Supernovas Seek Rebound vs. Columbus Ahead of Indy Trip
MLV Omaha Supernovas

Supernovas Seek Rebound vs. Columbus Ahead of Indy Trip

Published on January 21, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Omaha Supernovas News Release


Omaha Supernovas celebrate a point
Omaha Supernovas celebrate a point
(Omaha Supernovas)

OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha Supernovas, the world's leading professional volleyball franchise, look to bounce back from a winless weekend as they host the final contest of a three-match homestand before hitting the road for a top-tier MLV showdown. On Thursday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. CST, the Supernovas will face the Columbus Fury on Kiewit Court at the CHI Health Center. Omaha will then travel to take on the Indy Ignite in Indy's home opener at Fishers Event Center on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m. CST.

Thursday's match against the Fury will be broadcast statewide on Nebraska Public Media. Out-of-state viewers can stream both Thursday's and Saturday's matches on the MLV YouTube channel. In addition, both contests will be available on the Supernovas Radio Network, headlined by flagship station KCRO 660 AM, with coverage airing across the Midwest and streaming worldwide.

Thursday's match sponsor is Boomer Radio.

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Match Details vs. Columbus

Matchup: Omaha Supernovas (2-2) vs. Columbus Fury (1-3)

When: Thursday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. CST

Where: Kiewit Court at CHI Health Center, Omaha, Neb.

Watch: Nebraska Public Media / MLV YouTube Channel

Listen: Supernovas Radio Network / Supernovas App

Match Notes

Season Series: Second of four meetings, first of two at CHI Health Center

All-Time Series: 8-1 Omaha (Jan. 10, 2026, last matchup, 3-1 Omaha)

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Match Details vs. Indy

Matchup: Omaha Supernovas (2-2) at Indy Ignite (2-0)

When: Saturday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m. CST

Where: Fishers Event Center, Indianapolis, Indiana

Watch: MLV YouTube Channel

Listen: Supernovas Radio Network / Supernovas App

Match Notes

Season Series: First of four meetings, one of two at CHI Health Center

All-Time Series: Omaha leads 3-2 (May 9, 2025, last matchup, 3-2 Indy)

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The Supernovas are coming off consecutive five-set losses last weekend, suffering a reverse swept against Atlanta before narrowly missing one of their own against defending MLV Champion Orlando. Outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller continued to showcase why she's one of the faces of MLV, totaling 48 points (4.8 P/S) across the two matches, which included 45 kills (4.5 K/S), 24 digs (2.4 D/S), two blocks, and one ace. Her signature performance came against the Valkyries, when she set a new Supernovas career high with 27 kills on a staggering .364 hitting percentage on a franchise-record 66 attacks. She also added 14 digs and her lone ace of the weekend.

The Fury enter the week at 1-3 with one of its losses coming against the Supernovas. Columbus also comes off back-to-back five-set defeats, falling at Grand Rapids and home versus Indy. Omaha previously defeated the Fury 3-1 on Jan. 10 in Columbus as outside hitter Sarah Parsons collected a match-high 24 points, with Nuneviller close behind at 19.

The Fury are led by head coach Ángel Pérez, who has been with the franchise since their inaugural season, and was signed to a multiyear extension during December's training camp. Collectively, the Fury are hitting .192, and hold their opponents to a .197 average hitting percentage. Columbus relies heavily on opposite Raina Terry, who is a homegrown second-year pro that was taken by the Fury in the 2024 MLV Draft. She leads the team with 78 kills and owns a .219 clip alongside 42 digs.

Columbus has also added firepower to its roster that could impact the parity of the 2026 MLV season. Dynamic outside hitter Flormarie Heredia Colon, selected 10th overall in November's 2025 MLV Draft, is set to make her first appearance against the Supernovas. After dealing with a minor injury to start the season, the Miami draftee exploded in her professional debut in the Fury's five-set loss to Indy on Jan. 17. The Dominican national team member blasted 25 kills (.250) with eight digs, three blocks, and two aces for 30 points. Alongside Terry, the pair combined for 51 of the team's 65 kills and 61 of its 83 points in the match.

Opposite Kashauna Williams joined the franchise after signing a contract on Jan. 12, further strengthening the Fury's attacking core. She joined Columbus from the Black Angels Perugia Volleyball team in the Italian Serie A1 league, and brings pro experience from Japan, Greece, Indonesia, and Puerto Rico. She made her Fury debut in the five-set loss to Grand Rapids on Jan. 14 with the Penn State graduate logging eight kills (.107), two digs, and one block.

Saturday marks the first showdown since Indy's upset of the top-seeded Supernovas in the MLV Semifinals last season in Vegas on May 9. The Ignite pulled out a five-set win, but would eventually fall to Orlando in the MLV Championship two days later.

