Nebraska Volleyball lands five on All-Big Ten First Team, Libero and Setter of the Year
Nebraska Volleyball, 2024 Big Ten Co-Champions, received seven Big Ten honors on Dec. 4. The awards are highlighted by senior Lexi Rodriguez, the Big Ten Libero of the Year, and sophomore Bergen Reilly, the Big Ten Setter of the Year.
Rodriguez, Reilly, opposite Merritt Beason, outside hitter Harper Murray and Middle Blocker Andi Jackson are five of the 25 players on the First Team All-Big Ten. Rodriguez and Jackson were unanimous selections.
No Husker made the All-Big Ten Second Team or the All-Freshman Team.
Middle Blocker Leyla Blackwell is Nebraska’s Sportsmanship honoree. The senior has played in 21 sets this season. She is hitting .435 with 2.33 kills per set. The San Diego transfer adds 1.29 blocks per set.
Wisconsin Outside Hitter Sarah Franklin is the back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year. Penn State Setter Izzy Starck won the Freshman of the Year. Her head coach, Katie Schumacher-Cawley, deservingly won the Coach of the Year honor.
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Murray leads the Huskers with 3.28 kills per set, 2.27 digs and is hitting .254. She was an All-Big Ten First Team pick in 2023 as well. The outside hitter was an AVCA All-America Third Team selection as a freshman.
Beason is a two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection. The senior captain averaged 2.99 kills per set and hit .246 during the regular season. The 2023 First Team All-American has 0.93 blocks per set and 1.24 digs per set.
Jackson leads the Big Ten with a .442 hitting percentage. The middle blocker averaged 2.58 kills per set and 1.16 blocks per set. She is one of the most dynamic slide attackers in the country. The 6-foot-3 middle was a 2023 Big Ten Second Team pick.
The First Big Ten Libero of the Year
Rodriguez is the first-ever Big Ten Libero of the Year. The Conference changed the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year to the Libero of the Year award. Rodriguez is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a Big Ten Libero of the Year honoree. She is also a four-time First Team All-Big Ten selection.
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The 5-foot-5 libero averaged 3.79 digs per set during the regular season. She recorded 395 total digs and 107 assists. Rodriguez entered the postseason with 1,819 career digs. She ranks second in Nebraska history behind Justine Wong-Orantes, who has 1,891 career digs.
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Rodriguez is a two-time AVCA First-Team All-American and was a second-team pick in 2022. She will leave Nebraska as a four-time All-American.
With Rodriguez’s help, Nebraska leads the Big Ten with a .144 opponent hitting percentage. The Huskers are also the best serve-receive team in the conference as well.
The back-to-back Big Ten Setter of the Year
Reilly is the back-to-back Big Ten Setter of the Year honoree. In 2023, she became the first-ever freshman to win the award. She is a two-time Big Ten First Team selection. She was also named an AVCA Second Team All-American as a freshman.
She led the Big Ten with 11.12 assists per set during the regular season. The setter added 2.89 digs per set and 0.49 blocks per set. The Sioux Falls, S.D. native recorded 73 kills and 20 aces during the regular season.
Reilly led Nebraska to hit .288 during the regular season and was a critical piece in winning the Big Ten Title. The sophomore runs one of the most balanced attacks in the country.
She was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week five times in 2024 and four times in 2023.