Nebraska volleyball announces its 2022 team captains as Knuckles, Kubik and Rodriguez
Husker volleyball announced its 2022 Team Captains on Tuesday via social media. Nebraska will be led by two-time captain senior defensive specialist Kenzie Knuckles, senior outside hitter Madi Kubik and sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez.
Two of its captains will be staples in the back row which was one of the most dominant in college volleyball during the 2021 season. Kubik is the most experienced outside hitter and knows Nebraska’s offense the best out of all the hitters in the front row.
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The Huskers are ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll and have very high expectations for themselves such as reaching the Final Four in Omaha.
Nebraska’s first game is on Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in the Ameritas Players Challenge. They will take on Tulsa at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Pepperdine on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.
Kenzie Knuckles
Knuckles, the only repeat captain selected, was Nebraska’s starting libero for her first two seasons in Lincoln but moved into a defensive specialist role when Rodriguez joined the team in 2021 and became the libero. Knuckles took the transition gracefully and was voted a team captain partly because of that.
The 5-foot-9 defensive specialist from Indiana averaged 2.06 digs per set and ranked 10th in Big Ten play with 0.31 aces per set.
“I think everybody is different, but for me, something that helps me a lot is focusing on other people rather than myself, especially in the game of volleyball because you can internalize a bunch of stuff and being given the role to kind of be an emotional leader on the team and just really try to help others out and just lead the path to that direction,” Knuckles said at Big Ten media days.
She practiced at outside hitter during Nebraska’s fall practice and played at outside hitter during the Red-White scrimmage for the White team on Saturday.
Nebraska’s “emotional leader” Kenzie Knuckles becoming key part to Huskers’ new team dynamic
Madi Kubik
The senior outside hitter is a first-time captain for the Huskers. Kubik was an AVCA Third-Team All-American and a First-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2021 and an Honorable Mention in 2019 and 2020. She was the only unanimous 2022 All-Big Ten Preseason Selection.
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In 2019, The West Des Moines, Iowa native was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the VolleyballMag.com National Freshman of the Year.
Last season, the outside hitter averaged a team-high 3.49 kills per set with 2.11 digs, 21 aces and 55 blocks. She hit .202 in 2021 but has hit .211 over her three seasons as a Husker.
Kubik has been described as a “lead-by-example” type of leader by Knuckles. The three-time All-American has the most experience of all of Nebraska’s outside hitters and her teammates will be looking to her for leadership.
Three takeaways from Nebraska’s Red-White Scrimmage: An encouraging glimpse into the 2022 season
Lexi Rodriguez
Rodriguez had about as big of a freshman season as one could imagine. As a freshman, the libero was named the AVCA National Freshman of the Year, a First-Team All-American, a First-Team All-Big Ten selection and was a part of the All-Big Ten Freshmen team.
The Sterling, Illinois native averaged 4.33 digs and 1.10 assists per set with 16 aces.
This summer, Rodriguez was the team captain for the 2022 U21 National Team for the Pan Am Cup. She said that experience helped her learn her leadership style, how she likes to lead and that each player takes instruction differently.
Head Coach John Cook said having a libero who can be a leader is huge because they and the setter spend the most time on the court.
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