Indy enters the weekend undefeated at 2-0, with wins over the Dallas Pulse and Columbus. First-year head coach Lauren Bertolacci was hired in the offseason, and was given a multiyear contract extension just before the 2026 campaign began on Jan. 9. Using Bertolacci's aggressive, fast-paced offensive system, the Ignite rank second in the league in hitting percentage (.232), but they've allowed opponents to hit .233, which ranks second-to-last.

Indy operates a pin-heavy offense featuring outside hitters Leketor Member-Meneh and Anna Debeer, along with First Team All-League opposite Azhani Tealer. Member-Meneh and Tealer are tied for the team lead in points (34), followed by DeBeer (27) and middle blocker Lydia Martyn (25). Martyn's biggest strength is her blocking defense, highlighted by her MLV-record 11 blocks in the five-set win over Columbus. She also equaled the league record for most blocks in a set with six and became just the fourth middle blocker to win MLV Player of the Week honors.

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FURY CONNECTIONS

Fury outside hitter Rainelle Jones spent the 2025 MLV season with Leyla Blackwell in San Diego and previously played alongside Reagan Cooper in Columbus during the 2024 campaign.

Columbus rookie outside hitter Flormarie Heredia Colon was teammates with Janice Leao at Miami during the 2022 and 2023 collegiate seasons.

Leao reunites with 2025 Fury teammate Raina Terry, who re-signed with the franchise this offseason.

Terry also spent four seasons at Illinois with Supernovas backup setter Brooke Mosher.

Leao will also face 2025 teammate Abby Walker, who re-signed alongside Terry.

Fury middle Regan Pittman-Nelson and libero Kamaile Hippe both played with Blackwell in San Diego during the 2025 season and were teammates with Morgan Hentz in Atlanta during the 2024 MLV campaign.

Pittman-Nelson was also teammates with Supernovas outside hitter Sarah Parsons during the 2016 season, when Parsons won AVCA National Player of the Year honors.

SHARED IGNITION

Ignite rookie opposite Taylor Landfair will face off against her former Nebraska teammates Blackwell and Merritt Beason.

Supernovas setter Sydney Hilley will take on seven of her former Ignite teammates from 2025: Elena Scott, Ainise Havili, Blake Mohler, Member-Meneh, DeBeer, Tealer, and Martyn.

Member-Meneh was also teammates with Hentz in Atlanta during the inaugural 2024 season and shares the same alma mater as Mosher, though the two never overlapped as college teammates.

Hentz was teammates with Ignite setter Mia Tuaniga when the USC draftee was a rookie in Atlanta during the 2025 season.

Three former Kansas Jayhawks will take part in Saturday's match: Omaha's Toyosi Onabanjo and Cooper, along with Indy's Havili.

Supernovas middle blocker Elise Goetzinger reunites with former Kentucky teammate Azhani Tealer. The pair spent four seasons together in Lexington (2020-2023) and helped the Wildcats win their first-ever national title in spring 2021.

Ignite outside hitter Kayla Lund played with Blackwell in San Diego during the 2025 season.

Supernovas outside hitter Sarah Parsons spent the 2017-2018 season with Indy's Alexandra Botezat at Unet E-Work Busto Arzizio in Italy, helping the team to a third-place finish in the Italian Cup and a fourth-place standing in Serie A1.

A HISTORY OF RESPONSE

Built on resilience, Sunday's loss marked just the second multi-match losing streak in Supernovas franchise history.

The only other occurrence was an 0-2 stretch during the second weekend of the 2025 season.

Omaha is 15-2 all-time following a loss.

The Supernovas have never lost three consecutive matches.

The team has not been below .500 since a five-set loss to Vegas on Feb. 7, 2024, which dropped its record to 1-2.

A'NUNE'THER HISTORIC PERFORMANCE

Reigning Outside Hitter of the Year Brooke Nuneviller turned in another historic outing for the Supernovas, clobbering an Omaha career high 27 kills on a .364 clip with 14 digs and one ace in the five-set thriller against Orlando on Sunday, Jan. 18.

That kill total marks the second-largest in franchise history - only trailing Stephanie Samedy's 30-kill showing in the MLV Semifinals against San Diego in 2024.

Nuneviller enters the week as one of the league's offensive leaders, ranking third in both points with 74 (4.35 P/S) and kills with 70 (4.12 K/S).

She's also fifth overall in digs (58) and fourth in digs per set with a 3.41 mark.

NEBRASKA SYD HITS DIFFERENT

Coming back to the Supernovas after winning Setter of the Year honors with Indy in 2025, Sydney Hilley has continued that production in the early stages of her 2026 campaign with Omaha.

Hilley leads theleague in both total assists (191) and assists per set (11.24).

The Wisconsin national champion is the only current player to average more than 11 assists per set, and she's doing so with the second most sets played with 17.

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Omaha Supernovas celebrate a point
Omaha Supernovas celebrate a point
   



Major League Volleyball Stories from January 21, 2026


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