Jordan Larson

“The cool thing about China is that they really put a lot of value on their national team.”

“Sometimes when you're constantly playing volleyball there is no time to decompress mentally and physically.”

“I've dedicated a lot of time to this sport, and to see my time coming to an end, it's kind of sad.”

“Being an all-around player, you have to find some kind of balance because there are going to be nights where something isn't on. You've got to make sure the other part is on. That's what I concentrate on.”

“Especially at home, people tell me that my serve is their favorite thing about the games.”

“I just kind of go on with what I'm doing.”

“In high school, I think I served almost an entire match by myself.”

“I have a great circle of support.”

“I've been playing professionally now for over 13 years - played in China, Turkey, Russia, and just was a part of the inaugural season in the States.”

“I played a lot of sports growing up - soccer, softball, basketball, track - and started playing on a club team when I was 12. That's when I fell in love with volleyball.”

“I just love that I've been on a lot of teams that maybe talent hasn't been our top thing, but we found a way to win, and I think that just shows that anybody can play the sport and really have fun doing it.”

“Coming out of college I thought, I'm pretty good, I guess.' But once you're out there - it's a lot faster. The ball's being hit and you're like, Whoa.'”

“I had big dreams and my parents allowed me to travel and go to these traveling teams, and to make it known to kids that if you really put your mind and your heart into what you want to do, that anything is possible.”

“There will always be someone out there that is better than you, and you have to accept it and focus on improving yourself.”

“I think I'm ready and excited for Rio in 2016.”

“I was shocked when four Arlington girls at a track meet this spring asked me for my autograph. I told them, 'Don't think I'm dumb for asking this, but are you serious?'”

“I've been playing consistently overseas for 12 years straight with no real offseason. I also have other endeavors in my life that I want to see. Getting married, having children, those kinds of things. The older I get, the more challenging those become.”

“Istanbul is an unbelievable city, just really beautiful and the people are really, really nice.”

“But I think it's important admitting to my teammates, Hey, I'm really struggling right now, and can you help me out?' Or, This serve is really killing me in the seam, can you take a step and take it for me so I can go and hit and have a better shot next time?'”

“The crowd also sets you up for success. When you're playing in front of 8,000 the pressure is on, right? People are watching.”