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PVF Omaha Supernovas

Supernovas Face Ignite for First Time in Franchise History, Conclude Road Trip in Atlanta

February 5, 2025 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
Omaha Supernovas News Release


Omaha Supernovas libero Camila Gómez
Omaha Supernovas libero Camila Gómez
(Omaha Supernovas)

OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha Supernovas, Nebraska's professional volleyball team and first Pro Volleyball Champions, continue their three-match road trip by taking on the Pro Volleyball Federation's first expansion team, the Indy Ignite, for the first time in franchise history. The Supernovas then wrap up their longest road swing of the season with a Saturday night showdown against their rival, the Atlanta Vibe.

Omaha is coming off a 1-1 weekend, sweeping the Columbus Fury for the second straight match before suffering the first sweep in franchise history against the Orlando Valkyries.

Game Details

Matchup: Omaha Supernovas (4-3) at Indy Ignite (4-2) | Thursday, Feb. 6th | 6 p.m. CST | Fishers Event Center, Fishers, Ind.

Watch: PVF YouTube Channel | Broadcast Crew: Noah Reed (PxP), Emily Ehman (Color)

Listen: Supernovas Radio Network | Broadcast Crew: Grant Hansen (PxP), Renee Saunders (Color)

Match Notes

Season Series: First of four meetings, first of two at Fishers Event Center.

All-Time Series: First Meeting.

Game Details

Matchup: Omaha Supernovas (4-3) at Atlanta Vibe (4-3) | Saturday, Feb. 8th | 6 p.m. CST | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga.

Watch: PVF YouTube Channel | Broadcast Crew: Andy Demetra (PxP), Kele Eveland (Color)

Listen: Supernovas Radio Network | Broadcast Crew: Grant Hansen (PxP)

Match Notes

Season Series: Second of four meetings, first of two at Gas South Arena.

All-Time Series: Atlanta leads 3-2 (January 10, 2025, last matchup, 3-2 OMA).

Series Notes: This is the sixth all-time meeting between Omaha and Atlanta with the Vibe holding a 3-2 series lead. Saturday marks the second of four contests between the two franchises in the 2025 season. The Supernovas flipped the script from 2024, topping Atlanta in a five-set classic to open the 2025 season on January 10, 2025, which also broke the U.S. Pro Volleyball attendance record with 13,486 at the CHI Health Center.

Supernovas-Ignite Connections

A total of six former Jayhawks will be on the floor Thursday night in Indy. The Ignite have a pair who spent time in Lawrence including middle blocker Caroline Crawford and backup setter Anise Havili. Crawford was an All-Big 12 selection in her two seasons (2021, 2020) before transferring to Wisconsin. Havili was teammates with Omaha's Kelsie Payne from 2014-2017 as they were both part of the same recruiting class. Each player developed under Supernovas head coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn, who was the associate head coach at the time. Payne was a two-time AVCA First Team All-American and Havili won back-to-back Big 12 Setter of the Year awards under Bird. Other Jayhawks include the Supernovas middle blocker Toyosi Onabanjo and outside hitter Reagan Cooper.

Sydney Hilley faces off against her former team for the first time since signing with Indy over the offseason. The Wisconsin product was named the 2024 PVF Postseason MVP after leading the Supernovas to the inaugural championship. She came off the bench to help Omaha to a reverse sweep of the San Diego Mojo in the PVF Semifinals before sweeping the Grand Rapids Rise in the championship.

Indy's Member-Meneh Leketor and Chiamaka Nwokolo reunite with Pittsburgh teammate Valeria Vazquez Gomez, who's a practice player for the Supernovas. All three were on the same 2021 team that made the NCAA National Semifinal while Gomez and Nwokolo were together from 2019-2023.

Ignite libero Kylie Murr spent her college career at two Big Ten schools in Ohio State and Minnesota. She was teammates with Omaha's Mac Podraza as part of the Buckeyes from 2020-2022. She spent her last college season with the Golden Gophers where she was teammates with current Supernovas middle blocker Phoebe Awoleye.

Supernovas-Vibe Connections

PVF Draft No. 1 overall pick Merritt Beason spent her last two college seasons in Lincoln playing for Nebraska Volleyball leading the Huskers to a National Championship appearance and one National Semifinal. She was teammates with current Supernovas Lindsay Krause (2023-2024) and Ally Batenhorst (2023).

