As Logan Eggleston got the final kill of the LOVB finals, Austin erupted into celebrations. “Unbridled enthusiasm,” said coach Chris McGown, who took over mid-season and transformed the team into the inaugural LOVB champions. On the flip side, it was heartbreak for Omaha. In a span of five months, Lexi Rodriguez had come within touching distance of two championships, only to return empty-handed.

Yet this time, the former Huskers Libero seems to be holding up a lot better in the face of disappointment. Last year, the Nebraska Huskers senior was inconsolable after Penn State knocked them out of the NCAA championships in the semifinals. Yet, just a day after her LOVB heartbreak, Rodriguez lived her “Gossip Girl dreams” on the iconic stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Yet Lexi Rodriguez didn’t do it alone. The Nebraska Huskers digs record holder reunited with former teammate and good friend Kennedi Orr in New York. While the duo explores multiple iconic spots, including Times Square, they couldn’t pass up on those iconic stairs of the Met. So the two Gossip Girl fans recreated their version of the show’s intro on those stairs. Orr uploaded the results on TikTok.

The pair made no efforts to hide just how hyped they felt. After all, they stepped into the shoes of the show’s iconic characters like Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), who made those stairs iconic for fans like Rodriguez and Orr. The 22-year-old and Orr posted about The Met on their Instagram stories too.

“Living our Gossip Girl dreams,” posted Kennedi Orr, while Lexi Rodriguez posted a selfie with her Huskers’ teammate from the stairs. Yet, this begs the question: How did the usually emotional libero seemingly recover so quickly from another championship heartbreak in the last five months?

Lexi Rodriguez watched from the sidelines

The difference between the volleyball icon’s reaction could be the context behind the two title races. As part of the Huskers, Rodriguez had developed into one of the team’s leaders. She and the rest of the seniors also gave it their all to win the national title in their final year, after coming so close to winning it multiple times. Yet, Rodriguez has hardly found herself on the court in her opening pro season.

Despite signing Lexi Rodriguez, LOVB Omaha has preferred Olympic gold medalist Justine Wong-Orantes as their starting libero. Avid Volleyball revealed just how little action Lexi Rodriguez saw in the first two months of the league. “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,” they wrote.

They made no qualms about adding their spicy take on the situation. “What a waste of opportunity and resources,” added Avid Volleyball. That didn’t change much by the time the LOVB Championships rolled around. In fact, Rodriguez didn’t even play in the final. She watched from the sidelines as former NCAA rival Madisen Skinner helped Austin pick Omaha apart.

Skinner contributed 17 kills, hit .308, and had four blocks and five digs in the final. The former Texas Longhorns outside hitter, who defeated Rodriguez and the Huskers in the 2023 NCAA finals, combined with Logan Eggleston to score 34 of Austin’s 49 kills. Jordan Larson spoke about the heartbreaking loss. “We’re going to take something from this season and learn,” said Larson. However, only time will tell if they’ll include Rodriguez more in the starting lineup next season.