Supernovas Outlast Valkyries in Five Sets for Franchise-Record Fifth Straight Win
MLV Omaha Supernovas

Supernovas Outlast Valkyries in Five Sets for Franchise-Record Fifth Straight Win

Published on February 8, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Omaha Supernovas News Release


Omaha Supernovas celebrate against the Orlando Valkyries
Omaha Supernovas celebrate against the Orlando Valkyries
(Omaha Supernovas)

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Omaha Supernovas, the world's leading professional volleyball franchise, used clutch fifth-set performances from Brooke Nuneviller and Kiara Reinhardt to take down the Orlando Valkyries (5-4) in a 25-18, 20-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-9 five-set battle Sunday afternoon in front of 2,050 at Addition Financial Arena.

It marked Omaha's (7-3) fifth straight win, setting a new franchise record, and its seventh consecutive road victory dating back to last season. Nuneviller, who was taken out late in the fourth set, roared back in the decisive fifth, posting a team-high five kills. Four of those, along with a block, came during the Supernovas' (7-3) opening 8-1 run in the tiebreaking set. Much of that surge was sparked by the defensive work of Reinhardt, who recorded seven digs in the set alone and finished with nine overall, the second-most on the team.

Nuneviller notched her eighth double-double in 10 matches this season, finishing with 20 points on 17 kills (.196), two blocks and one ace while adding a team-high 16 digs. Reagan Cooper led Omaha in points for the second straight match, totaling 25 points with 23 kills on a .396 hitting percentage. She also stuffed a pair of Orlando attacks while contributing eight digs and two assists. Opposite Emily Londot tied for third on the Supernovas with 12 points as the Ohio State product hammered down nine kills to go with two blocks and one ace. Sarah Parsons recorded a kill and a block before exiting in the fourth set with a wrist injury. Merritt Beason's lone point came on a key ace in the fifth set.

Second-year pro Toyosi Onabanjo continued her rise as a dangerous offensive option from the middle, finishing with 10 kills on a .600 hitting percentage with one block and one ace. Reinhardt hit .357 on 14 swings with seven kills and an ace. Setter Sydney Hilley guided the league's second-best offense to a .276 clip while dishing out 52 assists to go with seven digs, two blocks and one kill. Again using a two-libero system, Morgan Hentz chipped in seven digs and one assist while Allison Holder added six digs and a pair of assists.

In total, the Supernovas finished with 10 blocks and five aces while compiling 68 digs, 68 kills and 61 assists.

Using a mixed lineup due to several injuries, Orlando's Hannah Maddux led all players with 26 points as the Vegas free agent signee produced 20 kills with four blocks and two aces. Middle blocker Kaz Brown followed with 13 points, totaling nine kills, three blocks and one ace. The Valkyries finished with 11 blocks, eight aces, 74 digs, 57 kills and 55 assists.

After winning all three matches during an extended road trip, the Supernovas return to Kiewit Court at the CHI Health Center for three of their next four matches. That stretch begins with a two-match homestand next week against the Dallas Pulse on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. CST for Heroes Night before facing Orlando again on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. CST for the franchise's Pink Out match.

Key Notes

The Supernovas are on the longest winning streak in franchise history at five matches, surpassing the previous four-match streak reached seven times.

Dating back to last season, Omaha has matched the franchise record with its seventh straight road victory. Since 2025, the Supernovas are 16-3 on the road.

Sydney Hilley became the first player in MLV history to reach 2,500 assists Sunday. Her career total, including the postseason, now sits at 2,536.

Nuneviller eclipsed 800 digs in her Supernovas and league career and now has 807 digs in 65 matches.

Cooper surpassed 700 career MLV kills and now has 709 after tying her season high with 23 against Orlando.

Reinhardt's nine digs are tied for the second-most in team history by a middle blocker, matching Danielle Hart's nine in the Supernovas' first-ever match on Jan. 24, 2024. Hristina Vuchkova holds the record with 10 at Grand Rapids on May 12, 2024.

Omaha moves to 9-8 all-time in five-set matches, including 2-2 this season, and is 3-1 in five-set matches against Orlando.

The Supernovas remain the only team in MLV history unbeaten (4-0) when passing at 35% or lower.

...

