Henderson, NV – Brooke Nuneviller tallied 18 kills while adding 17 digs and three blocks for a match-high 21 points, but the Omaha Supernovas (2-1) couldn’t overcome the surging Vegas Thrill (2-1) in a 25-23, 25-17, 24-26, 17-25, 11-15 reverse sweep Friday night at Lee’s Family Forum. It’s the second-straight reverse sweep for the Thrill, who did the same against the Grand Rapids Rise in the season opener on January 10 at home.
Reagan Cooper played in four of the five sets, posting 16 points on 13 kills with one block and two aces to add to her team-leading season total of four. Opposite Kelsie Payne recorded seven kills with a pair of blocks and six digs. Rookies Ally Batenhorst (four kills) and Emily Londot (one kill) saw action in the back half of the match.
Middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord managed four kills and had another quality night at the net with a team-high five blocks while Kayla Caffey also recorded four kills and three blocks.
Setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson put up 38 assists and 15 digs while rookie Kendra Wait posted seven helpers of her own. Libero Camila Gómez passed for a team-leading 75% positive rate while digging 18 balls and three assists.
The Supernovas hit .131 on the night with 14 blocks and 69 digs while putting up a season-high 59 positive pass percentage.
The Thrill hit .202 as a team with a trio of attackers leading the way. Former Supernova Allison Mayfield went off on her former team tying Nuneviller with a match-high 18 kills and 10 digs for a double-double. Wisconsin product Grace Loberg hit a staggering .400 on 17 kills and 12 digs while rookie teammate Camryn Hannah had 16 kills and 12 digs in her professional debut. Setter Alisha Childress dished out 56 assists and had 17 digs.
Thrill middle Layne Van Buskirk finished with eight blocks as Vegas ended the night with 16 stuffs. The Thrill exploded on the defensive side, ending with 82 digs – 13 more than Omaha.
The Supernovas are back in action on Sunday, January 19 as they take on the San Diego Mojo at home in the CHI Health Center at 3 p.m. CST. Nebraska Public Media will provide television coverage while every match in the 2025 season can be heard on the Supernovas Radio Network.
Key Notes
- It is the first time in franchise history that the Supernovas have been reverse swept. Vegas has accounted for three of the four reverse sweeps in league history, including the season opener against Grand Rapids.
- Kaitlyn Hord remains No. 1 in the league in both blocks (14) and blocks per set (1.08).
- Emily Londot recorded her first professional kill while setter Kendra Wait saw action as a setter, posting her first career pro assists.
Set 1: After Hannah Maddux started the match with an ace, the Supernovas rallied for a 4-0 run with kills from Nuneviller and Cooper while Payne and Hord combined for a block. The Thrill cut down the Omaha advantage with a pair of kills and a block from Buskirk. The Supernovas responded with a 3-0 run of their own with Caffey and Cooper tallying one kill each. Vegas got within one again at 13-12, but Omaha fought back with another 3-0 using a block and kills from Nuneviller and Payne. A 5-1 run spearheaded by Thrill opposite Willow Johnson tied the match at 19 but Cooper answered with back-to-back kills. The teams exchanged points in the redzone with a combo block from Nuneviller and Caffey setting up set point. Nuneviller ended the set at 25-23 with her sixth kill as she hit .462 in the set.
Cooper tied her teammate with six kills while Omaha hit .227 with Vegas being limited to a .163 hitting percentage.
Set 2: The Supernovas used its momentum from the first set to fire off an early 8-2 lead as three-straight blocks from Hord and Payne opened the floodgates. A 4-1 run from Vegas cut advantage to four with Nuneviller ending the swing of momentum with a kill. That didn’t last long as two consecutive kills from Hannah got the Thrill within three. Omaha went on a 3-0 run to extend its lead back to six. Sitting with a 21-17 lead, a 4-0 run hammered home a dominant showing from the Supernovas with two kills from Payne and one each from Hord and Cooper to make it a 25-17 set win.
Payne tallied a team-high four kills on a .400 clip with Hannah tying her with that total. Omaha only hit .156, but was strong defensively as Vegas managed only a .062 hitting percentage.
Set 3: The new look lineup from Vegas (Loberg and Hannah) started to click in the third as it became the most competitive set of the evening. Nuneviller and Cooper recorded back-to-back kills to gain the upper hand at 7-5. The Thrill rallied for a 5-1 run as Hannah went off for three kills before a service error ended the surge of momentum. Vegas was called for being out of rotation which was followed by a Caffey ace to take a 13-12 lead. Both teams exchanged points as the set entered the redzone at 20-19 Vegas. A 4-1 run put Omaha in the driver’s seat as a Cooper kill extended the advantage to 23-21. A Thrill net violation gave the Supernovas match point, but Hannah tallied a kill, which was followed by a Loberg termination and a Thrill block to give Vegas a 26-24 set win to stay alive.
The Thrill ended the set on a 5-1 run while hitting .317 with Omaha managing a .139 hitting percentage. Cooper tallied a team-high four kills while Hannah led all players with six.
Set 4: Vegas came alive in the fourth set. The two teams traded 3-0 runs, but an Omaha hitting error and Hannah ace sparked a 5-1 run for the Thrill to take control at 8-4. Nuneviller and Cooper slammed down kills to get the score at 13-10, but the Thrill mustered back-to-back points to up the lead to five. The Supernovas responded with two straight points but a big 4-0 run – including two blocks and one kill apiece from Loberg and Mayfield – put the lead at 19-12. The lead became insurmountable at that point with Vegas putting the set away with a 4-1 run and a 25-17 final.
The Thrill hit .265 on the night with a set high six kills from Mayfield on a .417 clip. Omaha limped to a .028 hitting percentage and five kills from Nuneviller.
Set 5: Nothing could stop the momentum from the Thrill, who came out firing in the fifth-set decider with a 7-0 run as the Supernovas committed a pair of hitting errors. Nuneviller added two more kills and a block to her totals to cut the lead in half at 10-5. Londot’s lone kill and a Vegas hitting error got things interesting at 11-7, but Mayfield answered with a kill. The former Supernova gave Vegas set point at 14-9. Batenhorst and a team block gave the Thrill pause at 14-11, but Hannah ended the night with the last of her 16 kills.
Vegas hit .273 in the final set with a team-high four kills from Loberg while Omaha struggled to a .045 clip and three kills from Batenhorst.
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.
