Supernovas Set for Historic First Meeting with Dallas, Then Head to Orlando to Close Road Trip

Courtesy of Geoff Exstrom of the Omaha Supernovas 

OMAHA, Neb. — The Omaha Supernovas, the world’s leading professional volleyball franchise, continue an extended road swing against two of the league’s top teams in the MLV standings with a first-ever showdown against the Dallas Pulse before a marquee rematch against the defending MLV champion Orlando Valkyries.

Omaha’s first-ever meeting with Dallas is set for Thursday, Feb. 5, with first serve at 7 p.m. CST at Comerica Center on the Roku Sports Channel. The Supernovas then travel to Orlando to battle the Valkyries on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m. CST, with the match streamed live on the MLV YouTube channel.

Both matches can also be heard on the five-state Supernovas Radio Network, led by flagship station KRCO 660 AM.

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Match Details at Dallas

Matchup: Omaha Supernovsa (5-3) at Dallas Pulse (4-2)

When: Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. CST

Where: Comerica Center, Frisco, Texas.

Watch: Roku Sports Channel

Listen: Supernovas Radio Network / Supernovas App

Match Notes

Season Series: First of four meetings, first of two at Comerica Center

All-Time Series: First meeting

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Match Details at Orlando

Matchup: Omaha Supernovas (5-3) at Orlando Valkyries (5-2)

When: Sunday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m. CST

Where: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Fla.

Watch: MLV YouTube Channel

Listen: Supernovas Radio Network / Supernovas App

Match Notes

Season Series: Second of four meetings, one of two at Addition Financial Arena

All-Time Series: Omaha leads 6-3 (Jan. 18, 2026, last matchup, 3-2 ORL)

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Riding the franchise’s 10th win streak of three or more matches, the Supernovas enter the week coming off an unbeaten weekend. Playing in front of 11,608 fans at the CHI Health Center last Friday, Jan. 30, Omaha outlasted the San Diego Mojo 3-2 in one of the most dramatic wins in franchise history. The Supernovas had three 20-point scorers in a match for the first time in team history, led by Reagan Cooper and her match-high 25 points on 23 kills (.310) and two blocks. Brooke Nuneviller added 23 points with 20 kills, 12 digs and three of Omaha’s four team aces. Plus, rookie Kiara Reinhardt delivered her best outing as a pro, setting single-match franchise records for most points and kills by a middle blocker. The Creighton product smashed 18 kills on a staggering .640 hitting percentage to go with two blocks for 20 points.

The Supernovas followed that performance with a 3-1 victory two days later against the Grand Rapids Rise on Sunday, Feb. 1, at Van Andel Arena. Opposite Emily Londot built on Reinhardt’s effort with a career match of her own, tallying 20 kills on a .400 clip with three blocks and one ace for 24 points. Middle blocker Toyosi Onabanjo also impressed, hitting a career-high .538 with eight kills on 15 swings while adding two blocks.

Dallas enters Thursday’s match sitting third in the MLV standings at 4-2 in its first six matches as a franchise. The Pulse are led by former Canadian National Team head coach Shannon Winzer, who has also served in charge of the Australian Women’s National Team. The first-year franchise is paced by 2025 MLV No. 1 overall pick and outside hitter Mimi Colyer. The former Wisconsin and Oregon attacker leads the team in points (96), kills (87) and kills per set (3.63), with both her points and kills totals ranking seventh in the league. Middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk is also among the league leaders in blocks, tied for fifth with 16 rejections through six matches. Dallas ranks as the most efficient offense in MLV with a .255 team hitting percentage, orchestrated by former Supernovas setter and franchise legend Natalia Valentín-Anderson. The Puerto Rico Olympian ranks sixth in total assists (266) and is one of only three setters, alongside Omaha’s Sydney Hilley, averaging more than 11 assists per set.

