May 09, 2025

Supernovas begin Title Defense in PVF Semifinal against Indy

Posted May 09, 2025 1:30 PM

Story by Omaha Supernovas Communication

HENDERSON, Nev. – The No. 1 seed Omaha Supernovas, Nebraska’s professional volleyball team and first Pro Volleyball champions, officially begins its championship defense this Friday against the Indy Ignite in one of two PVF Semifinal matches at Lee’s Family Forum in the Las Vegas area.  

Riding a franchise-best four-match winning streak, the Supernovas enter the 2025 BIC Soleil PVF Championship in top form. Their momentum is highlighted by a full-team effort to defeat the No. 2 seed Atlanta Vibe on the road, clinching the league’s best record (21-7) and the regular-season title.

That success was reflected in the PVF’s end-of-season awards. Outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller was named Best Outside Hitter of the Year and earned her second consecutive All-League First Team selection. Setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson also received All-League recognition, earning a spot on the Second Team after posting 9.57 assists per set (4th in PVF) and leading all setters with 3.11 digs per set.  

The No. 4 seed Ignite enter the semifinals as the only team with a sub-.500 record at 13-15. Though they remained competitive with the league leaders for much of the season, Indy faltered down the stretch, dropping seven of their final eight matches. The team suffered a major blow when standout outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh went down with a season-ending injury while in the MVP conversation. 

In her absence, opposite Azhani Tealer has stepped up, averaging 4.22 points per set to rank among league leaders. Additionally, late-season addition Caitie Baird has made an immediate impact since her March 30 debut, contributing 4.0 points per set to help offset the loss of Member-Meneh. Setter and former Supernova Sydney Hilley took home the PVF’s Setter of the Year award after leading the league with 11.30 assists per set. She made the All-League First Team alongside Tealer who ranked third in the PVF in both points and kills.  

Game Details 

Matchup: Omaha Supernovas (21-7) vs. Indy Ignite (13-15) 

When: Friday, May 9 at 7 p.m. CDT 

Where: Lee's Family Forum, Henderson, Nev.  

Watch: CBS Sports Network | Broadcast Crew: Paul Sunderland (PxP), Holly McPeak (Color Analyst), Madison Fitzpatrick (Sideline).  

Listen: Supernovas Radio Network | Broadcast Crew: Grant Hansen (PxP), Renee Saunders (Color) 

Match Notes 

Season & All-Time Series: Omaha leads 3-1 (March 22, 2025, last matchup, 3-0 Indy). 

Postseason Record 

Omaha: 2-0, 2024 Inaugural PVF Champions 

Indy: First Appearance  

TV Viewing Information 

Both semifinal matches and Sunday’s Championship “Match for a Million” will be broadcast live only on CBS Sports Network.  

CBS Sports Network is available through cable, satellite and select live TV streaming services. Without traditional cable, fans can watch on YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV and DirecTV Stream.  

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Supernovas-Ignite Connections 

  1. A total of six former Jayhawks will be on the floor Friday night in Vegas. The Ignite have a duo who spent time in Lawrence. That includes middle blocker Caroline Crawford and backup setter Anise Havili. Crawford was an All-Big 12 selection in her two seasons (2021, 2020) before transferring to Wisconsin. Havili was teammates with Omaha's Kelsie Payne from 2014-2017 as they were both part of the same recruiting class. Each player developed under Supernovas head coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn, who was the associate head coach at the time. Payne was a two-time AVCA First Team All-American and Havili won back-to-back Big 12 Setter of the Year awards under Bird. 
  2. Sydney Hilley faces off against her former franchise after signing with Indy over the offseason. The Wisconsin product was named the 2024 PVF Postseason MVP after leading the Supernovas to the inaugural championship. She came off the bench to help Omaha to a reverse sweep of the San Diego Mojo in the PVF Semifinals before sweeping the Grand Rapids Rise in the championship. 
  3. Indy's Member-Meneh Leketor reunites with Pittsburgh teammate Valeria Vazquez Gomez, who's a practice player for the Supernovas. Both were on the same 2021 team that made the NCAA National Semifinal. 
  4. Ignite libero Kylie Murr spent her college career at two Big Ten schools in Ohio State and Minnesota. She was teammates with Omaha's Mac Podraza and Emily Londot as part of the Buckeyes from 2020-2022. She spent her last college season with the Golden Gophers where she was with current Supernovas middle blocker Phoebe Awoleye in 2023. 

Defensive Dominance 

Combining solid backrow play and a fearsome net precense up front, the Supernovas finished second in the league in opponent efficiency (.208). They held opponents to a hitting percentage below .200 in 13 of the 28 matches during the regular season. The Supernovas are also one of the best blocking teams in the PVF with a 2.62 blocks per set mark, which is third in the league. Omaha has recorded double-digit blocks in 15 of the 28 contests this season. 

