Supernovas' Comeback Bid Falls Short against Orlando in Front of 10,523
MLV Omaha Supernovas

Supernovas' Comeback Bid Falls Short against Orlando in Front of 10,523

Published on January 18, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Omaha Supernovas News Release


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

OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha Supernovas, the world's leading professional volleyball franchise, climbed back from a 2-0 deficit but could not complete the reverse sweep against the Orlando Valkyries in another five-set thriller Sunday afternoon, falling 18-25, 20-25, 25-16, 26-24, 9-15 in front of 10,523 on Kiewit Court at the CHI Health Center.

Star outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller carried the offense for Omaha, swinging a franchise-record 66 times with a Supernovas career-high 27 kills on a .364 hitting percentage. She finished with her third straight double-double by adding 14 digs, two assists and one ace. Norah TeBrake saw her most action of the season, recording her own double-double with 11 kills, 10 digs and two aces after subbing in for Sarah Parsons in the second set.

Kiara Reinhardt was effective after coming off the bench following the intermission, tallying six kills on a .417 clip with an ace, while Emily Londot showed off more than just her power shots in a performance that saw her record seven kills on a .389 clip with seven digs and two blocks.

Setter Sydney Hilley dished out 53 assists with nine digs, four kills and two blocks. Libero Morgan Hentz logged 15 digs and four assists in all five sets.

In total, the Supernovas hit .235 with six blocks, five aces, 73 digs and 59 assists.

Reigning MVP Brittany Abercrombie powered her way to 24 points on 22 kills (.400), one block and one ace while also adding 19 digs. Orlando served its way to victory, posting 10 aces, nine blocks, 81 digs and 61 assists.

Omaha returns to Kiewit Court at the CHI Health Center on Thursday to round out its three-match homestand by taking on the Columbus Fury at 7 p.m. CST. The match will be televised on Nebraska Public Media and can be heard on the Supernovas Radio Network.

Key Notes

The Supernovas' attendance of 10,523 ranks as the 14th-largest crowd in U.S. pro volleyball history.

It also marked Omaha's 17th match with a crowd of 10,000 or more.

The Supernovas have now hosted the top 16 largest crowds in U.S. pro volleyball history, including 22 of the top 23.

This is the second consecutive year the Supernovas have gone 0-2 on the second weekend of the season.

Orlando recorded 10 aces in the match, a franchise opponent record. The Valkyries also held the previous opponent ace records of nine and eight, both set in 2025.

Hannah Maddux tied teammate Natalie Foster for the individual opponent record for most aces in a match with four.

Norah TeBrake finished with 11 kills and 10 digs for her first double-double of the season.

Nuneviller also recorded 66 swings, a career and franchise high for a single match.

Set 1: Parsons opened the match with a kill from the left side, but Abercrombie answered with her own kill. Parsons tallied her second kill and an Orlando hitting error gave Omaha an early 3-1 lead. Luper and Abercrombie tallied back-to-back kills to tie the set, but a Foster service error and a Nuneviller kill gave the Supernovas the lead again. Nuneviller posted another kill, but a 3-0 Valkyries run was sparked by Luper and Maddox kills, stamped by a Brown block for a 7-6 edge. Consecutive errors gave Omaha the lead again at the first media timeout, 8-7. Onabanjo recorded her first kill of the season off the slide. Beason gave the Supernovas a two-point lead on back-to-back kills, but Maddux and Abercrombie responded for Orlando to tie the set again at 11. Tied later at 14 off a Nuneviller kill, the Valkyries took advantage of two Omaha errors and a Maddux block to hold a 16-14 lead at the second media timeout. Guedpard dropped in a setter dump out of the break for a 4-0 run, but Hilley put a high ball down to end the Omaha drought. Nuneviller terminated from the back row, but Foster answered with a kill to force a Supernovas timeout at 19-16 Valkyries. Foster rejected an Onabanjo overpass attack to make it a four-point Orlando lead. Beason blocked Maddux one-on-one to jump-start some momentum, as Parsons followed with an ace to force a Valkyries timeout at 20-18. Abercrombie sided out for Orlando out of the stoppage, but a Beason attack sailed wide to give the Valkyries a 22-18 lead.

The Supernovas were limited to a .146 hitting percentage with one block and one ace. Nuneviller collected four kills on a .364 clip to lead the team. The Valkyries came out firing with a .361 clip with three blocks and one ace, as Abercrombie had five kills.

