Supernovas
Sweep Grand Rapids for Third Straight
Win
as Oglivie Breaks Franchise Record
OMAHA, Nebraska, March 21, 2026.- The Omaha Supernovas, the world’s
leading professional volleyball franchise, continued their strong
form with a dominant 29-27, 25-17, 25-17 sweep of the Grand Rapids
Rise (6-12) on Friday night in front of 9,448 fans on Kiewit
Court at the CHI Health Center.
The
result marks the third consecutive victory for the Supernovas
(10-9), who became the third team in the MLV to move above .500 and
secured back-to-back home wins for the first time this season.
“I
would say we had a wonderful performance in every aspect of the game
and served extremely tough,” Supernovas head coach Luka Slabe said.
“We kept them down to very low numbers, and coming into the match,
it was kind of hard for me to decide who we were going to attack and
how we were going to attack. Once we started attacking from the
service line, it was more than clear that there were a lot of good
targets we could go after.”
Playing in her first match since being named an MLV All-Star,
opposite Emily Londot showcased her stardom with a match-high 18
points, totaling 17 kills on a .417 hitting percentage with one
block. She was also stellar defensively, finishing with 15 digs for
her fifth double-double of the season. The second of two Omaha
All-Stars, outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller tallied 10 kills and
eight digs, while Sarah Parsons added 11 points on nine kills, two
blocks and 12 digs.
Facing her former team for the second time since the Feb. 13
blockbuster trade, Novas libero Elena Oglivie etched her name
into the record book with 20 digs, setting a new franchise record
for most digs in a three-set match. She spearheaded a strong
defensive effort that produced 64 team digs, two shy of the
franchise record.
“I
think our team was just really focused on having fun tonight, so I
came into this game with that in mind, playing free and playing
together,” Oglivie said. “I think it’s also nice to know the people
on the other side of the net and their tendencies, so I feel like
that helped put me in good spots. Our serving and
blocking was amazing too, so I think it was a good team win
tonight.”
Friday’s outing marked Oglivie’s third match this season with 20 or
more digs, including two with the Supernovas. She recorded a
season-high 21 digs against the Rise when the Novas visited Van
Andel Arena on March 7.
Despite ranking last in blocks per set, the Supernovas matched the
league’s second-best blocking team with 10 blocks on the night,
as Janice Leao and Kiara Reinhardt once again shined at the
net. Coming off her own franchise record last Saturday against Indy,
Leao followed with a team-high four blocks and three kills.
Reinhardt hit .333 with five kills and two blocks, while adding a
pair of digs.
Setter Sydney Hilley dished out 40 assists with four digs,
one block and one kill while directing an offense that hit .262 with
46 kills against just 12 errors — only two of which were unforced.
“The
crowd makes a huge difference. It’s so fun to play in that
environment, and they’re just so engaged in the game,” Oglivie said.
“I’ve been loving my experience here at the Supernovas. The team is
amazing. The girls have welcomed me with open arms and have just
been so supportive through the transition. I’ve just been settling
in the past couple of weeks, but I love it here, and the
organization has also been super supportive with the entire
transition. I have nothing but great reviews for Omaha. It’s amazing
here.”
Grand Rapids hit .123 with 10 blocks, 63 digs, 41 kills and 37
assists. Carli Snyder recorded a team-high 13 points on 12 kills and
one block. Alyssa Jensen matched Leao with four blocks and added
seven kills on a .600 hitting percentage. Former Supernovas outside
hitter Paige Briggs-Romine finished with a double-double, totaling
10 kills and 15 digs.
The
Supernovas now have five days off before hitting the road for their
final match before the All-Star break, visiting the San Diego Mojo
on Wednesday, March 25. First serve is set for 9 p.m. CDT at Viejas
Arena. The match will be broadcast on YouTube and can be heard
globally on the Supernovas Radio Network, led by flagship station KCRO
660 AM. |