Nebraska volleyball great Jordan Larson feeling at peace after coming out of retirement

Nebraska volleyball great Jordan Larson said she’s at peace with her decision to come out of retirement recently for LOVB Nebraska.

In an interview with Nebraska Public Media News, Larson said retirement initially felt like the right thing to do at 39 years old. Then, she thought about how she played professionally for more than a decade overseas and that she still felt in great shape.

“I felt so good as I kept playing, and then I just was like, ‘I get to do this at home. Like, why am I actually stopping?’ So I think it was just a lot of that back and forth most of the season, and even towards the end,” Larson said. “I think even having the confidence to say that I want to play again. I think that was also scary.”

Having two professional volleyball teams in Nebraska is cool, she said.

“Just from a person that never got to be at home, to see how many girls have been able to have the platform to stay at home is just — it's unbelievable,” Larson said.

If any place can help sustain two pro volleyball leagues, she said Nebraska is the place. The outside hitter said she had to work through the emotions of changing course on her career, especially doing so publicly.

“Yeah, I said these things. Things change and times change. And I still feel good, and I love what I do, so it's okay,” Larson said.

Larson said having a big announcement and party didn’t feel like her. It will be a lot quieter when she actually retires.

“I think moving forward, it's like ‘What is in my realm of how I want it (retirement) to look and what I want it to feel like?” Larson said. “I know there will not be an announcement of any kind, nor will I probably know until it's actually time.”

Carrying the torch and being the face of League One Volleyball on the court didn’t factor into the decision, she said. In what was expected to be her final match in April, Larson connected on 19 kills in a loss to LOVB Austin.

The Hooper-raised athlete said it will also fill her bucket to continue mentoring LOVB Nebraska players like Lexi Rodriguez, Lindsay Krause, and Rebekah Allick, who she all coached as an assistant at Nebraska.

Larson led Nebraska to a national championship in 2006 as a player and coached at NU from 2023 to 2024. She’s also earned four Olympic medals, including one gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games, which were actually played in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the gold medal celebration on, the Nebraskan said it feels like she’s playing with “house money,” while also remembering her roots.

“It's really always been about the journey,” she said.

LOVB Nebraska will be back in action in January.