Atlanta head coach Kayla Banworth is one of the best players in Nebraska Volleyball history. A former walk-on, Banworth transformed into one of the best players in program history under John Cook from 2007-2010. She developed into an Olympian, winning eight medals during an illustrious international career including a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She later returned to Lincoln to be an assistant coach from 2017-2019, helping NU win its fifth national title in school history (2017). She returns to the head coaching ranks after spending three seasons at Ole Miss, pulling off one of the best turnarounds in Division I volleyball from year one (1-19) to year two (21-9).

Vibe middle blocker Taya Beller was a two-time D2CCA All-America First Team selection at Wayne State in Nebraska. Heralding from Lindsay, Nebraska, Beller attended Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family High School.

Batenhorst will reunite with former USC setter Mia Tuaniga when the two face off on Saturday. The two were teammates in L.A. for the 2024 college season.

The Week in Review

Jan. 31 vs. Columbus (W, 3-0)

Omaha recorded its two lowest opponent hitting percentages (.015, .036) in franchise history in the consecutive sweeps of Columbus on Jan. 24 and Jan. 31.

The Supernovas recorded a franchise-best 13 blocks in three sets against the Fury.

Columbus had 27 assists, the lowest of any Omaha opponent in franchise history.

Feb. 2 at Orlando (L, 3-0)

The Valkyries claimed their first-ever win over the Supernovas. It's also the first of the five matches to not go at least four sets.

Orlando's .305 clip was the second highest by an opponent in franchise history. Plus, the second-fewest hitting errors (11).

It is the third time in franchise history that an opponent has only recorded one ace against the Supernovas.

Dig, Kill, Repeat

Omaha outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller is one of the top two-way players in professional volleyball and that's shown in her kill and dig totals.

Nuneviller's 22-kill, 17-dig performance was her fourth PVF match with at least 20 kills and 15 digs, which is the most in league history. Teammate Reagan Cooper has achieved those marks three times making her tied for second in PVF history.

In total, there have been 25 times that a player in the PVF has reached at least 20 kills and 15 digs in a match. Supernovas players have tallied eight of those 25. Aside from Nuneviller and Cooper, former opposite Stephanie Samedy achieved those numbers with a 21-kill, 18-dig match against Grand Rapids on April 26, 2024.

Orlando's Adora Anae, and Indy's Member-Meneh Leketor are tied with Cooper for second with three such performances. Impressively, Leketor has put in those match stat lines in three of the first four matches of the 2025 season.

Hording the Net

Supernovas middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord has been one of the premier blockers in the league through the first three weeks of the 2025 season. The former Husker and Nittany Lion leads the PVF in both total blocks (19) and blocks per set with a 0.95 mark. Hord's seven blocks in the five-set win over the Vibe on opening night set a Supernovas single-match record. Also, she is only one of three players in the PVF to record seven or more blocks in a match this season. The Kentucky native also sits fifth in hitting percentage with a .365 clip through 63 attacks, 26 kills and three errors.

The Dig Patrol

The Supernovas are one of the best defensive teams in the PVF sitting second in digs per set (17.42) and sixth in total digs (453).

That effort is spearheaded by three of the best ball control defenders in the league with libero Camila Gómez, setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson and Nuneviller as all three sit inside the top ten in both total digs and digs per set.

Gómez leads the trio with a team-high 105 digs (2nd in PVF) and 4.04 per set (3rd). Her 31 digs against Atlanta in the season opener broke the single-match franchise record. That's also No. 2 in PVF history for most digs in one match.

Valentín-Anderson is third in the league and leads all PVF setters with 3.96 digs per set. She's also fourth in the league with 99 total digs. She's recorded at least 11 digs in six of the seven contests this season including a season-high 21 against San Diego on Jan. 19th.

Nuneviller, who is a former libero, is sixth in both total digs (92) and digs per set (3.54) entering the week. Her total dig count is No. 1 among all attackers while her digs per set number is second.

A"Nune"ther Level

Nuneviller enters the weekend third in kills per set (3.85), fifth in kills (100) and tied for fifth in points (111). The Chandler, Arizona native is one of only two players in the league this season to record 20+ kills and 15+ digs in a match. That was on opening night against Atlanta when she poured in 22 kills and 17 digs while hitting .340. The Oregon product has been averaging 14.3 kills and 13.1 digs per match through seven contests.

...

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.




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Omaha Supernovas libero Camila Gómez
Omaha Supernovas libero Camila Gómez
   

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