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Jordan Larson
Jordan Quinn Larson (born October 16, 1986) is an American professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for the United States women's national volleyball team. A four-time Olympian, Larson earned the USA its first-ever gold in women's volleyball at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also has two silver medals from the 2012 and 2024 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal from the 2016 Summer Olympics. With a career spanning more than 15 years, Larson is considered one of the best players in the history of USA volleyball.[2] Early lifeLarson was born in Fremont, Nebraska to Kae and Kevin Larson.[3] Her parents separated when she was three years old, and she and her mother subsequently moved to Hooper to move in with her stepfather. She began playing volleyball in eighth grade.[4] She was named to the Super-State first team in her last three seasons. In 2003, she had 15.08 kills per game to set a Class C1 state record and led LVHS to the state finals. In 2004, as a senior, she set a C1 record with 501 kills, and Logan View made it to the Class C1 state semifinals. She was named Nebraska Gatorade High School Player of the Year.[5] Larson played for the Nebraska Juniors at the USA Junior Olympic Girls' Volleyball Championship in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She was an All-American selection all three years.[5] When Larson was in high school, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died seven years later in 2009.[6] College careerLarson started her college volleyball career at the University of Nebraska in 2005. That year, she was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Central Region Freshman of the Year and the Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year. She also helped the Huskers finish second in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. In 2006, she led the Huskers to the national title and was named to the AVCA All-America First Team. In 2007, she made the AVCA All-America Third Team. In 2008, as a senior, she was named to the AVCA All-America First Team. She was also chosen as the Big 12 Player of the Year and the league's defensive player of the year; it was the first time that a player achieved both in the same year. Over her four-year college career, Larson had a total of 1,600 kills and 1,410 digs.[5][7] Professional careerLarson has played extensively for various clubs in Europe and North America. She began her professional career in Puerto Rico before joining Russian team Dinamo Kazan.[8] With Dinamo Kazan, she won gold at the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship and the 2014 CEV Champions League.[9] Larson joined Eczacibasi in Turkey and played with the team until 2019. While with Eczacibasi, she won the 2015 and 2016 World Championships and earned bronze in 2018. Larson was named MVP of both the continental and world competitions in 2015.[9] From 2019 to 2022 she played for Shanghai in China.[9] In 2021, she played in the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball season, where she became the first-ever champion.[10] In 2022, she played for Vero Volley Monza.[11] Larson is a founding athlete for League One Volleyball (LOVB)'s inaugural Omaha team, which is set to launch in November 2024.[12] National team careerLarson joined the United States women's national team in 2009.[13] With the team, she has earned medals at several major international competitions, including gold medals at the FIVB World Grand Prix (2010, 2011, and 2015), the FIVB World Championship (2014), and the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (2018, 2019, 2021). She became the team's captain in 2017.[14] At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Larson earned a silver medal with the United States. The team, which was ranked number one in the world going into the competition, was undefeated in pool play, but fell to Brazil in the gold medal match.[15] Larson played with the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The team was once again undefeated in pool play, but lost to Serbia in the semi-finals. In the bronze medal match against the Netherlands, Larson led the team to victory with 13 kills.[16] On June 7, 2021, U.S. National Team head coach Karch Kiraly announced Larson would be part of the 12-player Olympic roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, making her the fifth oldest volleyball player in U.S. history to be named to an Olympics roster.[17][1] The team went on to win America's first-ever women's Olympic volleyball gold medal, with Larson scoring the final point in a straight-sets victory over Brazil in the gold medal match.[18] Though Larson had intended for 2020 to be her last Olympics, she came out of retirement in the spring of 2023 and was named to the roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[19] Coaching careerLarson joined her alma mater, the University of Nebraska, as an Assistant Coach in June 2023.[20] Personal lifeLarson graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2008 with a degree in communication studies.[21] She has been married twice, first from 2009 to 2015 to Luke Burbach, and then from 2021 to 2023 to Pepperdine men's volleyball coach David Hunt.[4] AwardsIndividual
Clubs
College
National team
References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jordan Larson.
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