Huskers.com
The AVCA Division I Player of the Year Watch List was narrowed down to 14 semifinalists on Thursday.
Nebraska senior libero Lexi Rodriguez and sophomore setter Bergen Reilly were two of the 14 players still included on the Watch List. However, players who aren’t among the 14 semifinalists can still be added as finalists in December.
Nebraska and Pittsburgh were the only schools with multiple players named semifinalists. The 2024 AVCA Player of the Year will be announced on Friday, Dec. 20, in Louisville, Ky, during the AVCA Convention.
Bergen Reilly, So., Setter
• Reilly ranks sixth nationally with 11.12 assists per set this season, and she has 13 double-doubles.
• Reilly was the Big Ten Setter of the Year in 2023, becoming the first freshman to win the award since it originated in 2012. Reilly was also an AVCA second-team All-American and an All-Big Ten first-team selection.
• Reilly led all Big Ten setters with 10.51 assists per set in 2023, and she has received seven career Big Ten Setter of the Week honors, including on Sept. 2, Sept. 16 and Oct. 14 this season.
• Reilly was named Best Setter at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky., as she guided the Huskers to a 3-1 win over No. 9 Kentucky with 39 assists and 11 digs.
Lexi Rodriguez, Sr., Libero
• Rodriguez is in her final year of a stellar career as the Huskers’ libero. A four-year starter and a three-year team captain, Rodriguez will go down in history as one of the all-time greats in Nebraska volleyball history.
• Rodriguez has 1,731 career digs entering Thursday’s match against Minnesota, which ranks No. 2 in school history. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the career leader in digs at NU with 1,890.
• On Sept. 30, Rodriguez was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. She averaged 4.71 digs per set in the first weekend of conference play, helping the Huskers hold UCLA and USC to season-low hitting percentages at the time.
• On Nov. 11, Rodriguez earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the seventh time in her career, as she averaged 4.17 digs per set to help the Huskers to strong defensive performances in sweeps at No. 12 Oregon and Washington.
• Rodriguez is a three-time AVCA All-American, earning first-team honors in 2021 and 2023, and second-team honors in 2022. She will look to join Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Sarah Pavan (2004-07) as the only four-time All-Americans in program history.
• Rodriguez made her mark instantly as a freshman in 2021, earning AVCA National Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Over the last two seasons, Rodriguez has guided the Huskers to the No. 1 defense in the country, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year again in 2023 to become the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive the honor twice in a career.