HENDERSON, NV. – The Omaha Supernovas (14-7) wrap up its two-match road trip with a Monday night showdown against the Vegas Thrill (8-14) with first serve set for 9 p.m. CDT at Lee’s Family Forum. With a victory the Supernovas can lock up the No. 2 seed for the upcoming Pro Volleyball Championship to be held in Omaha on May 15 and May 18.
The match will be broadcast live on the Supernovas Radio Network, featuring its flagship station 93.7 The Ticket. The broadcast will also be live on 95.7 The Boss (Omaha), KRVN (Lexington), KOLT (Scottsbluff), and KTIC (West Point). Award-winning broadcaster Derrick Pearson and AVCA High School Coach of the Year Renee Saunders will provide commentary.
The match will also be streamed live on the Pro Volleyball Federation YouTube channel.
Full match notes can be found here.
The Supernovas have a chance to secure the season series with a win after taking victory in the last two matchups between the two franchises. Vegas came out with an early season surprise by defeating Omaha in five sets at the CHI Health Center for the first win in franchise history on Feb. 7. The Supernovas returned the favor a week later, beating the Thrill 3-1 in their home opener. Omaha slammed the door on Vegas last time out on March 30 as the Supernovas swept Vegas in dominant fashion.
Omaha comes off a solid 3-1 road win over the Columbus Fury on Saturday, May 4. Olympian Bethania de la Cruz paced the offense with a match-high 21 kills on a .269 clip to go with 12 digs and her league-leading 29th ace of the season. Team captain Brooke Nuneviller added 15 kills and 16 digs while Stephanie Samedy chipped in 10 kills along with three aces in the four-set win.
Aside from her league-leading serving numbers, de la Cruz has stepped up her offense. The Dominican Republic native struggled from Feb. 21 through March 30, averaging 5.6 kills on a .113 hitting percentage in eight matches. Since the calendar has turned over to April, the Omaha attacker has taken her game to new heights averaging 19.3 kills on a .322 clip in seven contests including a franchise-record 26 kills in back-to-back matches.
The Supernovas continue to be the best serving team in the Pro Volleyball Federation. Omaha leads the league with 4.14 aces per match posting 87 aces in 21 contests. Vegas enters Monday second-to-last in the league with a 3.04 aces per match average. Outside hitter Hannah Maddux leads the team with 17 aces which is sixth in the league.
Omaha middle blockers Hristina Vuchkova and Tori Dixon are one of the most lethal middle combos in the Pro Volleyball Federation. Vuchkova has a team-high 60 blocks which equates to a league-leading 3.33 blocks per match average. Dixon isn’t too far behind with 58 blocks, but both middle blockers co-own the franchise record with six blocks in one match.
Despite being sixth in the league standings, Vegas has won two of its last three matches including a five-set win over the San Diego Mojo on April 26 as well as a sweep of the Columbus Fury on April 17. The only hiccup for the Thrill is being swept by the Atlanta Vibe.
The Thrill will be without middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk who has reported to the Canadian National Team to compete in the upcoming Volleyball Nations League. Van Buskirk has been a major reason why Vegas has a league-high 10.86 blocks per match average as she still leads the team with 40 blocks in 20 matches played.
Veteran Khat Bell and rookie Hannah Maddux spearhead the Thrill offense as Bell has posted a team-high 212 kills which is 11th in the league. Maddux is right behind her teammate with 209 kills, which is 12th amongst all players.
Another rookie that has stood out, libero Kylie Murr has recorded 334 digs on the season which sits third in the league. Savvy veteran Alisha Glass Childress is second in the Pro Volleyball Federation with 916 assists on the season which equates to 10.65 assists per set. That includes 38 blocks (second on the team) and six aces.
The Supernovas return to Omaha for their home finale on Thursday, May 9 when they host the Columbus Fury with first serve set for 7 p.m. CDT. News Channel Nebraska will provide television coverage with John Baylor and Nancy Metcalf on the call.
The match will also be broadcast live on the Supernovas Radio Network, featuring its flagship station 93.7 The Ticket. Award-winning broadcaster Derrick Pearson and AVCA High School Coach of the Year Renee Saunders will provide commentary.
