Published for LOVB Nebraska fans — October 2026
By Toxlay Sports Editorial Team · Last updated October 24, 2026
🏐 LOVB Nebraska Fans — Your State of Legends Is Waiting!
The farewell lasted one summer. Jordan Larson said goodbye in April, watched her jersey rise to the rafters — then un-retired in July, with a title still to chase. The comeback starts December 16 in San Antonio. Wear the green and be part of it.
The Club
LOVB Nebraska is what happens when the most volleyball-mad state in America gets a pro team of its own. Announced in August 2023 as LOVB Omaha — the league’s fifth franchise — the club was an inaugural member of LOVB Pro in 2025, then rebranded in August 2025 from “Omaha” to “Nebraska” to reflect the whole state’s volleyball culture. Home is Baxter Arena in Omaha, which hosted nine home matches in 2026, plus one at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island that team president Kirsten Bernthal Booth called the best-selling venue of any LOVB match. Husker legend Jordan Larson headlined the ownership group that bought the team from the league in August 2025 — and she still wears the jersey she co-owns. The brand line says it all: the State of Legends. Searching for a LOVB Nebraska jersey, the latest Nebraska schedule or Nebraska tickets? Start with one question: when does the comeback begin?
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Last Season (2026): The Farewell That Wasn’t
Nebraska’s 2026 season had everything except the ending it wanted. The team went 10-10 for fifth place — a big jump from 2025’s 5-11 — yet still missed the four-team LOVB Finals, and it all came down to one night. On April 4, 2026, with a playoff berth on the line, Nebraska lost a five-set heartbreaker to LOVB Austin at Baxter Arena. It was billed as Jordan Larson’s final professional match: she had announced in January that 2026 would be her last season, and she signed off with a double-double for the ages — 19 kills, 20 digs, .417 hitting — later voted the 2026 LOVB Top Moment, as the club retired her jersey. Larson finished 5th in the league in kills (234), 6th in points (267) and tied 4th in aces (15), earning 2026 LOVB Best Outside Hitter and Icons First Team honors. Libero Lexi Rodriguez ranked 4th in the league in digs (204), and Ana Carolina was reported to have set a league blocks record in January. There were nights to savor, too — a 3-1 win at Austin on March 20, a 3-1 home win over Houston on April 1, sweeps of Salt Lake and Madison. Farewell? Not quite. Read on.
Best Players Right Now (2026 Roster)
Jordan Larson, Outside Hitter (#10) — The Governor. A four-time Olympic medalist — gold and tournament MVP at Tokyo 2020, silver in 2012 and 2024, bronze in 2016 — and the 2026 LOVB Best Outside Hitter. A three-time All-American who won the 2006 NCAA title at Nebraska, where her No. 10 was retired in 2017. She is also the franchise’s co-owner. The face of volleyball in Nebraska.
Lexi Rodriguez, Libero (#1) — The homegrown defensive superstar. Rodriguez came straight from the Huskers in 2025 and has anchored the floor ever since, finishing 4th in LOVB in digs in 2026 (204). A four-time college All-American, the 2021 AVCA National Freshman of the Year and the 2024 Big Ten Libero of the Year.
Ana Carolina da Silva (“Carol”), Middle Blocker (#15) — The Brazilian wall. An Olympic medalist and one of the most decorated blockers on the planet: six Best Blocker or Best Middle Blocker awards in FIVB play since 2022, four straight Superliga Best Middle Blocker honors, and a reported league blocks record in January 2026.
Anne Buijs, Outside Hitter (#11) — The Dutch veteran brings two Olympic trips (2016 and 2024) and two European Championship silver medals to the Nebraska pin.
Kimberly Drewniok, Opposite Hitter (#8) — The German national-team opposite, with the club since the inaugural 2025 season — a proven hammer on the right side.
Audriana Fitzmorris, Opposite Hitter (#12) — At 6 ft 6 in, the Stanford product is one of the most imposing right-side presences in the league.
Laura Dijkema, Setter (#14) — The former Dutch national-team captain holds the LOVB single-match assists record.
Emily Thater, Middle Blocker (#2) — An original 2025 signing out of Missouri, still starting in the middle in 2026.
Head coach: Suzie Fritz — Fritz led the team through its first two seasons, including the 2025 Finals run. Giannis Athanasopoulos takes over for 2026-27.
Star Spotlight: Stories You Should Know
The comeback nobody saw coming. On January 9, 2026, Jordan Larson announced that 2026 would be her last season. Nebraska fans spent three months saying goodbye, and on April 4 she gave them a farewell to remember — 19 kills, 20 digs and a jersey-retirement ceremony at a packed Baxter Arena. Then, on July 10, she changed her mind. “The game wasn’t done with me, and I wasn’t done with it,” she said, announcing her return for 2026-27. The first player in club history to have her jersey retired is coming back to wear it again.
