OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha Supernovas, Nebraska’s professional volleyball team and first Pro Volleyball Champions, hit the road to face the Vegas Thrill to complete a two-match road swing before coming home to take on the San Diego Mojo Sunday at the CHI Health Center.
Omaha’s second home match of the season will be the first of five Rising Stars Kids Club Sundays. The match is sponsored by Project Harmony.
Game Details
Matchup: Omaha Supernovas (2-0) at Vegas Thrill (1-1) | Friday, Jan. 17th | 9 p.m. CST | Lee’s Family Forum
Watch: PVF YouTube
Listen: Supernovas Radio Network
Season Series: First of four meetings, first of two at Lee’s Family Forum
All-Time Series: Omaha leads 3-1 (May 6, 2024, at Vegas last matchup, 3-0 OMA).
Series Notes: This is the fifth match between Omaha and Vegas. The Supernovas won the 2024 season series 3-1, including a 2-0 record at Lee’s Family Forum. The Thrill won the first meeting between the two franchises on Feb. 7, 2024, when Vegas beat Omaha in a five-set thriller. The Supernovas went on to win the remaining three matches, including a four-setter on Feb. 15 before back-to-back sweeps on March 30 and May 6.
Game Details
Matchup: San Diego Mojo (1-1) at Omaha Supernovas (2-0) | Sunday, Jan. 19th | 3 p.m. CST | CHI Health Center
Watch: Nebraska Public Media | PVF YouTube
Listen: Supernovas Radio Network
Season Series: First of four meetings, first of two at CHI Health Center
All-Time Series: Omaha leads 3-2 (May 15, 2024, PVF Semifinals last matchup, 3-2 OMA)
Series Notes: This is the sixth meeting between Omaha and San Diego, with the Supernovas holding a 3-2 series lead. Sunday’s match is also a repeat of the PVF Semifinals in which Omaha pulled off its first reverse sweep and second in league history. The first win in Omaha franchise history came in a 3-0 sweep over the Mojo on Feb. 3, 2024. Each team is unbeaten at its home venue against one another with San Diego taking two wins over the Supernovas (April 2 & 23) and Omaha twice (Feb. 3 & April 20).
Supernovas-Thrill Connections
- Three members of Omaha’s 2024 championship-winning team face their former franchise for the first time. Libero Kendall White, middle blocker Sophie Davis and outside hitter Allison Mayfield take on the Supernovas after winning the inaugural PVF title last season. White was the starting libero for Omaha while both Davis and Mayfield came off the bench. Davis made the Supernovas 2025 Training Camp roster but was waived before getting picked up by Vegas. Mayfield goes way back with Omaha head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn, who was an assistant coach for Kansas in 2011 when Mayfield was a senior.
- Omaha’s Brooke Nuneviller reunites with former Oregon teammate and Thrill opposite Willow Johnson. The two spent time in Eugene for the 2018 and 2019 college volleyball seasons.
- Supernovas setter Mac Podraza spent her final season of college at Penn State where she crossed paths with Thrill rookie Camryn Hannah in 2023. The outside hitter averaged 2.93 kills per set on a .257 clip with Podraza as her setter, who averaged 10.39 assists per set. More former Nittany Lions come together on Friday. Omaha middle Kaitlyn Hord was teammates with White in 2018 and 2019 as Penn State reached a pair of NCAARegional Finals.
- Omaha’s Phoebe Awoleye and the Thrill’s Mary Shroll spent their 2022 college season together as teammates at Loyola Marymount. Awoleye was named to the All-WCC First Team after posting 2.13 kills & 1.39 blocks per set. Shroll was the top defensive specialist for the Lions, averaging 1.80 digs per set that season.
- Vegas middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk was a senior in 2019 at Pittsburgh when Supernovas outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez joined the Panthers as a freshman for their lone season together.
Supernovas-Mojo Connections
- San Diego middle blocker Leyla Blackwell and assistant coach Noel Carpio make their return to the Cornhusker State. Blackwell spent her final season of college volleyball at Nebraska helping the Huskers to the National Semifinals. Carpio spent two seasons (2018-2019) as an assistant on Creighton Volleyball’s staff under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
- Anna Church competed on the 2024 Supernovas Training Camp roster but was waived before the season. She was part of Kansas’ first-ever NCAA Semifinal Appearance in 2015 when Supernovas head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn was an assistant for the Jayhawks and won the AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year.
- Libero Shara Venegas has a robust history with Omaha setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson, sharing the court together on the Puerto Rico National Team, including the country’s lone appearance at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. She also competed against Valentín-Anderson in the Puerto Rico league from 2010-2017 as well as 2021-2023. Venegas has also been teammates with Supernovas rookie Valeria Vazquez Gomez for the national team over the past couple of years.
