Nebraska Goes the Distance Again in Victory Over Houston

OMAHA, Nebraska - January 11, 2026 - For what will be one of many “lasts” for Jordan Larson’s playing career, The Governor’s final home opener saw her LOVB Nebraska team on the positive end of another five-setter, this time defeating LOVB Houston 3-2 (22-25, 37-35, 25-19, 21-25, 15-10) Sunday afternoon at Baxter Arena.

Jordan led a balanced flurry of Nebraska (1-1) point scorers on the afternoon, recording a 14-kill, 13-dig double-double, one of two double-doubles for the home team. The veteran outside hitter was one of four Nebraska athletes to hit the double digit kill mark, a feat helped by a second set that went to 37-35 in favor of Nebraska. 

The 72 points scored in the second set is the most in league history, a record that the club previously shared after a 64-point bout against LOVB Salt Lake in 2025.

“I have loved how competitive our gym has been and I think it’s created this wonderful depth within our team,” said Nebraska head coach, Suzie Fritz. “[It] gives us some opportunities and some options, if you will. I’m somebody that thinks options are great.”

Those options referenced by Suzie came in the form of middle blocker Ana Carolina da Silva, known as Carol(18p, 11k, 6b), outside hitter Anne Buijs (18p, 16k), opposite hitter Kimberly Drewniok (15p, 14k, 11d), and middle blocker Candelaria Herrera (9p, 8k), who played a pivotal role as a sparkplug off the bench. The veteran experience paid dividends as it came down the final stretch.

“A lot of us have learned in our long careers [that] anybody can have a night,” said Jordan. “This league forces you to do things and see things to try and make the next right play… We all have to be ready to take over the match.”

Houston (0-2) was paced by a pair of 20+ point scorers in opposite hitter Jordan Thompson and outside hitter Jess Mruzik. Thompson, a two-time Olympian, recorded her seventh 20-kill match in her LOVB career, and her fifth against LOVB Nebraska, finishing with 22 kills. The 2024 national champion, Mruzik finished with 16 kills, three blocks and two aces.

“When it comes to games like this, margins [are] really thin,” said Houston head coach Sanja Tomašević. “Every play matters. I can think right now of a couple points that we have made in a couple of these sets that, if we could fix that, it’s a different outcome… But from the way we played on Thursday to how we played tonight, I thought today was a lot better match.”

LOVB Nebraska heads north for its next match on Friday, January 16, against LOVB Madison on Victory+. The team will return home to Baxter Arena on Sunday, January 18, for a 5:00 pm bout against LOVB Atlanta. Tickets for the match are now available for purchase, or fans can tune in by watching on ESPN+.