Set 2: Maddux picked up where she left off in the first set to open the second with a kill, but Nuneviller answered with her own. Both teams exchanged service errors before Orlando took command with a 3-0 run off kills from Brown, Maddux and Luper. Parsons tooled the block, and Hilley shoved the ball past the block to get Omaha back within one. Nuneviller and Brown traded points to put the Valkyries ahead 8-6 at the media timeout. Nuneviller found the floor with a tip out of the timeout, and Beason roofed the Orlando attack on the next point to tie the set. Tied at 10, Maddux tallied back-to-back aces for an Omaha timeout. Nuneviller sided out after flying from the back row for a kill, but Luper silenced the home crowd with a block of Beason. A failed challenge by the Supernovas, followed by a hitting error, gave Orlando a 15-11 lead, but Hilley ended the 3-0 run with a setter dump. TeBrake checked in and recorded her first career Supernovas kill. Nuneviller followed with a kill, and Hilley stamped a 3-0 run with a block. A service error that just missed ended the run, but Nuneviller capped a long rally with a kill. Despite the surge of momentum, the Valkyries responded with a 3-0 run with kills from Maddux and Luper before a Guedpard block for a 20-16 lead, forcing a timeout. Nuneviller broke up the run, but an error and a Guedpard ace put Orlando up 22-17. Abercrombie's kill from the right gave the Valkyries set point, and a TeBrake attack sailed long to give Orlando a 2-0 set lead with a 25-20 win.

Omaha improved to a .179 hitting percentage with two blocks but no aces. Nuneviller led the Supernovas with a set-high seven kills. Orlando hit .244 with two blocks, and the Valkyries recorded three aces. Luper hit .500 in the set with five kills to lead Orlando.

Set 3: The Valkyries jumped out early, using kills from Foster, Maddux and another ace from Guedpard for a 3-0 run to start the set. Reinhardt got Omaha on the board with a middle termination, which was followed by a TeBrake kill. Abercrombie recorded a block, but a series of Valkyries errors tied the set at 5. Brown rejected a TeBrake attack from the back row, but Nuneviller answered with a kill. Luper put Orlando ahead 8-7 at the first media timeout with a kill. The Valkyries extended their lead to 10-7 off a net violation and a Maddux termination. Nuneviller and TeBrake tallied back-to-back kills. Following a Maddux kill, Nuneviller, Reinhardt and Hilley put down kills to give the Supernovas a 12-11 edge. Knotted at 14, TeBrake executed from the left with a kill and followed with her own ace to put Omaha ahead 16-14 at the second timeout. The Supernovas took control from there, rallying with an 8-0 run as TeBrake earned another ace, with kills from Londot and Nuneviller. Two more kills from Nuneviller put Omaha at set point, where a Valkyries attack sailed wide for the Supernovas' 25-16 win.

The Supernovas offense woke up with a .326 clip and two aces from TeBrake. Nuneviller hit .429 in the set with a team-high six kills. Orlando was held to a .154 clip, recording two blocks and one ace, as Maddux led with four kills.

Set 4: Foster displayed why she is one of the most dangerous servers in the league, leading Orlando to a 7-0 run to start the set, which included two aces. A service error ended the surge, but Abercrombie put the Valkyries ahead 8-1 at the media timeout with a kill. Londot and TeBrake each gave Omaha a pair of kills, but Orlando still doubled up the Supernovas off a Foster kill at 14-7. Reinhardt sparked a 5-0 run with two kills. TeBrake followed by putting away an overpass, and Nuneviller served an ace to pull Omaha within three. Nuneviller went back to work offensively, putting down two more kills. Reinhardt erased the deficit with an ace to tie the set at 15, but three consecutive Orlando points followed from Luper, Brown and Maddux. Londot posted a solo block for a key point out of the break, setting up a 5-0 run to put the Supernovas ahead 20-18. A pair of Omaha errors tied the set again. Another Nuneviller kill and a Hilley block made it 23-21 Supernovas, but the Valkyries responded with points from Foster and Abercrombie to make it 23-all. Nuneviller gave Omaha set point, but Abercrombie extended the set with her own kill. Nuneviller answered again, and a four-hit violation gave the Supernovas a 26-24 win.

Omaha hit .349 in the set with three blocks and two aces, as Nuneviller had seven kills on a .353 clip. The Valkyries mustered a .333 clip with two aces. Abercrombie matched Nuneviller with seven kills on 12 swings with no errors for a .583 clip.

Set 5: Reinhardt terminated from the middle to open the set, but a service error erased the quick start. Foster aced Hentz to take the lead, but back-to-back Orlando errors handed Omaha a 3-2 advantage. Maddux produced her match-high fourth ace, but Londot and Nuneviller kept pace for Omaha. Abercrombie fueled a 3-0 Valkyries run for a 9-6 lead. The two teams traded points, but Orlando closed the match with a 4-0 run behind an Abercrombie short-serve ace and a Maddux block to secure the five-set victory.

The Supernovas struggled offensively in the fifth set for the second straight match, recording a .095 hitting percentage. Abercrombie collected five of Orlando's six kills in the set, as the Valkyries also recorded three aces.

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



Major League Volleyball Stories from January 18, 2026


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