Ex-NU, CU stars agree: State key to volleyball rise

With the Nebraska football team idle this weekend, volleyball was the topic Friday at the Big Red Brunch at Tiburon Golf Club. Former Husker standout Jordan Larson and longtime Creighton coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth shared the stage, answering questions from moderator Mike'l Severe. Both Larson and Booth are now affiliated with LOVB Nebraska, one of two pro volleyball teams in the state. Larson is a player and co-owner while Booth, who coached Creighton for 22 years before stepping down in April, is president of business operations. Both talked about their experiences at all levels of the sport -- from high school on up -- and the growth of volleyball on the pro level. "I think COVID kind of kickstarted the pro game because there was a curiosity about where this could go," Larson said. "But to think where it is now, I never would have fathomed that and I'm really hopeful for even more success." The 38-year-old Larson, who played on the U.S. national team for 15 years, is the voice of experience. The Logan View grad was a member of Nebraska's 2006 national championship squad and a four-time Olympian, winning gold at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Booth, who played at Lincoln East and collegiately at Truman State in Missouri, said the sport exploded with the help of television. "The WNBA struggled for a lot of years but fortunately the NBA was able to cash flow them for a long period of time," she said. "We're going to be cash-flow positive soon on our own and that's exciting, and I think getting on television has a lot to do with it." Still, she said, it isn't easy. "This is my own bias, but I think the execs are males making decisions in the northeast area of our country," she said. "At ESPN, some of those decision makers didn't know volleyball or understand that it was going crazy in most of the country." Larson, who Booth called "the greatest player of all time," said she has continued to play for one simple reason. "I just really have a love for the game," she said. "I feel like as I've gotten older, I'm just enjoying every moment." Larson also spoke about the recent alumni match in Lincoln between current and former Huskers. "It was awesome," she said. "The fact we had practiced only like one hour before shows the depth of talent we've had at Nebraska." Booth was asked about the two pro franchises in Omaha -- LOVB Nebraska and the Supernovas of Major League Volleyball. "I'll make this concise," she said. "I think I speak for both of us when I say that's awesome." It wasn't a surprise when asked about quality teammates at the libero position that Larson mentioned Justine Wong-Orantes and Lexi Rodriguez. Both played for Omaha's LOVB team last season and Rodriguez will be back this year. Booth mentioned Omaha Marian graduate Brittany Witt as one of the best liberos she coached at Creighton. She added that she's amazed at the level of play in high schools, from the smallest schools on up, in the state. "You go to these small towns in western Nebraska and you have people that understand the sport," she said. "Volleyball is not an easy sport to understand, and my husband still doesn't understand it." Both said they were unable to attend the Volleyball Day match at Memorial Stadium in 2023, which drew 92,003 -- a record for a women's sporting event. Larson was in Canada with the national team while Booth was attending a Dixie Chicks concert. "I was getting texts from all my friends around the world," Larson said. "We're just different here because we love the game." Booth drew the biggest laugh from the mostly red-clad attendees when the Creighton-Nebraska volleyball rivalry was mentioned, one in which the Huskers hold a 24-0 edge. Recent matches have gone the five-set limit, such as the one at CHI Health Center on Sept. 16. She said she appreciated the fact former NU coach John Cook, who retired in January after 25 seasons with the Huskers, continued to schedule the match as the Bluejay program improved over the years. "They were way better than us when we first started playing," Booth said. "I think John had to walk away when he was afraid we might beat them." mike.patterson@owh.com, 402-444-1350, twitter.com/ MPattersonOWH