Courtesy of Geoff Exstrom of the Omaha Supernovas
SAN DIEGO — The Omaha Supernovas opened with a dominant first set but couldn’t sustain the momentum in a 16-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-20 four-set loss to the San Diego Mojo (8-10) on Wednesday night at Viejas Arena in front of 1,441.
The Supernovas (10-10) received another standout performance from outside hitter Sarah Parsons as she tallied a team-high 18 points. Her 16 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, along with 11 digs, marked her fifth double-double of the season. The Minnesota native also added two blocks. All-Star opposite Emily Londot finished just behind her teammate with 17 points on 14 kills, tying the match high with three blocks and adding eight digs. Fellow All-Star Brooke Nuneviller chipped in nine kills and six digs.
Middle blocker Kiara Reinhardt hit better than .400 for the seventh time in her rookie season, recording six kills on a .417 hitting percentage, along with six digs, two blocks and one assist. Janice Leao totaled one kill and one block in her fourth straight start before giving way to Toyosi Onabanjo in the fourth set, where she added one kill and one block.
Setter Sydney Hilley recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 44 assists and 13 digs. The Wisconsin national champion also tied her season high with eight points, highlighted by a season-best six kills, along with one ace and one block. Libero Elena Oglivie posted a match-high 17 digs and three assists, marking her seventh double-digit dig performance in eight matches with the Supernovas.
As a team, the Supernovas hit .212 with 54 kills, 50 assists, 64 digs, 10 blocks and two aces.
Similar to San Diego’s five-set win over Omaha in February, the Mojo were sparked by outside hitter Maya Tabron, who totaled 18 points on 17 kills (.382), 10 digs and one ace in three sets. Opposite Jovana Brakocevic added 13 kills and 10 digs, while Grace Loberg (13 points) and Marin Grote (10 kills on .588) each played key roles in the comeback win.
The Mojo hit .266 as a team with 60 kills, 56 assists, 70 digs, eight blocks and one ace.
The Supernovas begin an extended break with the MLV All-Star match set for Saturday, March 28, in Orlando at 11 a.m. CDT on CBS and Paramount+. The Novas return to action Thursday, April 2, when they visit Atlanta at 6 p.m. CDT inside the Georgia State Convocation Center. The match will stream live on the Roku Sports Channel and can be heard on the Supernovas Radio Network.
Key Notes
- Parsons was highly productive in three matches against San Diego this season, totaling 48 kills (4.0 K/S) on a .345 hitting percentage, along with 32 digs (2.67 D/S), seven blocks and two aces across 12 sets.
- Setter Sydney Hilley became the first setter in Supernovas franchise history to surpass 1,500 assists with the team. She now has 1,522 assists and is 104 assists away from 3,000 career MLV assists.
- Opposite Emily Londot has reached at least 17 points in each of her last three matches, averaging 4.33 points and 3.75 kills per set during that span while adding seven blocks.
- Londot’s three blocks give her 51 for her professional career, moving her past Brooke Nuneviller into No. 4 on the franchise’s career blocks list.
- The loss snapped the Novas’ three-match winning streak.
- The Supernovas lead San Diego 7-6 in the all-time series, but the teams are tied 6-6 in regular-season meetings through three seasons. Each regular-season series has been split.
- Omaha falls to 1-5 at Viejas Arena, its worst record at any MLV venue.
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Set 1: Hilley ramped up the service pressure right away, delivering an ace to start the scoring. Londot and Nuneviller tallied back-to-back kills before Loberg notched her first kill of the night. Parsons and Londot combined for three consecutive kills to help the Novas build a 6-2 lead. Parsons and Nuneviller each added another kill before Hilley called her own number to keep the advantage at 10-6. Brakocevic terminated from the right side for several kills, but Mojo errors kept the Novas ahead. Parsons added another kill before Loberg sided out. Londot tooled the block in response, and Leao sent play to the media timeout with a block for a 16-10 Novas lead. The Omaha run stretched to four with an errant swing by Allison Jacobs and another Nuneviller kill. A Londot attack sailed wide for a San Diego point, but a Mojo service error and a Hilley block pushed the lead to 20-11. Nuneviller and Loberg exchanged points before Reinhardt put away an over dig, and Nuneviller’s cut shot found the floor for a kill. Loberg and Brakocevic posted consecutive points before Londot gave the Supernovas set point. Grote terminated from the middle, but Londot responded with a set-ending kill to give the Novas a dominant 25-16 win.
The Supernovas offense hit .444 in the set with two blocks and Hilley’s ace. Londot and Nuneviller each recorded five kills, while Parsons added four. The Mojo hit .182 with one block, as Brakocevic and Loberg shared the team lead with four kills apiece.
