Courtesy of Geoff Exstrom of the Omaha Supernovas
ORLANDO — On her birthday, Merritt Beason delivered the best performance of her Omaha Supernovas career, recording a match-high 15 points to lead the franchise to a crucial road sweep of the Orlando Valkyries (10-13) in a straight-set victory, 25-13, 25-23, 25-22, Thursday night at Additional Financial Arena in front of 1,367 fans.
Making her first start since Jan. 18 versus Orlando, the second-year pro out of Nebraska torched the Valkyries in her most complete performance of the season, totaling nine kills along with a trio of blocks and aces. Beason also added six digs and played a key role in a Supernovas (12-13) block that tied the franchise three-set record with 13 stuffs.
Thursday also marked the first career victory for interim head coach Thomas Robson. At 25, Robson is believed to be one of the youngest head coaches to win a match in professional volleyball and among the youngest in modern professional sports.
Outside hitter Sarah Parsons joined her in double figures with 12 points on nine kills and three blocks while adding five digs. Brooke Nuneviller matched her teammates for the team lead in both kills (nine) and digs (eight).
Extending her recent stretch of standout play, middle blocker Leyla Blackwell recorded her second double-digit scoring performance in the last three matches. Before exiting late in the third set after an awkward landing, Blackwell totaled 10 points with seven kills on a .462 hitting percentage, along with two blocks and her first ace of the season. Making her return to the starting lineup, Kiara Reinhardt added three kills on five swings while finishing with a pair of blocks and digs.
Setter Brooke Mosher dished out 29 assists and added seven digs in her fourth career start. She also contributed three points on two kills and one block. Libero Elena Oglivie provided a steady presence with eight digs and two assists.
As a team, the Supernovas hit .295 on the night, totaling 13 blocks, four aces, 35 assists, 36 digs and 39 kills while passing at a 49% positive rate.
Outside hitter Hannah Maddux was the lone bright spot for the Valkyries, finishing with a team-high 14 points on 13 kills (.370) and one ace. Orlando was limited to a .108 hitting percentage, recording three blocks, three aces, 25 assists, 28 kills, 38 digs and only passing at 30% for the match.
The Supernovas return to action Sunday, April 19, when they visit the Atlanta Vibe (9-13) at Gas South Arena. First serve is set for 2 p.m. CDT on the MLV YouTube Channel and the Supernovas Radio Network, led by flagship station KCRO 660 AM.
Key Notes
- The Supernovas move to 8-4 all-time against Orlando and 5-1 at Addition Financial Arena.
- Omaha’s .295 hitting percentage is the highest since the Novas hit .362 versus Dallas on Feb. 12.
- Thursday’s sweep is the fifth this season for the Supernovas, who are just one of three teams to have five or more. Indy and Dallas are the only two teams with more than the Novas with seven apiece.
- The Valkyries 93 attacks and 25 assists are the lowest for any opponent against the Novas in a single match.
- Orlando’s 35 kills is tied for the fewest by an opponent in franchise history.
- 36 digs in a match is tied for the fewest amount by the Supernovas.
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Set 1: Blackwell continued her standout play from last weekend, opening the match with a block. After a pair of Omaha errors, Nuneviller sided out with her first swing of the night. Foster answered with a middle finish. Parsons was a wall at the net with two blocks, and an ace from Blackwell sparked a 3-0 Novas run and a 5-3 lead. Luper sided out, but back-to-back Orlando errors and a Parsons tip made it 8-4 Supernovas. Beason stuffed a Valkyries attack, but Brown responded for Orlando with a slide kill. Beason scored from the right side before Nuneviller tooled the block for another Novas point. Blackwell hammered a middle attack, and Nuneviller added another to force a Valkyries timeout with Omaha leading 13-7. Beason ramped up the pressure with back-to-back aces on short serves. Abercrombie stopped the 4-0 Novas run, but Nuneviller tooled the block again to send the match to the media timeout with the Supernovas ahead 16-8. The service pressure did not relent, as Reinhardt and Blackwell put away consecutive overpasses. Parsons recorded her third block of the set and followed with back-to-back finishes for a 21-8 lead during a 6-0 run. An Omaha net violation snapped the run, and Foster followed with her 49th ace of the season. After the teams traded errors, Mosher snuck in a setter dump before Beason delivered a tip for set point. Brown connected from the middle, but a setting error handed the Supernovas a dominant 25-13 opening-set win.