Record Book Mania 

  1. The 2025 Supernovas established plenty of new high marks in the franchise record book.  The following franchise bests were achieved during the 2025 regular season.  
  2. Most points in a three-set match by both an individual (Emily Londot, 19) and team (64). Plus, the most team points during a four-set match (83). Nuneviller set the franchise record for most points (413) and points per set (4.09) during a single season. That also includes the most team points in a four-set match (83).  
  3. Nuneviller and Reagan Cooper tied for the most kills in a three-set match (16) while team kill records were set in a three-set (55) and five-set (70) match. Nuneviller also achieved the highest number of kills (381) and kills per set mark (3.77) across a single season.  
  4. Cooper recorded the most attacks during a three-set match (44) on Jan. 12 at Grand Rapids. Plus, Nuneviller put in the most swings in a single season with 1,052.  
  5. Four of the top five individual single-match hitting percentages were set in 2025. The franchise record is held by Cooper (.700) with Batenhorst (.667) and Hord (.600) rounding out the top three.  
  6. Valentín-Anderson dished out 42 assists in the sweep at Grand Rapids on Jan. 12, setting a new franchise record. Omaha's 48 team assists in the sweep at Columbus on Jan. 24 is also a record. She also broke Sydney Hilley's previous single-season mark with 871 assists for a new franchise best. 
  7. Individual dig records were set in three-set (Nuneviller, 19), four-set (Camila Gómez, 24) and five-set (Gómez, 31) matches this season. That also includes the team record in a sweep with 68.  
  8.  Nearly all block records were set as well with Hord leading the way. The Kentucky native is now the franchise's all-time career leader in blocks (82) and blocks per set with a 0.88 mark. She set a new single-season record and posted the most blocks in a three-set (6), four-set (6) and five-set (7) match. As a team, the Supernovas achieved the most blocks in a three-set (13) and four-set (14) match as well as the highest number of blocks (267) and blocks per set mark (2.62). 

How Sweep It Is 

The Supernovas have been the dominant team of the 2025 PVF season, racking up a league-leading 10 sweeps. That number is tied with the 2024 Atlanta Vibe for the most sweeps in a single season. 

Hard Earned Hardware 

  1. Brooke Nuneviller and setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson were honored with some league accolades at the end of the regular season. 
  2. Nuneviller was named Best Outside Hitter of the Year, joining Betty De La Cruz as the only other Supernova to win a league positional award. She also made the All-League First Team for the second-straight season.  
  3. Valentín-Anderson was voted to the All-League Second Team making it her first end-of-year PVF honor. The Puerto Rico Olympian finished fourth in the league in assists per set (9.57) and led all setters with 3.11 digs per set. 

Hording the Net 

Hord has been one of the best middle blockers during the 2025 PVF season. The former Husker and Nittany Lion finished second in the league in total blocks (82) and third in blocks per set with a 0.88 mark. Hord's seven blocks in the five-set win over the Atlanta Vibe on opening night set a Supernovas single-match record. She is also one of five players in the PVF to record seven or more blocks in a match this season. The Kentucky native was also fourth in hitting percentage with a .332 clip through 256 attacks with 102 kills and only 17 errors, which was fewest among middle blockers. 

A’Nune”ther Level 

  1. After averaging over 12 kills and digs per match last season, Nuneviller has raised her game for the 2025 season. 
  2. Nuneviller ended the regular season third in the PVF in kills per set (3.77), fourth in kills (381), and fifth in total points (413).  
  3. The Chandler, Arizona native is one of only five players in the league this season to record 20+ kills and 15+ digs in a match. That was on opening night when she poured in 22 kills and 17 digs while hitting .340.  
  4. The Oregon product produced 17 double-doubles during the season with Omaha going 13-4 in those matches. She also tallied double-digit kills in 23 of the 28 matches including a streak of 15-straight matches. 
  5. Despite the season featuring four additional matches, Nuneviller improved her per-match production across the board by posting better averages in kills, digs, hitting percentage, assists, blocks, and points compared to her 2024 campaign. 
  6. A cornerstone of the Supernovas franchise, Nuneviller is the team’s active career leader in points, kills, digs, and sets played. She now also holds the Supernovas’ single season records for kills, kills per set, and total attacks. 
  7. Nuneviller eclipsed the 500-kill mark in her Supernovas career on 3/13 at Indy and now sits with a total of 674 kills in her two seasons with Omaha. With 18 digs on 3/15 versus the Valkyries, she became the first player in PVF history to achieve 500 kills and 500 digs. 

TGI Friday 

The Supernovas have had great success in the past on Fridays, posting a 7-1 record on that day. After only playing on Friday once in 2024, Omaha played seven matches on Friday in 2025 amassing a 6-1 record. 

Nuneviller Makes PVF History 

  1. Nuneviller eclipsed the 500-kill mark in her Supernovas career on 3/13 at Indy and now sits with a total of 687 kills in her two seasons with Omaha. With 18 digs on 3/15 versus the Valkyries, she became the first player in PVF history to achieve 500 kills and 500 digs. 
  2. Setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson also reached a milestone by recording her 1,000th 
  3. career assist with the franchise. Her Omaha career total stands at 1,355. 
  4. Hord became the third player in PVF history to reach 100 career blocks with four stuffs against Indy on 3/22. Plus, with three blocks in the win over Columbus on 4/25, Hord surpassed former Supernova Hristina Vuchkova for the most blocks in franchise history with 77. 

Offensive Blastoff 

The Supernovas offense has taken off to become one of the best units in the PVF, ranking second with a .245 team hitting percentage. Omaha has posted hitting percentages of .250 or above in 16 of the 28 matches this season. The 2024 Supernovas offense reached that mark only nine times. The Supernovas offense is peaking as the team enters the postseason, hitting .304 in Omaha's four-match winning streak. That's highlighted by clips of .321 and .319 in the last two wins over Grand Rapids and Atlanta. 

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