Set 1: Cooper and Reinhardt got the block going early for the Supernovas to start the match, and Reinhardt followed with an ace for a 2-0 lead. Luper slammed down a kill to get Orlando on the board, but Londot and Cooper answered with back-to-back points. Onabanjo stuffed a Valkyries attack to stretch the Omaha lead to 5-2. An error and a Maddux kill cut the lead to one, but both teams kept trading points, including two more kills for Maddux. Londot sided out, but Shime answered. Off an Orlando service error, Cooper pushed the lead to two. Maddux replied with her own kill, but back-to-back points from Cooper and Onabanjo forced a Valkyries timeout at 12-8. Londot extended the lead with a back-row kill, but Brown posted her first kill of the night to snap the 3-0 run. Cooper and Shime exchanged points before a back-row attack violation and a Hilley block sent the Supernovas into the media timeout leading 16-10. Nuneviller ran to the inside and put down a cut shot, but Luper came back with a kill of her own. After a Pukis service error, Nuneviller aced the Valkyries before Cooper blocked her second Orlando attack of the set to force a Valkyries timeout at 20-12. Maddux broke the run, but Reinhardt sided out with her first kill of the afternoon. Kelley took care of a great Orlando pass and put down a kill. After the Valkyries won a challenge to reverse a point, Onabanjo and Nuneviller logged consecutive points to put Omaha at set point. The Valkyries used kills from Brown and Maddux to hold things off with a 3-0 run, but Onabanjo put down her final swing to give the Supernovas a 25-18 opening set win.

Omaha's offense was on fire from the start, hitting .394 with four blocks and two aces, with Cooper leading the way with five kills on a .455 clip. Orlando nearly kept pace with a .287 clip, but had no aces or blocks. Maddux hammered her way to seven kills.

Set 2: Luper and Hilley traded kills to begin the set, but Orlando fired off a 3-0 run behind a block from Brown and a Pukis setter kill. Onabanjo kept her efficiency high with a pair of kills to put the Supernovas deficit at one. Brown aced Cooper to push the lead back to three at 7-4. Onabanjo sided out, but Kelley and Maddux tallied back-to-back kills. Londot and Nuneviller got going by tooling the block for kills, but service errors continued to plague Omaha. Nuneviller found the floor from the back row for another kill, but a Luper kill off the block and a Supernovas hitting error extended the lead to 13-8, forcing an Omaha timeout. Londot ended a long rally with a block before Cooper split the seam for a kill to cut the deficit to three. Brown spiked down a kill in response. Cooper's next attack sailed long, and Maddux roofed Londot to put the Valkyries ahead 16-10 at the media timeout. Mosher and Beason checked in following the stoppage, and it immediately resulted in a Cooper kill. Nuneviller recorded the next point for Omaha, but Brown answered with her own kill. Nuneviller found the floor again, and Onabanjo pinpointed her serve for an ace to cut the Orlando lead to three. Nuneviller appeared to put down a kill, but the point was reversed for a net violation, flipping the momentum. Pukis aced Cooper on the next point, leading to a Maddux kill and block to provide the Valkyries with a commanding 21-14 advantage. Reinhardt tooled the block off the slide to snap the 4-0 run, and Nuneviller put down a kill on a broken play to force an Orlando timeout at 21-16. Another Valkyries hitting error ramped up the pressure. Lindsay Vander Weide barely tooled the block, but Nuneviller responded with a kill, and a long Luper attack kept the lead at just three. Kelley and Cooper traded kills before Orlando ended the set with a Kelley putaway and a Londot hitting error at 25-20 to tie the match.

The Supernovas struggled to find an offensive combination that worked, hitting .159 with one block and Onabanjo's lone ace. Nuneviller led the way with five kills and four digs. The Valkyries finished with a .222 clip with three blocks and two aces as Brown led a balanced attack with three kills.

Set 3: Maddux opened the set where she left off from the second with a kill, but Onabanjo answered. Cooper put down a kill, but Brown and Maddux tallied back-to-back points to take a 5-3 lead. Nuneviller sided out, and an Orlando hitting error evened the set. After a Valkyries service error, Reinhardt took care of an overdig to give the Supernovas their first lead since the first set with a 7-6 edge. A Maddux kill and a Vander Weide block flipped the script before Londot and Reinhardt kills gave Omaha the lead back at 9-8. Orlando took command from there with a Kelley point, a Supernovas hitting error and consecutive Maddux aces for a 12-9 lead and a Supernovas timeout. Cooper went crosscourt to side out to snap the 4-0 run, but Kelley responded with a kill. Cooper found the floor again, and Londot placed her serve perfectly for an ace. Despite getting within one, Orlando tallied a 3-0 run behind a Brown block, a Vander Weide ace and a Luper kill to push the advantage back to 16-12 at the media timeout. Cooper ended the 3-0 run out of the stoppage, but back-to-back points from the Valkyries forced Omaha's second timeout trailing 18-13. Onabanjo tallied a kill down the line off one foot. Luper and Reinhardt exchanged points before Kelley recorded her own kill and block for a 21-15 Valkyries lead. Reinhardt terminated from the middle after making a good pass. A center line violation by Orlando gave the Supernovas another point to force a Valkyries timeout at 21-17. Londot blocked Maddux out of the timeout and fired an overpass down the line for consecutive points. A miscommunication from the Valkyries gave Omaha another point, trimming the advantage to one at 21-20. A huge service error from Sarah Parsons ended the 5-0 run, but Londot answered with a kill. Vander Weide split the block for a point, but a net violation by Orlando on the next rally kept things close. After an initial block, Vander Weide tooled the Omaha hands for set point, which was capped by an ace from the outside hitter for a 25-22 set three win for the Valkyries.

