Supernovas Finish as 2026 MLV Runner-Up After Five-Set Championship Battle
MLV Omaha Supernovas

Supernovas Finish as 2026 MLV Runner-Up After Five-Set Championship Battle

Published on May 9, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Omaha Supernovas News Release


Omaha Supernovas huddle during MLV's Match for a Million
Omaha Supernovas huddle during MLV's Match for a Million
(Omaha Supernovas)

FRISCO, Texas - The Omaha Supernovas' historic 2026 season came to a close Saturday afternoon in a five-set championship thriller, as the Dallas Pulse (22-8) claimed the MLV title with a 20-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-13, 15-9 victory before a sold-out crowd of 4,598 at the Comerica Center.

Overcoming one of the most adversity-filled stretches in franchise history - including a blockbuster midseason trade, injuries to two key middle blockers and an early April coaching change - the Supernovas came up six points short of capturing their second title in three seasons while playing in front of a pro-Pulse crowd on Dallas' home floor.

Opposite Merritt Beason turned in one of the best performances of her professional career, leading Omaha with 20 points on 14 kills, a career-high five blocks, six digs and one ace. Team captains Brooke Nuneviller and Sarah Parsons each added 16 points.

Nuneviller finished with 15 kills and one block while matching her career high with 22 digs. Parsons totaled 12 kills and one block, added a career-high three aces and tied her season high with 19 digs.

MLV Rising Star Award winner Kiara Reinhardt recorded nine kills on a .300 hitting percentage with two blocks. After starting middle blocker Janice Leao exited with an injury early in the opening set, Toyosi Onabanjo entered and contributed five kills. Outside hitter Norah TeBrake also provided a spark off the bench with five kills on a .364 hitting percentage and two digs.

Setter Brooke Mosher handed out 54 assists while adding four digs, two kills and one ace. Libero Elena Oglivie posted a match-high 25 digs and one assist for her seventh 20-plus dig performance of the season.

As a team, Omaha hit .184 and finished with 65 kills, 60 assists, 80 digs, 10 blocks and five aces.

The Pulse were led by postseason MVP Sofia Maldonado Diaz, who recorded a match-high 27 points on 26 kills and one block while hitting .274. Opposite Kaylee Cox added 13 points on nine kills and four blocks while contributing 11 digs. Omaha limited 2026 MLV Outside Hitter of the Year Mimi Colyer to 10 kills on a .019 hitting percentage and one block.

Middle blocker Tristin Savage finished with a match-high seven blocks to go along with five kills, while setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson totaled 43 assists and 18 digs.

Key Notes

The Supernovas set a franchise playoff record with 80 digs and 185 total attacks.

Omaha's 23 points in the opening set tied a franchise playoff record for points in a single set, matching the total from the second set of last year's MLV semifinal against Indy.

Beason established a new franchise playoff single-match record with five blocks while matching her season high with 20 points.

Oglivie's 25 digs set a new franchise playoff single-match record, surpassing the 20 digs she recorded in Thursday's semifinal victory over Indy.

Parsons' three aces marked another franchise playoff single-match record for Omaha.

...

Set 1: The Supernovas fed the middle early as Reinhardt racked up three kills. Nuneviller and Leão sided out to answer points from Maldonado Diaz. After Leão exited the match due to injury, Nuneviller roofed a Pulse attack before Beason delivered an ace for a 7-5 Novas lead. Dallas tied the set with back-to-back points, but Nuneviller sent the match to the first media timeout with her second kill of the set to give Omaha an 8-7 advantage. The Supernovas continued to build momentum as Parsons and Mosher recorded kills before Nuneviller forced a Pulse timeout with a tip kill for an 11-7 Omaha lead. The 5-0 run ended on a service error, but the Novas offense stayed in rhythm with side-out kills from Beason and two more kills from Parsons to maintain a 16-11 edge at the second media timeout. The Pulse cut the deficit to three, but Beason responded with two kills from the right side before Onabanjo put down an overdig to force Dallas to use its second timeout with Omaha leading 20-15. Beason followed with a tip kill, but Cox tooled the block and Maldonado Diaz converted a one-on-one opportunity to force an Omaha timeout at 21-18. Parsons answered each Pulse point with a kill down the stretch. Nuneviller added a cross-court kill before Beason sealed the set with a block for a 25-20 opening-set victory.

Omaha hit .319 in the set and totaled two blocks and one ace. Beason led the Supernovas with seven points, including the set-ending block. The Pulse were held to a .171 hitting percentage with one block, while Maldonado Diaz recorded six kills.