After dropping both matches two weeks ago, Orlando responded with back-to-back road wins over Grand Rapids (3-0) and Columbus (3-2) last weekend to move into second place at 5-2 entering the fifth week of MLV action. Reigning league MVP and opposite Brittany Abercrombie leads the Valkyries with 129 points (4.16 P/S), ranking fourth in the league, while also cracking the top 10 in aces with six in 31 sets. Coming off a season as last year’s ace leader, Orlando middle Natalie Foster is on track to defend her crown, pacing the league with 19 aces, which is 10 more than second-place Sofia Maldonado Diaz of Dallas. Because of that, the Valkyries are far and away the league’s top serving team with 41 total aces and 1.32 per set. Free-agent signee Charitie Luper gives Orlando another dangerous left-side option, posting 103 points (sixth in MLV) and 97 kills (fifth) in what has been a breakout second professional season.

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ACROSS THE GALAXY

• Thursday’s match against Dallas features one of the most Supernovas-heavy rosters the franchise has ever faced, with four former Supernovas now suiting up for the Pulse: setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson, middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord, opposite Kelsie Payne and libero Kendall White.
• A franchise icon who helped build the Supernovas from the ground up, Valentín-Anderson remains the team’s all-time assists leader and ranks second in most sets played. She helped lead Omaha to the inaugural 2024 MLV Championship and lives in Omaha during the offseason.
• White was also part of Omaha’s 2024 title team and ranks fourth in franchise history with 310 career digs. She originally signed with Vegas for 2025, but missed the season due to injury before joining Dallas.
• Hord played for the Supernovas in 2025 and set a single-season franchise record with 82 blocks. She remains the all-time franchise leader with 83 career blocks.
• Payne joined Hord and Valentín-Anderson on the 2025 squad that captured the MLV regular-season crown, totaling 203 points (seventh) and 162 kills (fifth) in her lone season with Omaha.

DEFYING THE PASS

• The Supernovas have made history in the last two matches, marking the 14th and 15th instance in MLV history that a team has passed at a 35% positive rate or lower. They did so in the four set wins over Indy on Jan. 24 and Grand Rapids on Feb. 1.
• Of those 15 matches, only four teams have gone on to win — and Omaha accounts for three of them.
• Among all 15 performances, the Supernovas are the only team to have hit above .300, doing so by a wide margin and outpacing the next closest team by 77 percentage points. (San Diego, 0.285)
• Sunday’s match against the Rise also marked just the sixth time in the 15 contests that a team recorded double-digit blocks. In fact, Omaha’s 16 versus Indy and 13 against Grand Rapids are the top two totals.
• Of the six teams that have posted a positive pass percentage of 35% or lower, only three have won their match and Omaha is the only unbeaten team among them (3-0).

NUNEVILLER’S MVP-CALIBER START

• Supernovas outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller has put together the best start in her professional career, which has included six double-doubles in the first eight matches.
• Entering Thursday, Nuneviller leads MLV in kills (140) and points (150) while ranking second in kills per set (4.12), third in points per set (4.41), third in total digs (104) and ninth in digs per set (3.06).
• She’s one of only four players in the league with more than 100 kills and one of six with 100+ points.
• Her 150 points across the first few weeks of the 2026 season marks the best start for Nuneviller in her Supernovas career. For comparison, she collected 125 points through the first eight matches in 2025, and 117 points in 2024. That’s a 28% total point increase from 2024 to 2026.

THE COOPER EFFECT

• Supernovas outside hitter Reagan Cooper has been one of the primary drivers behind Omaha’s three-match winning streak, which began when she entered the starting lineup for the first time against Indy on Jan. 24.
• The second-year Supernova has averaged 4.54 points per set since joining the lineup, including 3.85 kills per set, along with seven blocks and two aces.
• Cooper has set Supernovas career highs in consecutive matches, recording 17 kills on .429 hitting against the Ignite on Jan. 24, then surpassing that total with 23 kills and 17 digs versus San Diego on Jan. 30.
• Despite modest passing numbers, Omaha’s offense has surged, with the team’s hitting percentage rising 54 points and its block production increasing by more than one block per set since Cooper joined the starting seven.