The Supernovas hit .263 with one block and one ace. Cooper led Omaha with five kills. Orlando finished with a .278 hitting percentage with three blocks and four aces. Maddux hit just .071 but recorded a team-high four kills.

Set 4: Service errors continued to be an issue for the Supernovas, with two in the opening few points opening the door for an early 5-2 lead with an ace from Kelley and kills from Luper and Maddux. Nuneviller went crosscourt for a kill, and Hilley stuffed a Valkyries attack. Maddux sided out, but Cooper ignited a 3-0 run with a pair of kills for Omaha to take a 7-6 lead. Orlando responded with its own 3-0 run as Luper tallied a back-row kill and a Maddux block for a 9-7 Valkyries margin. Cooper traded points with Orlando before another Nuneviller kill cut the deficit to one again. Vander Weide split the Omaha block, and a Pukis stuff resulted in a Supernovas timeout at 13-10 Valkyries. Omaha came out of the stoppage on a 6-1 run to take the lead as Nuneviller recorded three points in that seven-point span, tallying two kills and one block. Cooper tooled the block to give the Supernovas a 16-14 edge going into the media timeout. The run extended out of the break with Hilley rejecting an overdig attack from Orlando. Cooper split the block for her 19th kill to force an Orlando timeout at 18-14. A service error ended the 6-0 run before Foster subbed in to serve an ace. Cooper answered with back-to-back kills. Following a Maddux point, Londot squeezed an attack between the block, and Reinhardt put down a gimme overpass. Kelley put her next swing into the net to force an Orlando timeout at 23-17 Omaha. A Reinhardt block gave the Supernovas set point before a crafty Londot shot found the hole in the floor defense to give Omaha a 25-18 set four win.

The Supernovas offense fired off a .382 hitting percentage with three blocks. Cooper was a monster with eight kills on a .538 clip to lead Omaha. Orlando was shut down with a .030 team clip with three blocks and two aces as Maddux and Luper tied for the team high with three kills apiece.

Set 5: Orlando went to the middle right away and succeeded with a kill from Kelley to begin the set. Nuneviller refused to back down, leading the charge in a 4-0 run with three kills, plus a Cooper back-row point for a 4-1 advantage. The run stretched to seven with a Valkyries net violation, a hitting error and a Nuneviller solo block for another Orlando timeout at 7-1 Supernovas. Reinhardt's defensive prowess showed again with a diving dig to set up another Nuneviller kill and an 8-1 lead at the halfway point of the fifth set. Maddux spearheaded the Valkyries comeback with three straight points, followed by a Brown kill for an Omaha timeout with the lead cut to 8-5. Another Maddux kill closed the gap to two, but Nuneviller sided out before Merritt Beason snuck in a key ace in the back corner to push the Supernovas lead back to 10-6. Maddux responded by tooling the block, and Pukis roofed an Omaha attack. A massive service error hurt the Valkyries, who then allowed two more points by way of a hitting error and an Onabanjo overpass kill for a 13-8 Supernovas advantage. After an Omaha hitting error, Foster put her serve into the net for match point, opening the door for Cooper to end the afternoon with her final kill for a 15-9 set five win and match victory.

The Supernovas hit .200 in the tiebreaking set with one block and one ace. Nuneviller provided the spark with five kills and a block, while Reinhardt was clutch with a team-leading seven digs in the set alone. Orlando managed a .115 clip with two blocks as Maddux hit .333 with four kills on nine swings and one error.

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Omaha Supernovas celebrate against the Orlando Valkyries
Omaha Supernovas celebrate against the Orlando Valkyries
   



Major League Volleyball Stories from February 8, 2026


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