- Kayla Lund was teammates with Vazquez Gomez for three seasons (2019-2021) including an NCAA Semifinal Appearance in 2021.
- Brooke Nuneviller will reunite with a trio of Mojo players and coaches who spent time together at Oregon. San Diego players Lauren Page (2018) and Ronika Stone (2018-2019) were teammates with Nuneviller while Mojo head coach Tayyiba Haneef-Park was an assistant in Eugene for the 2022 season.
- Mojo middle Rainelle Jones spent the 2024 PVF season with the Columbus Fury alongside teammate Kaitlyn Hord who’s now with the Supernovas.
- Jenaisya Moore and Mac Podraza were part of the same recruiting class at Ohio State, spending four seasons with Buckeyes (2019-2022), reaching two NCAA Regional Semifinals.
Rulers of the Court
• The Supernovas dominated most of the league’s statistical categories in the opening weekend with four different players topping the charts.
• Brooke Nuneviller paces the PVF in points with 38 (37 kills, 1 block) and points per set with 4.75. Reagan Cooper is in sixth with 28 points (24 kills, 2 aces, 2 blocks), but is third in points per set at 4.67 in six sets.
• Kaitlyn Hord owns a league-leading nine blocks through eight sets, while also pacing the PVF in 1.13 blocks per set.
• Mostly due to her franchise-record 31 digs in the season opener, libero Camila Gómez leads the league in digs (43) and digs per set (5.38) through eight sets. That’s two digs ahead of 2024 PVF Libero of the Year Morgan Hentz.
• Olympian setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson leads the league in kill percentage at .583 with seven kills and one error on 12 attacks. The Puerto Rican is a master of the setter dump as shown by being second in hitting percentage at .500. Plus, her 90 assists and 11.25 per set sits third in the league. That assist total is only five behind league leader and Vegas setter Alisha Glass Childress, who set a PVF record with 72 helpers in the reverse sweep victory over Grand Rapids.
Record Rumble: A pair of franchise records fell in the opening weekend for the Supernovas, who saw two newcomers sketch their names in the record book. Newly signed libero Camila Gómez broke a single-match record for digs, posting 31 digs (6.20 D/S), plus five assists in the thrilling five-set win over Atlanta. That number is also the second-highest total in league history. Kaitlyn Hord balled out in her Supernovas debut, recording seven blocks, which broke the previoussingle-match record of six.
Number Never Lie: The Supernovas lead the league in points at 137 in eight sets (17.13 P/S) with a combined 115 kills, 17 blocks and five aces. Omaha has shown itself to be one of the best defensive teams through the opening weekend, sitting second in both opponent hitting percentage (.185) and team digs (19.63 D/S). Plus, the Supernovas are also second in both team assists (12.88 A/S) and kills (14.38 K/S).
Fountain of Youth: The Supernovas will see the pro debut of eight rookies in the 2025 season: middle blockers Phoebe Awoleye and Onabanjo, outside hitters Batenhorst, Krause and Valeria Vazquez Gomez, opposite Emily Londot, Whitten and Wait. In total, 13 of the 16 players on the Omaha roster will have three or fewer years of professional seasons under their belt.
The Supernovas are officially set for the 2025 season with fans being able to buy the world’s hottest ticket in professional volleyball. Buy your single-match tickets here.
New for 2025 is a totally customizable, half-season ticket package. Choose any seven of the team’s 14 home matches and even select different seats for each game, with prices starting as low as $14 per match. Customize your Supernovas experience today by visiting this link.
Check out the Supernovas full 2025 schedule and 2025 roster.
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ABOUT OMAHA SUPERNOVAS
The Omaha Supernovas are the premier home of professional volleyball, boasting the No. 1 Pro Volleyball average attendance in the world. The Supernovas 2025 season will begin in January. The team is owned by global music sensation Jason Derulo and entrepreneur Danny White, Co-Founder of City+Ventures, an investment and business acceleration organization headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.
ABOUT PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION
Pro Volleyball Federation is the leading professional volleyball league in the United States. PVF sets the standard for the sport, offering the largest number of franchises, unmatched attendance, extensive broadcast coverage and substantial championship prize money. It combines top-tier talent, including NCAA stars and international athletes, with cutting-edge production and technology to provide fans with an unmatched viewing experience. As a vital link between collegiate volleyball and the professional stage, PVF is dedicated to shaping the future of the sport and increasing visibility for its athletes. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.
