AUSTIN, Texas – March 20, 2026 – Outside hitter Jordan Larson has proven yet again why she is one of the greatest indoor volleyball athletes of all time, piecing together a career night when LOVB Nebraska needed it most as they defeated LOVB Austin in four sets (25-19, 25-18, 13-25, 25-21) on Friday night at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Austin, Texas.
Nebraska (7-9) entered the match with a 1-6 all-time record against Austin. Larson entered the match hitting a combined .178 with single-digits points and kills with zero blocks in each of the team’s previous two meetings this season. All of that changed tonight.
Simply put, The Governor was flawless: 20 kills on 31 attempts with zero errors and zero attacks blocked, resulting in a new LOVB personal best .645 hitting efficiency. The points didn’t stop there, as the storied outside hitter added on four blocks, also a new LOVB personal best, and an ace to wrap up a 25-point night, once again, a new LOVB personal best.
“We’re coming down to crunch time and how can I just leave it all out there with no regrets,” said Larson. “I can really see blocks in front of me and what’s happening, and I can kind of hit around them and adjust. I’m grateful that I have learned the ability to see and to respond appropriately with what’s given situationally.”
It wasn’t just Larson with the hot hand, as the team’s .389 hitting efficiency and only three attacking errors committed on the night are both season bests for the club. Opposite hitter Kimberly Drewniok finished with 15 kills on a .433 hitting efficiency and outside hitter Anne Buijs tacked on a 12-kill, .266 offensive performance.
After getting routed in the third set and being down 16-12 in the fourth, Nebraska got it together and finished the match on a 13-5 run to seal the victory. The win moves Nebraska into fourth place in the standings for now and maintains the chance to clinch the tiebreaker over Austin, needing a swift and/or efficient win when the two teams collide for the final time on April 4.
“The third [set] got away from us big time,” said head Coach Suzie Fritz. “But for them to have that happen as well and come back and compete and show tremendous amounts of courage when it was required of us. There’s some pressure here that we want to lean into, and I thought we leaned into it in a nice way.”
For Austin (7-10), four hitters with 10+ points each on the night wasn’t enough. The home team was led by opposite hitter Madisen Skinner, who had an efficient 20-point, 19-kill evening. Middle blockers Molly McCage (16p, 12k, 4b) and Asjia O’Neal (13p, 10k, 2b, 1a) joined outside hitter Logan Eggleston (12p, 7k, 4a, 1b) as the other three in double-digits.
For the second week in a row, LOVB Nebraska will feature in the LOVB Match of the Week next week. The team heads to the Peach State to take on LOVB Atlanta in the team’s final away match of the season on Wednesday, March 25. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Central at the OTE Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The contest will be broadcast on USA Network.
