Story by Supernovas Communication
OMAHA, Neb. — The Omaha Supernovas, Nebraska’s professional volleyball team and first Pro Volleyball Champions, got another standout performance from outside hitter Reagan Cooper but the Supernovas (8-4) came up short against the Orlando Valkyries (9-4), falling 24-26, 18-25, 24-26 on Thursday night at the CHI Health Center.
The second-year pro led all Supernovas with 15 kills on a .344 hitting percentage while adding four digs and one assist. Brooke Nuneviller recorded another double-double as she tallied 11 kills (.333) with 13 digs and a pair of assists. Rookie opposite Emily Londot equaled her teammate with 11 kills on a .320 clip with nine digs, one block, one assist and the team’s lone ace.
Middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord added four more blocks to her league-leading total while putting down four kills for eight points on the night. Fellow middle blocker Kayla Caffey added two kills and two digs.
Setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson dished out 37 assists in the three sets while chipping in six digs, two kills and one block. Libero Camila Gómez ended the night with 10 digs.
The Supernovas hit .321 as a team with 45 kills compared to only 10 errors. Omaha also posted six blocks and the one ace from Londot.
Orlando’s Brittany Abercrombie hammered a match-high 24 kills, setting a new PVF record for most kills in a three-set match. She hit for a .524 clip while adding 13 digs. Middle blocker Kaz Brown had nine kills (.562) with three aces and three blocks. As a team, the Valkyries hit .342 with eight aces and five blocks.
The Supernovas return home for the back half of a home doubleheader on Sunday, March 2, when they host the Indy Ignite for an afternoon matinee. First serve is set for 3 p.m. at the CHI Health Center, with News Channel Nebraska providing TV coverage.
Key Notes
- Omaha’s .321 hitting percentage is only the fifth time in franchise history the team has hit at a clip of .300 or above. They’ve reached that mark twice this season – February 6 at Indy (.309) and Thursday night.
- Cooper has now hit for at least .344 in six of her last eight matches while tallying double-digit kills in all but one of those contests.
- Nuneviller recorded her eighth double-double of the season and fourth in the last five matches. She’s also hit above .300 in four of the last five matches.
- Kaitlyn Hord added four more blocks to her league-leading total of 43 through 12 matches. She also leads the PVF with 1.02 blocks per set.
- Orlando’s eight aces is the most allowed in Supernovas franchise history.
Set 1: Valentín-Anderson set the tone for the Supernovas with the first kill of the night, but Courtney Schwan quickly responded with a kill of her own to put Orlando on the board. Cooper followed up with a kill to give Omaha a 2-1 edge, but Schwan continued her strong start, adding two more kills for the Valkyries. Hord took over in the middle, putting down two kills, while Cooper added another kill to push the Supernovas back in the lead. Brown and Abercrombie notched their first kills of the night to keep the score within one at 7-6. Two Orlando errors gave the Supernovas a slight cushion, but the Valkyries fired back with a four-point run to reclaim the lead at 10-9. Cooper ended the run with a kill, but Abercrombie answered right back for Orlando. Nuneviller then got in on the action with her first kill and block while Cooper added another kill, forcing the Valkyries to call a timeout. Abercrombie came out of the break with a kill, then the teams traded tallies before Londot found her first point of the match for an 18-14 Supernovas lead. Orlando strung together momentum with a Brown kill and ace, followed by an Adora Anae kill. Then, a Supernovas error tied the set at 18. It was a back-and-forth battle as the two teams entered the red zone, but Cooper stepped in with a pair of kills to give Omaha match point at 24-23, forcing an Orlando timeout. Out of the break, the Valkyries recorded a 3-0 run off an Abercrombie kill, Brown block and a Schwan ace to seal the set with a 26-24 extra point win.
The Supernovas hit .333 in the set as Cooper dominated with seven kills on a .462 clip. Orlando also hit .333 as the Valkyries were led by Abercrombie, who tallied six kills on a .462 clip.
Set 2: Orlando raced out to a 5-0 start behind two aces from Natalie Foster, a block and kill from Abercrombie and then a Brown block. Londot put Omaha on the board with a kill, followed by a Cooper strike to get the Supernovas rolling. The teams traded points in an exchange of kills before an Omaha error and another kill from Abercrombie extended the Valkyries' advantage to 9-5. Nuneviller and Londot came in with a kill apiece to keep Omaha within striking distance, but Abercrombie continued her strong set with another kill. Cooper answered with one of her own, but a Supernovas error and duo of kills from Anae pushed the Orlando lead to 13-8. Orlando gave a point away with a service error, but Foster quickly righted the ship with a kill and another ace. Londot managed to side out with a kill. Brown and Abercrombie each delivered another kill to stretch the lead to 19-13. Londot and Nuneviller found the floor with a kill each to chip away at the deficit, but Brown answered with a kill and ace. Caffey made her presence known with her first kill of the night and Londot followed with Omaha’s first ace to make the score 22-16. Abercrombie added another kill for Orlando, but Nuneviller answered with one of her own. A Valkyries’ error gave Omaha a chance, but a final Omaha miscue secured Orlando’s 25-18 win.
The Supernovas hit .333 for the second-straight set as Londot went off for six kills on eight swings for a .750 clip. Abercrombie continued her onslaught with seven kills (.545) as the Valkyries showed off their prowess from the service line with five aces in the set. Orlando hit .480 as a team with 13 kills and one error on 25 swings.
Set 3: Orlando started the set with a Foster and Abercrombie kill to put them ahead early 2-0. Caffey got things started for Omaha with a kill, but Abercrombie quickly answered with another for the Valkyries. Cooper responded with a pair of kills to tie the score at three. Brown delivered a kill for Orlando, but Omaha took control as Londot secured a block and Nuneviller fired off a kill. Brown recorded another tally for the Valkyries, but Nuneviller countered with two straight kills. Abercrombie and Anae fought back with kills, but Valentín-Anderson returned the momentum with a dominant joust win at the net, making the score 9-7 Supernovas. Abercrombie rallied for Orlando with two more kills, but Cooper stopped the run with two of her own, forcing the Valkyries into a timeout at 12-10 off a 3-0 Omaha run. Abercrombie came out of the timeout with a kill for Orlando. The teams continued to exchange kills until Cooper landed a key strike, followed by two straight kills from Nuneviller to extend the lead to 18-14. An Abercrombie kill and a Supernovas error kept the Valkyries in the fight. However, Valentín-Anderson and Londot had kills of their own to keep Omaha in control at 20-16. Abercrombie continued to be the key attacker for Orlando with two more kills, but Nuneviller and Cooper responded with a kill each, keeping Omaha ahead 21-18. Abercrombie struck again for the Valkyries with a kill. Londot answered with a crucial swing to push the Supernovas ahead 23-20. Brown put the pressure on with a kill and block to tie the set at 23. Londot put down a kill to give Omaha set point, but Abercrombie fought it off with her 24th kill of the night. Foster followed with back-to-back kills for a 26-24 set win for Orlando to give the Valkyries their second-straight sweep of the Supernovas.
Omaha hit .306 in the final set with six kills apiece from Nuneviller (.353) and Cooper (.417) while Londot added four. Orlando wasn’t too far behind with a .294 hitting percentage as Abercrombie had her best set of the night with 11 kills on a .556.
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