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PVF Omaha Supernovas

Supernovas Battle Vibe on Banner Night for 2025 Season Opener; Travel to Grand Rapids on Sunday

January 9, 2025 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
Omaha Supernovas News Release


Omaha Supernovas outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller
Omaha Supernovas outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller
(Omaha Supernovas)

OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha Supernovas, Nebraska's professional volleyball team and first Pro Volleyball Champions will welcome in the Atlanta Vibe for the 2025 season opener at the CHI Health Center on Friday, January 10 in downtown. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CST with Friday being Banner Night as the Supernovas unveil their championship banner from winning the Pro Volleyball Federation Championship on May 18, 2024, when they swept the Grand Rapids Rise at CHI.

Banner Night is sponsored by Quantum Fiber with fans in attendance receiving a special championship banner commemorative gift.

Two days later on Sunday, January 12, the Supernovas travel to Grand Rapids for the first road match of the season, facing the Rise in a rematch of the 2024 PVF Championship.

Game Details

Matchup: Atlanta Vibe (0-0) at Omaha Supernovas (0-0) | Friday, Jan. 10th | 7 p.m. CST | CHI Health Center

Watch: Nebraska Public Media | PVF YouTube

Listen: Supernovas Radio Network

Match Notes

Season Series: First of four meetings, first of two at the CHI Health Center

All-Time Series: Atlanta leads 3-1 (April 13, 2024, at Atlanta last matchup, 3-1 ATL)

Series Notes: This is the fifth meeting between Omaha and Atlanta. The Vibe won the 2024 season series 3-1, including a 2-0 record inside the CHI Health Center, highlighted by a five-set victory in the first-ever PVF match on January 24, 2024. The Supernovas lone win against Atlanta came in a dominant sweep on the road on Feb. 29, 2024. Three of the four matches have gone at least four sets. The Vibe is the only opponent in Omaha franchise history that has a winning record against the Supernovas.

Game Details

Matchup: Omaha Supernovas (0-0) at Grand Rapids Rise (0-0) | Sunday, Jan. 12th | 5 p.m. CST | Van Andel Arena

Watch: FS1

Listen: Supernovas Radio Network

Match Notes

Season Series: First of four meetings, first of two at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: Omaha leads 4-1 (May 18, 2024, PVF Championship last matchup, 3-0 OMA)

Series Notes: This is the sixth meeting between Omaha and Grand Rapids, with the Supernovas holding a 4-1 series advantage. Sunday's match is also a repeat of the inaugural 2024 PVF Championship in which Omaha won in a sweep on May 18, 2024, at the CHI Health Center. The Supernovas first-ever road win came against the Rise in a 3-1 victory on Feb. 12, 2024, at Van Andel. The lone series win for the Rise came in the 2024 regular season finale with a five-set thriller on May 12, 2024.

Supernovas-Vibe Connections: Atlanta opposite and PVF Draft No. 1 overall pick Merritt Beason makes a quick return to Nebraska after spending her last two college seasons playing for Nebraska Volleyball under John Cook. She was teammates with current Supernovas Lindsay Krause (2023-2024) and Ally Batenhorst (2023). Vibe head coach Kayla Banworth is one of the best players in Nebraska Volleyball history, playing in Lincoln from 2007-2010 as a libero, eventually winning eight medals in an illustrious international career including a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She returned to NU as an assistant coach from 2017-2019 helping the program win its fifth national title in 2017. Vibe middle blocker Taya Beller was a two-time D2CCA All-America First Team selection at Wayne State. She is from Lindsay, Nebraska where she attended Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family High School. Batenhorst takes on former USC setter Mia Tuaniga, who was her teammate during the 2024 college volleyball season.

Supernovas-Rise Connections: Three former Rise players make their return to Grand Rapids in Kayla Caffey, Mac Podraza and Camila Gómez who all signed with Omaha during free agency. Rise outside hitter Paige Briggs-Rominesigned with Grand Rapids over the offseason after spending her rookie season in Omaha winning the PVF title. Reigning PVF Rookie of the Year Reagan Cooper will face her former college setter from Kansas, Camryn Turner, and former Columbus Fury teammate Valeria León. Fellow Kansas alumni and Supernovas middle blocker Toyosi Onabanjo also played with Turner for two seasons (2023-2024) compared to Cooper's one (2023). Omaha middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord reunites with León after spending last season in Columbus and faces Erika Pritchard, who she spent one season with at Penn State in 2021.

Carrying the Championship Torch: Two Supernovas from the inaugural championship-winning team return to Omaha for 2025: outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller and setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson. Nuneviller was a pillar on the 2024 squad, recording 3.33 kills (8th in PVF) and 3.32 digs (6th) per set en route to being named to the PVF All-League First Team. Valentín-Anderson is one of the best and most respected setters of her generation, leading her home country of Puerto Rico to its only Olympic appearance in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She shared time as the starting setter in 2024, averaging 8.60 assists and 2.87 digs per set. She's one of the best defensive setters in the league, highlighted by her two-dig play last season in Vegas on May 6, which was featured as the No. 2 highlight in SportCenter's Top 10 Plays.

Welcome Back to the Good Life: Six Supernovas on the 2025 roster have college connections within Nebraska with four having played at Nebraska and two at Creighton. Krause, Batenhorst, Caffey and Hord were all Huskers under Cook. Setter Kendra Wait, and libero Allison Whitten are former Bluejays who played under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.

Preseason Honors: The Supernovas were voted to finish third in the PVF Preseason Poll, which was voted by the league's head coaches who could not vote for their own team or players. Omaha finished with 36 points and one first-place vote. The Vibe were tabbed as preseason favorites with 43 points and half of the first-place votes with four. The Rise were picked fifth with 26 points. The Supernovas will enter the 2025 season with the top outside hitter duo in the league as Nuneviller and Cooper were voted to the Preseason All-League Team. For Atlanta, outside hitter and reigning PVF MVP Leah Edmond as well as 2024 PVF Libero of the Year Morgan Hentz were voted to the all-league team.

Fountain of Youth: The Supernovas will see the pro debut of eight rookies in the 2025 season: middle blockers Phoebe Awoleye and Onabanjo, outside hitters Batenhorst, Krause and Valeria Vazquez Gomez, opposite Emily Londot, Whitten and Wait. In total, 13 of the 16 players on the Omaha roster will have three or fewer years of professional seasons under their belt.

Every match this season can be heard on the Supernovas Radio Network, led by its flagship station KCRO 660 AM as part of Walnut Media. The SRN can be heard in five states with the support of its affiliates in KXCB Bluffs Country 106.5 FM, Boomer Radio 106.7 FM, ESPN Tri Cities, KNCY in Nebraska City, KGMT in Fairbury and KSID-AM in Sidney.




Images from this story

Omaha Supernovas outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller
Omaha Supernovas outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller
   

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