Supernovas Punch Ticket to 2026 MLV Championship Match After Five-Set Thriller over Indy
MLV Omaha Supernovas

Supernovas Punch Ticket to 2026 MLV Championship Match After Five-Set Thriller over Indy

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


Omaha Supernovas after their MLV Semifinal Win
Omaha Supernovas after their MLV Semifinal Win
(Omaha Supernovas)

OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha Supernovas are headed back to their second MLV Championship match in three seasons, outlasting the top-seeded Indy Ignite (23-6) in a five-set semifinal thriller, 25-22, 21-25, 27-29, 25-20, 15-13, on Thursday night in front of 2,500 at the Comerica Center.

The Novas (15-14) will look to capture their second MLV Championship when they face host and No. 2 seed Dallas Pulse, which advanced with a win over the No. 3 seed San Diego Mojo.

Avenging last season's semifinal loss to the Ignite, the Supernovas completed their second five-set comeback victory of the season to secure a spot in Saturday's championship match at 7 p.m. CDT. Veteran outside hitter Sarah Parsons led Omaha offensively with 20 points as the Minnesota native totaled 17 kills, two blocks, one ace and eight digs. Middle blocker Janice Leao delivered one of the top blocking performances in franchise playoff history, finishing with four blocks while adding 10 kills on a .471 hitting percentage to help slow one of the league's top regular-season attacks.

Opposite Merritt Beason added 15 points, the second-highest total on the team. The former Nebraska standout blasted 12 kills while contributing three blocks and six digs. 2026 MLV Rising Star Award winner Kiara Reinhardt added two aces along with seven kills, two blocks and three digs. Outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller matched Reinhardt with 10 points and posted a double-double behind 10 kills and 11 digs while also recording one ace.

Rookie setter Brooke Mosher directed the Novas offense with 43 assists and eight digs. The Pittsburgh draftee also chipped in four kills on six swings for a .667 hitting percentage. Libero Elena Oglivie recorded her seventh 20-dig performance of the season and added two assists.

The Supernovas finished with a .219 hitting percentage while totaling 13 blocks, four aces, 54 assists, 62 digs and 63 kills.

Indy also placed five players in double figures, led by middle blocker Lydia Martyn with 19 points. The Oklahoma product contributed 12 kills on a .320 hitting percentage while adding six blocks and one ace. 2026 Opposite of the Year Azhani Tealer registered a double-double with 16 kills and 14 digs to go along with one block. Outside hitter Anna DeBeer compiled 16 kills and nine digs, while middle blocker Jaelyn Keene and Kayla Lund each added 10 points.

As a team, the Ignite hit .241 and finished with 12 blocks, one ace, 67 assists, 70 kills and 81 digs.

The 2026 MLV Championship match between the Supernovas and No. 2 Dallas Pulse is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, at 7 p.m. CDT. The match will air live on ION and can be heard across the Supernovas Radio Network, led by flagship station KCRO 660 AM.

Key Notes

The Supernovas earned their third postseason victory in franchise history and advanced to their second MLV Championship match, both the most by any team in league history.

The Novas accounted for three of the Ignite's six losses this season.

Leao's four blocks tied the franchise playoff single-match record.

Eerily similar to the 2024 semifinal matchup between the two teams, the sequence of set winners was identical, as were the scores in set four (25-20) and set five (15-13).

Omaha improved to 4-0 this season when Leao hit above .300.

Along with Leao, libero Elena Oglivie (20 digs) and middle blocker Kiara Reinhardt (two aces) each tied franchise playoff single-match records in their respective categories.

The Novas also set a franchise playoff single-match record with 13 blocks.

...

