Leave it to Jordan Larson to set the benchmark for all athletes from around the world. Despite preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics with the US National Team, the outside hitter didn’t fail to show up for her alma mater when they needed her. Assisting head coach John Cook, Larson guided the Nebraska Huskers to the semis of the 2024 NCAA D1 Volleyball Championships. Talk about balancing two acts at the same time! And her wisdom continues to shine through even today.
In a shocking move in January, Larson announced her decision to leave her assistant job at Lincoln. The move created quite a ripple, and Coach Cook, too, was left long-faced. “While I am disappointed we won’t have her on staff anymore, I am thankful to Jordan for all that she has done for our program over these past two seasons,” Cook said in a statement, following Larson making her desire public. However, it seems like the 4x Olympian’s teachings won’t be something to leave the Nebraska stars’ minds anytime soon.
Like every other aspiring volleyball star, Skyler Pierce was over the moon when she got the opportunity to play in Nebraska. “I’m excited to leave my mark at Nebraska and hopefully leave a legacy there,” she noted her eagerness to prove her worth following her commitment to the storied volleyball program in 2023. Lucky for her, when she arrived in Lincoln in the following year, there was Jordan Larson, waiting to impart all her knowledge to the young Huskers roster. In a conversation with the Bump Set Chat Podcast, Pierce talked about how the Olympic champ helped her during the former’s freshman year.
On being asked what she learned in her first season with the Huskers that could help young volleyball players, Skyler immediately mentioned how she benefited from Larson’s teachings. “Me and Jordan just talked a lot about, like, picking a side early, like, keeping my shoulders forward, and my feet didn’t always have to be pretty, but it only depended, like, on my platform. Like, how can I get my platform always angled to, like, the middle of the court?” Pierce said about Larson’s involvement in developing her form.
“That was a huge thing for me was, like, staying in it,” the Nebraska sophomore went on, revealing how she would amp herself up by yelling “Go, attack it” at herself inside her head. Quite the aggressive mindset she picked up. And why won’t she? After all, she did learn from the best. Larson’s resume stretches further than most of her peers.
@SkyPierce21 shares somethings she learned this past season at @HuskerVB that helped her be a better passer. @ncaavolleyball pic.twitter.com/vONDrynYgJ
— Bump Set Chat Podcast (@Bump_Set_Chat) June 27, 2025
From becoming a national champion with the Huskers to bagging the first-ever Olympic gold for Team USA at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Larson has done it all. Understandably, she would be the right person to learn the tricks of the trade from. And she has made sure that her own learnings from her volleyball player days didn’t go to waste.
Jordan Larson’s towering feats seal her status as the perfect role model
Larson is rightfully hailed as one of the most successful and influential American volleyball players in history. A 3x All-American honoree, the Nebraska native helped the Huskers post a 127-8 record during her time in Lincoln. In her first year with the team, Larson bagged the Big 12 Freshman of the Year award and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award, and she earned first-team All-American honors in her sophomore season.
Credit: Instagram/Jordan Larson
Larson was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame in 2020. At the Tokyo Olympics, she was bestowed with the Best Outside Hitter and Most Valuable Player awards for her standout performance as Team USA’s captain. For obvious reasons, Larson is widely known by her nickname, “Governor,” which solidifies her status as a revered volleyball figure.
And it looks like all the experiences she picked up throughout her collegiate and national career, Larson has made sure to share the same with those who came to Nebraska after her. But can Skyler Pierce & Co. continue the Huskers’ legacy with all that knowledge? We’ll have to wait for a few more months to see!
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