Husker standout shares her faith

McCOOK, Neb. – University of Nebraska All-American volleyball player Lexi Sun was the guest speaker at McCook Christian Church on Sunday, sharing her testimony of faith and surrender.

Sun told the Gazette’s Steve Towery that she remembered coming to McCook three years ago to play an exhibition Spring volleyball game. She said McCook has a special place in her heart because she felt so welcomed and loved by the people of McCook when she was here for the exhibition.

The invitation to speak at McCook Christian came through her Lincoln pastor, Austin Edwards, a McCook native. “When this opportunity came up, it definitely was scary because I hadn’t done anything like this before. But it was such an awesome opportunity that the Lord kind of made happen through all the connections.”

She told Towery that she has been taking advantage of the platform that Nebraska volleyball has provided her to glorify God and be an example for younger girls and share her story. She said she has no plans to continue to pursue volleyball on the professional level, a decision she said she is very happy with.

Sun was raised in southern California and grew up playing and loving competitive soccer. At age 11, partially because of her height, her parents encouraged her to explore volleyball, which she was initially reluctant to try. She said she had a “complex” relationship with the sport of volleyball because she didn’t really love the sport. “I love the people and the community and the opportunities and the platform I’ve been able to use through volleyball,” Sun told the McCook Christian congregation.

She started participating in college recruiting visits in eighth grade, an age that is way too early, according to Sun. She initially chose Texas, but the program and culture wasn’t suited to her, so she decided to transfer. She ranked that decision as one of her top five hardest experiences. “But I was very confident in my decision, I knew that the Lord had a different place for me. Looking back, I can definitely see why.” She ultimately chose Nebraska.

Sun grew up in church and went to a K-12 Christian school. “I called myself a Christian, but I wasn’t living an active faith. I wasn’t following Jesus.”

At the beginning stages of COVID, when school and volleyball was shut down and she was experiencing relationship difficulties, Sun was at a low point in her life. Everything that was important to her had been stripped away, and she realized that the earthly things that she had focused her life on were gone.

She watched a sermon based on hope. “The Lord just basically spoke the word ‘hope’ over my life and challenged me to really think about what I was putting my hope in.”

Through a long process, she shifted her focus to Jesus. She began attending Citylight Church in Lincoln, Neb., whose lead pastor is McCook native Austin Edwards. “It felt like home,” Sun said. Through the church, she met others who mentored her to help her through her faith journey.

Sun spoke of her last year at University of Nebraska, when she was given another opportunity to play volleyball, but had to sit on the bench. She questioned her decision to come back for the final season.

She credits her relationship with the Lord for helping her get through the past season, using the time to show Jesus’ love and to support her teammates. “He was my rock throughout this past season.”

Through the help of others, Sun started a bible study with her teammates. Seeing her teammates grow in their faith made her final year one of the best, even though she wasn’t getting playing time on the court. Using her platform as a Nebraska volleyball player has given her the opportunity to share her faith with others and given her peace and joy in her life.

Sun is currently living in California, finishing her master’s degree while also being a full-time caretaker for her 91-year-old grandmother who has dementia. She encouraged young athletes to understand their reason for playing their sport. She said that despite all the success she has had on the court, the greatest satisfaction she has ever had has been giving her life to Jesus.