Set 1: The Supernovas opened with a 2-0 burst behind kills from Beason and Nuneviller. Both teams committed service errors before Martyn aced Nuneviller to tie the set at 3-3. Parsons and DeBeer traded side-outs before an Indy service error sparked a 3-0 Omaha run, highlighted by a Leao block and a Parsons kill. The Ignite answered with a 4-0 run of their own as DeBeer, Tuaniga and Keene all recorded kills to take an 8-7 lead. Nerves showed on both sides out of the stoppage as six straight errors - including three by Indy - helped Omaha regain a 12-10 advantage. Indy responded with a Martyn block and a Beason attack error to even the score once again. Parsons and Beason traded kills before a Leao middle termination and another Ignite miscue gave the Supernovas a 16-14 edge at the second media timeout. Leao extended Omaha's run to three with an overpass kill, but consecutive side-outs from DeBeer kept Indy within striking distance. A Hilley service error and Martyn block pulled the Ignite within one at 20-19, but a Parsons tip kill and a Reinhardt block pushed the lead back to three. Reinhardt followed with a middle kill to make it 23-20. Leao earned set point before DeBeer sided out. Nuneviller's attack deflected off the block and landed for the final point in Omaha's 25-22 opening-set win.

The Supernovas hit .176 in the set with two blocks as Parsons and Leao tied for the team lead with four points apiece, including a block by Leao. Indy's potent offense was held to a .121 hitting percentage with two blocks and one ace. DeBeer led the Ignite with six kills and six points.

Set 2: DeBeer and Tealer gave the Ignite an early lead with a kill apiece, but Reinhardt sparked a Supernovas rally with an ace to tie the set at three. Nuneviller and Beason exchanged kills with Indy before the Ignite used a 3-0 run - fueled by a Tealer sideline kill and a Member-Meneh attack through the block - to take an 8-5 lead at the first media timeout. Mosher took over briefly with back-to-back kills before Parsons contributed a block and a kill during a 4-0 Omaha run that gave the Supernovas a 9-8 advantage. Beason sided out to preserve Omaha's lead, but the Ignite answered with a 5-1 run to surge ahead 14-11 and force a Supernovas timeout. Reinhardt recorded a block to stop the run, but DeBeer and Keene each added points to keep Indy ahead by three entering the second media timeout. The Ignite continued to build momentum out of the break as Omaha committed two more hitting errors and Martyn added a block to force another Supernovas timeout at 19-13. Omaha refused to go away as Nuneviller sided out before Parsons added another block. Nuneviller then delivered an ace on a drop serve to cut the deficit to 19-16 and force an Ignite timeout. Member-Meneh answered with a block tool before Londot and Parsons recorded consecutive kills to pull Omaha within two. Indy regained control with a 3-0 run as Member-Meneh tooled the block again and Tealer added back-to-back blocks for a 23-18 advantage. Beason recorded a block and Reinhardt added a middle kill, but a Martyn kill sealed a 25-21 Ignite win to even the match.

The Supernovas hit .139 in the set with four blocks and two aces. Parsons led a balanced Omaha attack with five points, while Nuneviller added four. The Ignite offense came alive with a .333 hitting percentage and four blocks as Tealer totaled six kills.

Set 3: Parsons opened the set with a cut-shot kill. After an Omaha service error, the Novas leaned on Reinhardt's serving as she fired in her second ace. She and Leao each put away an overdig ball for an early 4-1 Supernovas lead. Leao added another kill before Mosher finished another point to stretch the lead to 7-3. Martyn slammed down an attack, but Nuneviller sided out to give the Novas an 8-5 edge at the first media timeout. Reinhardt put down another overdig as the lead grew to four. Beason added another block while Nuneviller recorded a kill as the teams settled into a sideout battle. Parsons made it 15-11 with a tip kill, but the Ignite answered with a 3-0 run as Martyn posted two kills and DeBeer added another to cut the lead to one. A service error kept the Supernovas ahead 16-14 at the second media timeout. The set intensified as DeBeer again cut Omaha's lead to one, but Beason's tip dropped between defenders and Parsons delivered an ace to push the Novas' advantage back to three at 18-15. Beason tooled the block, but a Tealer kill and a Nuneviller error trimmed the lead to 20-19, forcing an Omaha timeout. Tuaniga put down a behind-the-back kill before Lund tied the set with a block at 21-all. After each team sided out, an Ignite attack sailed wide to give the Novas a 23-22 lead, but Martyn's cross-body kill tied the set again. After DeBeer initially gave Indy set point, a successful Supernovas challenge for a net touch handed Omaha set point at 24-23. Tealer forced the set into extra points, but the Novas could not convert after a Beason kill. Leao and Beason fought off back-to-back Ignite set points, but a Martyn kill followed by Lund's set-winning point gave Indy a 29-27 win in set three and a 2-1 match lead.