The Governor of Nebraska volleyball. They call her The Governor for a reason. Larson, from tiny Hooper, Nebraska, became a three-time All-American, won the 2006 NCAA championship as a Husker, and collected four Olympic medals — including gold and MVP at Tokyo 2020. Her college No. 10 hangs retired, she is in the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame, and in August 2025 she headlined the group that bought this franchise. Player, legend, owner — no second act looks quite like hers.
Built for this state. The 2026-27 roster reveal said it plainly: this team is built for Nebraska. Four Nebraska natives — Larson, Rebekah Allick, Lindsay Krause-Wildeman and Sabrina Starks — and four former Huskers headline a 13-player squad with four Olympians. Season memberships surged 41% after the announcement, a team record. In the state where volleyball is a way of life, this roster is a love letter.
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This Season (2026-27): The Comeback Season
Season three opens with a statement. On Wednesday, December 16, 2026, Nebraska faces two-time defending champion LOVB Austin in LOVB First Serve at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, staged alongside NCAA Championship Week — Jordan Larson’s first match back. The league grows to nine teams in 2026-27, adding Los Angeles, Minnesota and San Francisco, and Nebraska has loaded up. Larson, Anne Buijs, Vicky Savard, Ana Carolina and Lexi Rodriguez all return, joined by former Husker middle Rebekah Allick (signed away from Madison), setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson and six more newcomers. First-year head coach Giannis Athanasopoulos inherits four Olympians and one clear mission: end the title drought. The rest of the schedule is still to come — but with membership deposits at record levels, Baxter Arena is going to be loud.
Mark Your Calendar: The Road Ahead
Circle the date ahead, Nebraska fans — then relive the nights that made this the State of Legends before the rematches land:
- December 16, 2026 — LOVB First Serve vs LOVB Austin, Frost Bank Center, San Antonio: The 2026-27 season opener and Larson’s comeback match, against the two-time defending champions, during NCAA Championship Week.
- Early 2027 — Home opener at Baxter Arena: The first Omaha home date of the comeback season. Exact date and opponent to be confirmed when LOVB releases the full 2026-27 schedule.
- Relive it — April 4, 2026, vs LOVB Austin: The farewell that wasn’t: a five-set classic with a playoff berth on the line, and Larson’s TopMoment double-double.
- Relive it — March 20, 2026, at LOVB Austin: A 3-1 road win over the eventual champions at the H-E-B Center — proof the gap is closing. The December rematch is the sequel.
- Relive it — April 13, 2025, the LOVB Finals: The No. 6 seed’s Cinderella run ended one win short against Austin in Louisville.
Biggest Rivalries — The Wars
1. LOVB Austin — the defining rivalry. Austin beat Nebraska in the inaugural LOVB Finals championship match on April 13, 2025, then broke Omaha hearts again in the April 4, 2026 five-set finale to grab the last playoff berth. Nebraska’s road win in March 2026 showed the tide turning, and LOVB itself bills this as one of the league’s emerging rivalries — which is why it opens the entire 2026-27 season at First Serve. Larson vs the two-time champions, December 16. Enough said.
2. LOVB Houston — the Finals rematch that keeps giving. Nebraska reverse-swept Houston 3-2 in the 2025 Finals semifinal, and Houston was the opponent for both the 2026 home opener and a 3-1 Nebraska win on April 1, 2026. With Team USA stars like Jordan Thompson and Micha Hancock in sky blue, every meeting feels personal.
3. LOVB Madison — Midwest bragging rights. Nebraska stunned Madison 3-1 in the 2025 Finals quarterfinal as the No. 6 seed, then swept them on the road in March 2026. The rivalry sharpened this summer when Nebraska signed Madison’s former Husker middle, Rebekah Allick.
4. Omaha Supernovas — the crosstown crowd war. Omaha is the only U.S. city with two pro women’s volleyball teams in rival leagues. The Supernovas (MLV) and LOVB Nebraska never share a court — this is a rivalry of crowds, not matches, a fight for the same fan base and the right to call itself Omaha’s team. In Nebraska, that argument never ends.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When does LOVB Nebraska play next?
LOVB Nebraska opens the 2026-27 season on Wednesday, December 16, 2026, against two-time defending champion LOVB Austin at LOVB First Serve at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio — Jordan Larson’s first match back after un-retiring.
Where does LOVB Nebraska play its home games?
At Baxter Arena in Omaha — the club’s primary home, which hosted nine home matches in 2026. Nebraska also played one 2026 home match at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.
How many championships has LOVB Nebraska won?
None yet — but they came within one match of the first one. As LOVB Omaha, the No. 6 seed reached the inaugural LOVB Finals championship match on April 13, 2025, before falling 0-3 to LOVB Austin. The first title is the mission of the 2026-27 comeback season.
Where can I buy LOVB Nebraska fan gear?
Toxlay Sports offers fan-inspired apparel for Nebraska supporters — fan-designed gear made for real fans. Note that fan-inspired apparel is not official LOVB licensed merchandise.
Sources: LOVB, League One Volleyball, team announcements — schedules, rosters and records checked October 2026.
The State of Legends rides again — the Governor is back, and Nebraska is coming for its first title.
