Junior outside hitter Toni Rodriguez’s road to becoming an LSU Tiger was not the easiest. Throughout her athletic career, Rodriguez has had her share of injuries that sidelined her for significant time.
Rodriguez partially tore her ACL in her left leg of her junior season in high school, which was her first major injury. Then, in her second game of her senior season, she tore her ACL again, but in her right leg.
After redshirting her freshman year with the Tigers while she recovered from an injury suffered in high school, she played in 18 matches before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Auburn.
After all of the punishment Rodriguez’s body was put through, watching her persistence and ability to develop into a successful volleyball player stood out to LSU coach Fran Flory, earning the respect of the all-time winningest coach in LSU history.
Rodriguez has emerged as a centerpiece to what Flory is trying to accomplish. Rodriguez also serves a major leadership role for the Tigers.
“She has forever been the heart and soul of our team,” Flory said. “She’s just a worker. She’s the competitive leader and she is a leader in terms of energy, drive, and intensity and we certainly are not the same without her.”
Her competitive drive has always been something that stood out to Flory. Her undeniable will to win sets her apart from most players around her.
“Toni has always been a competitor,” Flory said. “She was a very feisty player in any sport she played in. She’s a true Louisiana kid. She’s strong, blue-collar, ‘earn what you get’ kind of kid. We were fortunate enough to get her.”
Rodriguez was initially committed to the University of Tennessee, a Southeastern Conference foe to LSU.
“I was originally planning on going to the University of Tennessee,” Rodriguez said. “They offered me a scholarship, but they pulled that from me when they heard I tore my ACL. From then, I reached out to Fran and she told me there was a spot for me here. I walked on and it ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
A native of Louisiana, wanting to play for the Lady Volunteers was unexpected.
“My family has always been LSU fans,” Rodriguez said. “Ultimately, LSU was my choice because it is close to home, my family can come watch, the program was really good at the time, and I love their culture. I just love the thought of me being an LSU Tiger.
Reflecting back on everything she went through, Rodriguez expressed a great deal of gratification and fulfillment for the game. All of the adversity made her realize how much she loves and appreciates the game of volleyball.
“Not being able to play volleyball due to these injuries made me realize it is something I have so much passion for, I don’t think I could have not played,” Rodriguez said. “Even with all of that, I could not imagine giving up volleyball. It’s just something that I turn to and that I love to play.
Over the course of her experiences within athletics, Rodriguez has managed to take away life lessons that makes her a better and brighter person.
“It’s super gratifying and it’s what college athletics is supposed to be,” Flory said. “Toni has grabbed the opportunity and made the most of it. She has certainly made her mark as a student-athlete in our program.”
