liberos to not start a match are Omaha’s Lexi Rodriguez and Annie Cesar. What a waste of opportunity and resources.”
And just when the tweet started cooling off, they followed it up with even more heat: “This isn’t about JWO either (who is the best). But placing Rodriguez on a team that has the best American libero is??? Lexi brings as many eyes to the sport as any American right now and for what? To do fashion shoots and dances on the bench?” And yeah… fans were feeling that one. Now, after weeks of sideline stares and restless energy from her supporters, Lexi’s finally speaking up and clearing the air on why LOVB Omaha was still the move—even if it didn’t play out like the fairytale start everyone imagined.
In a cozy little clip shared by Nebraska fan-fave page sushiskers, Lexi Rodriguez peeled back the curtain a bit and let fans in on the real reason behind her LOVB Omaha pick. And yep—it all came down to a name every volleyball lover knows: Justine Wong-Orantes. Lexi kept it real and straight from the heart, saying, “LOVE knew I wanted to play in Nebraska, but they brought it up You know Justine’s on the team and I was like, yes, I know and I want to play with her. In my mind I didn’t think there was anyone who was gonna teach me more than (her)—she’s a real leader.” Like, c’mon, how do you say no to that?
for anyone doubting lexi’s place on omaha (bc i’ve seen a lot of complaints) — this was her choice. she realized that learning under jwo would be more beneficial than any other experience. pic.twitter.com/mDasvCpbmi
— sasha ౨ৎ (@sushiskers) April 13, 2025
This story is developing…
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