Blackwell Erupts for Career Night in Supernovas' Four-Set Loss to Grand Rapids
MLV Omaha Supernovas

Blackwell Erupts for Career Night in Supernovas' Four-Set Loss to Grand Rapids

Published on April 11, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Omaha Supernovas News Release


Omaha Supernovas' Leyla Blackwell and Sarah Parsons
Omaha Supernovas' Leyla Blackwell and Sarah Parsons
(Omaha Supernovas)

OMAHA, Neb. - Omaha Supernovas middle blocker Leyla Blackwell came off the bench to deliver the best match of her professional career, but the Grand Rapids Rise (8-14) spoiled her breakout performance with a 25-17, 25-27, 25-20, 25-22 victory Friday night in front of 7,701 at the CHI Health Center on Kiewit Court.

The second-year pro entered the match to start the second set, where she posted a team-high .444 hitting percentage on 18 swings with 10 kills and just two errors. Blackwell added a pair of blocks to finish second on the Supernovas (11-12) with 12 points. Her totals in both attacks and kills marked professional career highs.

Veteran outside hitter Sarah Parsons logged a team-high 15 points on 13 kills, one ace and one block, while adding 12 digs to record her seventh double-double of the season. Opposite Merritt Beason was another standout off the bench, finishing with 11 points on 10 kills and one block while collecting six digs.

Interim head coach Thomas Robson made his head coaching debut and was not afraid to rely on his bench, as each newcomer made an impact. However, the Supernovas could not overcome the Rise defense, which totaled 104 digs in the four-set win.

"We love him. We've been working all season long, and it's been really cool in the past few days to see Thomas and Blake (Rawlins) stepping into pretty much the same role but just being our biggest supporters," Blackwell said. "We respect them so much, and we've got their backs, and they've got ours. That's the best sort of relationship you can have as a player and coach."

"I'd say I'm an emotional coach in the sense that I'm a very positive coach. I like to find the positive in pretty much everything. At the end of the day, we're all here playing a sport we love or coaching a sport we love," Robson said. "There are so many other things going on. I could be sitting in an office working a nine-to-five job. You can't be upset in situations like this. Yeah, we wanted to win, but we've got more opportunities. This isn't a win-or-go-home situation. Honestly, I like our matchup with Dallas, too. I'm excited for that."

Outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller recorded seven kills and 12 digs while taking on the load as the Novas' primary passer, posting a 64% positive passing rate on a match-high 42 at the net. Turner found the floor between two Blackwell finishes, but a service error tied the set at 12-12. The teams exchanged points until a powerful Bray swing gave the Rise a 16-15 edge at the media timeout. Blackwell evened the set, and Parsons followed with a left-side attack to make it 17-16 Novas. After a Novas hitting error, Blackwell struck again, and Parsons added an ace before another miscue pushed Omaha ahead 20-17. Inneh made it 22-18, but a Nuneviller point and a Rise miscue pulled Omaha within two at 22-20. Briggs-Romine took over with consecutive finishes, and an Omaha attack error sealed a 25-20 win and a 2-1 match lead.

The Supernovas hit .039 with three blocks. Parsons led with five points on four swings and one block. Grand Rapids hit .163 with five blocks, led by Snyder's six points on five swings and one block.

Set 4: Blackwell again opened strong at the net with a front-row finish, and Bray matched to tie the score. An Omaha hitting error was offset by a Beason swing from the right side, but Inneh tooled the block. After a Grand Rapids error, Briggs-Romine extended the lead before Beason's block cut it to 23-22. Oblad's slide set up match point, and a Supernovas hitting error on the next rally sealed a 25-22 set win and a 3-1 match victory for the Rise.

The Supernovas hit .170 with three blocks, highlighted by an eight-point performance from Beason off the bench. The Rise hit .179 with four blocks, led by Snyder's five points.

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Images from this story

Omaha Supernovas' Leyla Blackwell and Sarah Parsons
Omaha Supernovas' Leyla Blackwell and Sarah Parsons
   



Major League Volleyball Stories from April 11, 2026


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