Omaha Supernovas
OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha Supernovas (2-2) fell to the San Diego Mojo (2-2) in four sets (25-20, 19-25, 22-25, 22-25) Sunday afternoon at the CHI Health Center in front of 12,723, ranking as the second-highest attendance match in U.S. Pro Volleyball history.
Third-year pro Brooke Nuneviller continued her dominant start to the season with a match-high 24 points with 22 kills on a .236 hitting percentage while adding 11 digs for her sixth-straight double-double, which dates back to last season. Former Nebraska Cornhusker and USC Trojan Ally Batenhorst contributed 12 kills in her first career pro start while Reagan Cooper added nine kills.
Another Husker alum, Lindsay Krause, excelled off the bench, delivering six kills on an outstanding .750 hitting percentage. Setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson orchestrated the offense with 44 assists and added a match-high 21 digs on the defensive end. Libero Camila Gómez posted nine digs and eight assists.
Kayla Caffey led Supernovas middle blockers with eight kills on a .368 clip while recording one block. Kaitlyn Hord chipped in four kills of her own on a .444 hitting percentage while also adding two more blocks to her PVF-leading 16 stuffs.
The Supernovas finished the match with a .250 hitting percentage, five blocks and one ace.
The Mojo’s victory was powered by six-year veteran Kendra Dahlke, who delivered an impressive 18 kills on a .356 hitting percentage. Middle blocker and Oregon product Ronika Stone followed with nine kills on a .333 hitting percentage, while setter Da-yeong Lee made a significant impact with 46 assists and 14 digs.
Omaha takes a five-day break before traveling to Ohio to take on the Columbus Fury on Friday, January 24 at Nationwide Arena. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CST and will be broadcasted live on the PVF YouTube Channel. It can also be heard on the Supernovas Radio Network.
The Supernovas are back at the CHI Health Center on Friday, January 31 when they face the Fury for the second-straight match with first serve set for 7 p.m. CST in downtown Omaha.
Key Notes
- Nuneviller posted her sixth-straight double-double in kills and digs, which dates back to last season. In that span, Nuneviller has averaged 17.3 kills and 16.5 digs per contest.
- Sunday’s loss marks the first time in franchise history that the Supernovas have been defeated in back-to-back matches.
- San Diego recorded the highest hitting percentage (.356) of any opponent against the Supernovas in franchise history. They also posted the most kills (73) against the Supernovas.
- Krause slammed down her first kills as a pro with six tallies on eight swings for a .750 clip.
- Batenhorst set a pro career high with 12 kills in her first career pro start.
- Caffey had season highs in both kills (8) and hitting percentage (.368).
- Valentín-Anderson posted a season high in digs with 21, which is also her highest dig total as a Supernovas player.
Set 1: The match began with San Diego’s Regan Pittman delivering the opening kill. Nuneviller and Cooper answered with back-to-back kills, helping Omaha take an early lead at 2-1. Cooper followed with her team-leading fifth ace of the season. The Novas extended their advantage to 9-3 thanks to contributions from Nuneviller, Batenhorst, Cooper and a series of errors by San Diego. The Mojo got within three, Batenhorst and Hord went back-to-back with a kill and block to extend the advantage to 14-8. Lee posted a block on a Nuneviller attack before a Jenaisya Moore kill cut the lead to 17-15. Another service error by the Mojo, followed by a Nuneviller tally put the lead back to four at 19-15. Dahlke put away her third kill of the set to make it 22-20, but the Supernovas rallied for a 3-0 run to end the set, capped off by another Nuneviller kill for a 25-20 set win. Her and Cooper ultimately took control, both recording seven kills for the set while the team hit .250 compared to the Mojo’s .243.
Set 2: The set began with a Mojo hitting error, giving the Supernovas an early lead. Pittman followed with a kill of her own for San Diego. The set was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading kills. A quick 2-0 burst by a Mojo service error and a Hord block put the Supernovas up 10-8. Dahlke tied the set later at 12 with her fifth kill of the match. Tied at 14, San Diego put together a key 3-0 run thanks to back-to-back kills from Moore and Blackwell with a Batenhorst hitting error. The momentum continued to shift in the Mojo’s favor when Moore delivered two more crucial kills, Stone capitalizing on a slide attack, and a series of Supernovas errors, allowing the Mojo to pull ahead 19-16. Omaha couldn’t recover from the small deficit, as the Mojo ran off with a 5-2 run to secure the set at 25-19.
Nuneviller led Omaha with four kills while the team hit a high clip of .312, but San Diego was unstoppable with five kills from Dahlke and a .500 clip.
Set 3: The Supernovas started the third set with two kills by Batenhorst and one by Nuneviller, giving them an early 3-2 lead. The Mojo quickly answered with kills from Lauren Page and Ronika Stone to reclaim momentum. A series of errors by Omaha allowed San Diego to pull ahead 15-11, forcing the Supernovas to call a timeout. The stoppage didn’t help as the action continued with Stone recording another kill on a slide to complete a 6-1 run. The Mojo continued to extend their lead with another 5-1 run off a Stone kill, two from Dahlke and a kill from Rainelle Jones to go up 22-15. Omaha made an adjustment bringing in Krause late in the set, but San Diego maintained their edge. Stone, who hit an impressive .500 in the set, sealed the victory with a decisive kill, giving the Mojo a 25-22 victory.
Set 4: Lauren Page began the set with a kill, carrying the Mojo’s momentum from the previous sets. Batenhorst quickly responded with a kill to tie the score at deuces. San Diego extended its lead to 7-4 with a pair of kills from Dahlke. Nuneviller answered with two kills of her own to keep Omaha within striking distance, but another kill by Dahlke forced the Supernovas to call a timeout with the score at 15-11. Despite a late push by Omaha, with Nuneviller, Caffey and Krause each contributing two kills, the Supernovas couldn’t fully recover from the early deficit. The Mojo held their ground and closed out the set with a 25-22 victory, securing the match.
Dahlke was once again the leading attacker for the Mojo, delivering six kills on a .545 clip. Nuneviller matched that total with six while Krause hammered four kills on six swings for a .667 hitting percentage.
Every match this season can be heard on the Supernovas Radio Network, led by its flagship station KCRO 660 AM as part of Walnut Media. The SRN can be heard in five states with the support of its affiliates in KXCB Bluffs Country 106.5 FM, Boomer Radio 106.7 FM, ESPN Tri Cities, KNCY in Nebraska City, KGMT in Fairbury and KSID-AM in Sidney.
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-edgeproduction 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.