Set 2: The teams traded points early as Parsons, Nuneviller and Onabanjo each recorded a kill. Maldonado Diaz tied the set at 5-5 by tooling the block, but the Supernovas answered with a 3-0 run as Nuneviller found the floor and Parsons added a block to give Omaha an 8-5 lead at the first media timeout. The Dallas block became a factor as the Pulse recorded three stuffs during a 5-1 run to take a 10-9 advantage. Parsons sided out with a cross-court kill, but a pair of Omaha errors and a Cox kill forced a Supernovas timeout with Dallas leading 13-10. Omaha responded out of the timeout as Nuneviller terminated and Reinhardt connected on the slide attack. After a Colyer kill, Onabanjo and Beason recorded consecutive kills, but a Hord block gave the Pulse a 16-14 lead at the second media timeout. Geli Cyr served an ace on Parsons out of the break, and consecutive Omaha errors forced another Supernovas timeout with Dallas ahead 19-14. Londot sparked Omaha during the double sub with a kill and a block, but Maldonado Diaz answered with another side-out kill to make it 22-16. The Supernovas refused to fade as Reinhardt terminated from the middle, Beason recorded a block and Reinhardt put away an overpass to force a Pulse timeout at 22-19. TeBrake's high swing found Dallas hands out of the timeout, and Beason roofed Cox on the next rally to pull Omaha within one at 22-21 and force another Pulse timeout. Mosher followed with an ace to cap the six-point comeback and tie the set at 22-22. However, Maldonado Diaz answered with a tip kill before TeBrake's shot to the corner tied the set again. Omaha then missed a serve, and former Supernova Kelsie Payne sealed the set with a block to give Dallas a 25-23 win and even the match.

The Supernovas were held to a .156 hitting percentage while recording four blocks and one ace. Beason led a balanced Omaha attack with four points, including two blocks. Dallas hit .184 in the set but totaled six blocks and one ace. Maldonado Diaz led the Pulse with five points, while three other Dallas players finished with four.

Set 3: Reinhardt opened the third set with a block. Parsons followed with a kill, but Maldonado Diaz gave Dallas an early 3-2 lead by tooling the block. Reinhardt answered with a kill from the middle before Parsons dropped in an ace. Beason and Maldonado Diaz traded two kills apiece before a Beason attack error and a Savage block on Mosher put the Pulse ahead 8-6 at the first media timeout. Parsons found her rhythm out of the break with back-to-back kills to tie the set at 9-9. Savage converted in the middle before the Supernovas regained the lead on a Pulse service error and a Beason block. Cox tied the set with a kill off Nuneviller, and Maldonado Diaz rejected a Beason tip to give Dallas a 12-11 advantage. With Parsons at the service line, Omaha surged ahead. Reinhardt recorded two kills before adding another block, and Parsons served her second ace of the match to give the Supernovas a 16-12 lead at the second media timeout. Omaha stayed aggressive out of the break behind Parsons' serving run as Nuneviller tooled the block and Beason's attack deflected off Valentín-Anderson to force a Dallas timeout with the Novas ahead 18-12. A Dallas double-hit violation and another Parsons ace capped a 9-0 run and extended the lead to 20-12. Maldonado Diaz sided out to end the run, but Nuneviller answered with consecutive kills before Mosher finished a long rally with a kill to bring up set point. Colyer kept Dallas alive with a kill, but Carter Booth's serve sailed into the net to give Omaha a 25-15 set win and a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Supernovas hit .306 in the set while recording three aces and four blocks. Parsons led the way with six points, including three aces and three kills, while also adding eight digs. Beason contributed six points and two more blocks. Dallas was limited to a .128 hitting percentage with four blocks, while Maldonado Diaz finished with five points.

Set 4: Maldonado Diaz sent her opening swing wide, but it proved to be Dallas' only early miscue. Savage recorded three points, including three blocks, as the Pulse raced to an 8-3 lead at the first media timeout. Dallas maintained the momentum out of the break with a Cox block and a Maldonado Diaz kill to the back line, forcing an Omaha timeout with the Pulse ahead 10-3. Nuneviller and Parsons each recorded kills for the Supernovas, but Omaha struggled to generate offense as Dallas extended the lead to 16-7 at the second media timeout. Londot sided out for the Novas, and Beason added a kill between Cox points. Off the bench, TeBrake provided a spark with cross-court kills, but the Pulse answered with a 4-0 run to close out a 25-13 set win and force a decisive fifth set.

Dallas flipped the momentum offensively by hitting .316 in the set while totaling four blocks. Maldonado Diaz led the Pulse with six points. Omaha hit -.029 in the frame and managed just six kills, with Nuneviller leading the way with two points.

Set 5: Beason and Onabanjo traded early points with the Pulse before a Valentín-Anderson service error briefly slowed Dallas. Maldonado Diaz then took over with three consecutive kills to give the Pulse a 6-3 lead and force an Omaha timeout. Parsons answered with a kill off the block, but an Onabanjo service error and a left-handed Maldonado Diaz tip pushed the Dallas advantage to 8-4 at the side switch. Beason recorded a kill and TeBrake followed with another to trim the deficit, but consecutive Omaha hitting errors stretched the Pulse lead back to four at 10-6. TeBrake tooled the block and Nuneviller put away an overpass to keep the Supernovas within reach, but two more Omaha miscues forced another timeout with Dallas leading 12-8. Nuneviller added a side-out kill, but a hitting error and service error gave the Pulse match point. Savage closed the match with her final block, securing a 15-9 fifth-set win and the 2026 MLV Championship for Dallas.

The Supernovas hit .083 in the deciding set as Nuneviller, TeBrake and Beason each finished with two points. Dallas hit .375 with two blocks, while Maldonado Diaz totaled five points in the set-clinching victory.

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Images from this story

Omaha Supernovas huddle during MLV's Match for a Million
Omaha Supernovas huddle during MLV's Match for a Million
   



Major League Volleyball Stories from May 9, 2026


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