Set 2: The Supernovas got out to another quick start with a Londot kill and Reinhardt block, but the Mojo responded with three straight points on kills from Tabron and Loberg, followed by a Tabron ace. A service error ended the run, but San Diego mounted another 3-0 run behind kills from Brakocevic, Tabron and Grote for a 6-3 lead. Parsons took over from there, scoring three of four consecutive Novas points to retake the lead at 7-6. Grote evened the score with a middle kill before Nuneviller answered with a roll-shot kill. Both teams traded errors before Hilley and Tabron each recorded a point. Londot tallied back-to-back kills to give the Novas a 13-11 edge, but a pair of kills from Tabron and Loberg tied the set again. Brakocevic, Parsons and Grote each recorded a kill for a 16-15 San Diego lead. Leao converted a middle attack before Hilley put down an overpass to flip the lead, but the Mojo responded with a Loberg block and a kill from Morgan Lewis. Another well-placed tip from Hilley found the sideline for a kill, but a service error and hitting error pushed San Diego’s lead to 20-18. Hilley broke up the mini run with another attack before Tabron recorded a kill. Londot’s swing landed for a point, and Parsons capped a long rally with a kill to tie the set at 21. The Mojo responded with a 3-0 run behind two Tabron kills to take a 24-21 lead. A perfect pass led to a Reinhardt kill, and Parsons forced a Mojo timeout with her second block to pull the Supernovas within one at 24-23. However, Brakocevic found the floor for a set-ending kill as San Diego evened the match with a 25-23 win.
The Supernovas hit .262 in the set with three blocks, as Parsons led the way with six points on four kills and two blocks. The Mojo hit .267 with one block and one ace. Tabron provided a spark off the bench with a set-high eight points on seven kills (.467) and the team’s lone ace.
Set 3: The Novas came out of the intermission sluggish and fell into an early hole as the Mojo opened with a 4-0 run, featuring kills from Taylor Sandbothe and Loberg, followed by consecutive points from Brakocevic. Reinhardt produced the next two Supernovas points to get Omaha on the board, but setter Marlie Monserez kept San Diego in front with a dump. Londot recorded a block during a scrappy rally, while Parsons and Nuneviller each added a kill to cut the deficit to 7-5. The Mojo responded with a 3-0 run behind kills from Tabron and Brakocevic and an Omaha hitting error. Londot stopped the run with a kill, but San Diego followed with a 4-0 run to build a 14-6 lead. After both teams exchanged service errors, Reinhardt recorded a middle kill, but Grote answered with one of her own. Londot added back-to-back points on a kill and a block. After Monserez recorded another kill, a Mojo hitting error and a Beason ace made it 17-12. San Diego responded with another 4-0 run, including a point from Grote and two Tabron kills. Parsons ended the run with a cross-court kill, but Tabron answered with another point. A pair of hitting errors gave the Supernovas consecutive points before Tabron split the block for a kill. Reinhardt added a block, but a Brakocevic kill and block sealed a 25-16 set win for the Mojo and a 2-1 match lead.
The Supernovas hit .050 in the set with three blocks and one ace. Reinhardt led the team with four points on three kills and one block. San Diego hit .286 with two blocks, as Tabron continued her strong performance with a set-high six kills.
Set 4: Londot tooled the block to open the set before Tabron scored San Diego’s first point. After Parsons and Loberg traded kills, the Supernovas used a 3-0 run with kills from Toyosi Onabanjo, Nuneviller and Londot to take a 5-2 lead. Loberg recorded a block and Tabron added a kill to pull within one, but Nuneviller sided out with a kill. Two Omaha service errors, along with kills from Tabron and Grote, gave the Mojo an 8-7 lead, but Hilley evened the score. Londot and Parsons traded points with San Diego to keep the set tied at 10. The Mojo took control from there, as Brakocevic sparked a 4-0 run with a kill, followed by a Loberg kill and consecutive points from Grote. Back-to-back blocks pushed the lead to 18-12, but Onabanjo responded with a block. After a Mojo service error, San Diego went on another 3-0 run before Norah TeBrake recorded her first kill of the night to make it 21-15. Reinhardt added a middle kill, and Londot recorded her third block of the night to cut the deficit to five before Brakocevic sided out. Parsons responded with two kills, including an overdig, but Loberg tooled the block to bring up match point. Parsons found a seam for another kill, but a Beason serve into the net sealed a 25-20 set win for San Diego to clinch the match.
Omaha hit .170 in the set with two blocks. Parsons recorded a team-high six kills and five digs. San Diego hit .314 with four blocks, as Grote led the Mojo with six points on three kills and three blocks.
