Husker legend Jordan Larson says she’s still learning new tricks ahead of her final pro match

Former Husker volleyball legend Jordan Larson will play her final home match Saturday. The four-time Olympic medalist, three-time NCAA All-American and 2006 national champion announced her retirement in January before the start of the 2026 League One Volleyball season.

Ahead of the big match between Love Nebraska and Austin, she said the years have flown by.

“I still feel 22 inside and still feel like I'm learning so much. Like, this year I learned a new shot that I didn't know I could learn,” Larson said. “I just feel like there's still more there, which is kind of an interesting place to be, but I feel just immensely grateful for the space and opportunity to be able to speak and be honest.”

Through the years, Larson said she’s learned how to enjoy problem solving on the court and not put all her self-value into the outcome of a given match.

“It's hard because I'm still naturally very competitive. And then I'm like, ‘what other outlet do I have to do that?’” Larson said. “Most athletes struggle post-athletic career, just finding a place to kind of have that competitive edge. So, I'll be curious to see how rec leagues will take me.”

Larson played overseas for years before pro volleyball got started in the United States. It’s special to play her final regular season match in Nebraska, she said.

“I feel like my life here in Nebraska, when I left college, ‘I was like, did I grow up here?’ It really feels like another lifetime,” Larson said. “And so, coming back, it's kind of like a new life is starting.”

Playing her final professional home match in Nebraska is special, Larson said. She wants Saturday’s match to honor all of the volleyball athletes who competed before U.S. professional volleyball was founded. She added that people from her hometown of Hooper, Nebraska, will be in attendance for the match with Austin.

“I think some of my high school is coming as well, former coaches,” Larson said. “I also got to make a list, because one of the things that if I was going to announce publicly that I really wanted to get across was I wanted to celebrate all the girls that have retired before me that didn't get the chance to do something like this.”

She predicted a strong performance from Nebraska in the final regular season match of her career.

“I can't cuss on camera, but we're gonna do some things, and we're gonna take it to them,” Larson said. “I have no doubt that we're gonna show up and give everything we have, because this team is really special.”

The winner of Austin and Nebraska will advance to the playoffs, with the loser waiting for other results to determine their fate. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Baxter Arena in Omaha and will be streamed on Victory.