The Supernovas offense hit .209 in the third set with one block and two aces. Beason came alive with a team-high six points, including five kills on a .364 hitting percentage. The Ignite hit .350 with two blocks as Martyn recorded six kills on eight attacks.

Set 4: Indy carried its momentum from the previous set as Tealer and Tuaniga kills gave the Ignite an early 3-1 lead, but Nuneviller and Reinhardt each sided out to keep the Novas within one. Tuaniga added another setter dump and a Martyn kill pushed the lead to 7-4, but Nuneviller put down an overdig and Leao blocked Martyn to cut the deficit to 7-6. Lund's cut shot found the sideline for an Indy point and an 8-6 lead entering the first media timeout. The Ignite maintained a steady lead thanks to a pair of DeBeer kills, but a Reinhardt middle kill and a Leao block tied the set at 11-all. Leao roofed a DeBeer attack before putting away another swing. TeBrake placed a deflected ball into the backcourt for a kill, and Leao's fifth point of the set gave the Supernovas a 16-13 lead at the second media timeout. Martyn posted back-to-back points out of the stoppage, but Leao answered with a kill of her own. After a TeBrake attack sailed wide, Reinhardt terminated on a middle set and Parsons put away a kill to force an Indy timeout with Omaha leading 20-17. A Beason block survived an Ignite challenge for a net violation, but Indy responded with DeBeer tooling the block and Keene putting away an overpass to force a Novas timeout at 21-19. Parsons' back-row tip found the donut for a kill. Lund sided out with a cross-court shot, but Leao's middle kill forced the Ignite to use its final timeout trailing 23-20. Lund's attack sailed wide to bring up set point, and Parsons closed out the frame with a kill for an Omaha 25-20 set-four victory to force a decisive fifth set.

The Novas hit .261 with four blocks as Leao paced the team with seven points. Indy managed a .192 hitting percentage with two blocks as DeBeer and Lund each tallied four points.

Set 5: After Tealer and Parsons traded the opening points, Indy jumped out to a 3-1 lead behind another Tealer kill and a Keene block. Beason put away a kill and a service error tied the set at 4-all, but DeBeer and Lund combined for a 3-0 run to give the Ignite a 7-5 advantage. Nuneviller sided out, but Keene's kill pushed Indy ahead 8-5 at the media timeout. The Novas found momentum out of the stoppage, using a 4-0 run sparked by a Londot block and a Parsons overpass kill to take their first lead of the set at 9-8. Martyn sided out to tie the set, but Parsons answered again and Londot recorded her second block to push the lead to 11-9. Indy responded with a Tealer sideout and an Omaha net violation to even the score once more. Londot's attack deflected off an Ignite defender and into the antenna to briefly give Omaha the lead before Martyn roofed a Novas attack. After the teams traded points to remain tied at 13, Beason's back-row attack gave Omaha match point. The former Cornhusker put the finishing touches on the match with her final kill, sending the Supernovas to a five-set win and their second championship berth in three years.

The Novas hit .368 in the fifth set with two blocks as Parsons recorded four points and Beason added three. Indy was limited to a .192 hitting percentage with two blocks as Tealer and Martyn paced the Ignite with three points apiece.

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Omaha Supernovas after their MLV Semifinal Win
Omaha Supernovas after their MLV Semifinal Win
   



Major League Volleyball Stories from May 8, 2026


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