Like I did last year, I'll do a little write up on every player on the roster so we can go into the new year knowing more about our new players and rehashing things about our returners. This year I'll follow the same order and start with the freshman and finish with the seniors. I will post one player a week getting us closer and closer to fall camp! I hope you all enjoy!
We are back with our player spotlights for the 2026 season and we will kick things off with our freshman defensive specialist / libero Gabi Rodriguez. Gabi Rodriguez was the centerpiece for our 2026 recruiting class. The lighting quick floor general committed June 21st of 2024 and will be a much needed back row player for the reigning national champion Texas A&M Aggies.
Rodriguez earned nearly every accolade a prep volleyball player can receive. A 4 year starter at McKinney North High School where she was coached by her mother Libby Rodriguez. Rodriguez led McKinney North to the 2025 state championship where she recorded a state record 43 DIGS in the 5 set loss. She was a 4 time all district player, a 3 time all state athlete, a 2025 first team AVCA All American, and a 2025 MaxPreps 2nd team All American player. She played her prep volleyball with the prestigious MadFrog volleyball club which was also where Ifenna Cos-Okpalla played club volleyball. Rodriguez has been a part of MadFrog since she was 7 years old. She was also the Texas Sports Writers State Defensive Player of the Year and the DFW's Libero of the Year. She amassed over 2500 digs in her stellar 4 year career at McKinney North.
Most impressive on her resume is Rodriguez being named to the USA U21 National team this past summer. Because of it being played late into the summer, the team was made up of high schoolers. Rodriguez wearing the red white and blue earned the starting nod for team USA as they played in Indonesia. She was rated one of the top liberos statistically despite only being 17 at the time. During this stretch she got to work with Aggie legend Stacy Sykora. At the conclusion of her senior year she was also selected to participate at the Under Armour High School All American Game where she started as well and showed out on the national stage with 11 digs, a couple assists, an even a rare Libero kill.
Rodriguez is one of the best back row players in the nation and can be expected to challenge Addi Applegate for the Libero jersey. She covers a lot of the court and is great at serve receive. She can fly anywhere on the floor and get the offense going with great ball placement. She is a solid server as well. The Aggies are losing Ava Underwood and Tatum Thomas at the position, only returning Applegate. Rodriguez will pick up the slack of losing those two, along with fellow freshman Jenna Thedford.
The battle for the Libero jersey between the two freshman and Applegate will be something interesting to follow this spring and into the fall. Either way we'll be in good hands. I can absolutely see Rodriguez in the Libero jersey, but if not she will be seeing the court in that right back position like Applegate was this past year. With many new players at the net, we'll need steady defense in the back row and that's exactly what Rodriguez will provide. We know how important this position is to Jamie and his staff. Lindsey Walton does a great job with the liberos and an Aggie great at the position Jen Woods is on the staff as well.
Rodriguez is a coaches daughter with an excellent skill set and strong work ethic. She has been praised by so many for her effort, heart, and knowledge of the game. Growing up around volleyball since berth shows in her play. Rodriguez in an interview I'll post below says she never had Texas A&M on her radar, but just a couple conversations with the staff and she was blown away and knew where she wanted to go. She's then fell in love with Aggieland, the school, the team, the staff, and everything about Texas A&M. She will be wearing number 1 this year for the Aggies. Wearing that jersey which was last worn by Ifenna Cos-Okpalla will come with some really big shoes to fill, but Gabriella Kate Rodriguez is a player that can live up to that hype. She will definitely earn multiple all conference and even all American honors during her tenure here at Texas A&M and with her in the back row, SEC coaches will be up at night game planning a little harder.
