Five Nebraska Volleyball players receive Big Ten postseason honors

Nebraska volleyball players Madi Kubik, Lauren Stivrins and Lexi Rodriguez are 2021 All-Big Ten First-Team Selections as announced on Wednesday. Nicklin Hames was named on the All-Big Ten Second-Team. Lindsay Krause is a Big Ten All-Freshman selection.

The conference’s 14 head coaches voted on the team honors that made Nebraska and Purdue the only two schools with three first-team All-Big Ten selections.

Rodriquez leads the Huskers with three postseason honors. Along with the First-Team selection, she was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and on the All-Freshman team.

Head Coach John Cook has compared Rodriguez to gold medalist and former Husker libero Justine Wong-Orantes. On Wednesday, that comparison held true as Rodriguez became the second Nebraska player to be named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, joining Wong-Orantes, who won in 2015 and 2016.

Rodriguez, who averages 4.46 digs and 1.12 assists per set, became the second freshman in conference history to win such an award.

Kubik is Nebraska’s most consistent outside hitter with 3.49 kills per set and 2.01 digs. As a junior, she is hitting .215 on the season and has finished with double-figure kills in 17 of the 19 games.

Despite missing the first 11 matches, Stivrins was named a first-team selection for the fourth consecutive season. The six-year senior averages 2.41 kills, 1.09 blocks per set and is hitting .346 on the season.

Hames was a 2019 and 2020 First-Team All-Big Ten selection. The setter averages 10.58 assists, 3.37 digs, 0.43 blocks and 0.28 aces per set. The Maryville, Tenn. native became Nebraska’s assist leader in the rally-scoring era this season.

As for Krause, her All-Freshman team selection came as she averaged 2.36 kills and 0.76 blocks per set. Krause had double-digit kills in 11 matches and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 27.

Middle blocker Kayla Caffey is Nebraska’s 2021 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.

The No. 10 Huskers play Campbell in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the Devaney Sports Center at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3.