The Supernovas were nothing short of excellent, hitting .542 as a team with five blocks and three aces. It was a balanced attack, led by Parsons with six points on three swings and three blocks. Orlando was held to a -.042 hitting percentage, with Foster accounting for the team’s lone ace. The Valkyries totaled just six points.
Set 2: Orlando responded after the opening set, opening with back-to-back swings from Abercrombie and Maddux. Reinhardt scored from the middle before Nuneviller delivered a cross-court finish to tie the set. Another Valkyries service error and Beason’s third ace of the night pushed the Novas’ lead to 5-3. Maddux and Abercrombie responded again, but a Beason back-row attack and a Reinhardt block gave the Supernovas an 8-5 advantage. Parsons added another point but was denied by Bre Kelley on her next attempt. Beason added another to extend the Omaha lead to four at 11-7. A Supernovas service error and a Maddux finish cut the deficit to two, but Nuneviller sided out. Maddux answered again, but back-to-back swings from Blackwell and Nuneviller pushed the lead to 14-10. With Maddux at the service line, Orlando mounted a 4-0 run to tie the score, capped by a Maddux ace. Her next back-row attempt sailed wide, and Blackwell’s block gave the Novas a 16-14 lead at the media timeout. Zoe Weatherington tooled the block out of the break to side out, but a service error sparked a 3-0 Omaha run, including finishes from Parsons and Reinhardt, for a 19-15 lead and an Orlando timeout. Parsons added a point out of the break, but Blackwell’s serve went into the net to snap the 4-0 run. Reinhardt answered again from the middle. Parsons and Lindsay Vander Weide traded points before a Novas error forced a timeout with Omaha leading 22-19. Beason sided out with a key swing, and a Maddux error gave Omaha set point. Maddux fueled a 3-0 Valkyries run with a pair of finishes to force a Novas timeout at 24-23. After a strong pass, Blackwell hammered down the set-winner for a 25-23 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
The Supernovas maintained the pressure, hitting .306 with two blocks and one ace. The offense was well distributed, with Reinhardt, Parsons and Beason each tallying four points. Orlando kept pace offensively with a .297 hitting percentage, along with one ace and one block. Maddux led the Valkyries with 11 points.
Set 3: Blackwell opened the set with a middle finish, but Orlando responded with a 3-0 run behind swings from Vander Weide, Maddux and Weatherington. Each team committed an error before the Supernovas answered with a 3-0 run, fueled by a Parsons point and a Mosher block, to take a 5-4 lead. Blackwell’s serve into the net tied the set. Weatherington recorded an ace off Parsons, and Maddux added a block to give Orlando a 7-5 lead. Kelley sided out from the middle to extend the advantage to 8-6 at the media timeout. Beason came out of the break with a point and a block to cut into the deficit. A stretch of errors followed before Maddux found the floor to keep Orlando ahead 13-10. Blackwell bounced a swing off Maddux, and a Valkyries error pulled the Supernovas within one at 13-12. Consecutive Omaha errors pushed the lead back to three, with Orlando ahead 16-13 at the second media timeout. Beason delivered on the first rally out of the break. Nuneviller used high hands for another point, and Beason’s block capped a 3-0 run to tie the set at 16-16. Beason evened it again at 17, but a Novas service error and a Vander Weide block gave Orlando a 19-17 advantage. Blackwell and Beason responded with one point each to tie the set and force a Valkyries timeout. After Blackwell exited following an awkward landing, Onabanjo entered off the bench and delivered two key blocks to give the Supernovas a 22-19 lead. Maddux sided out, and a Novas hitting error brought Orlando within one. Vander Weide’s next serve sailed long, but Weatherington answered with a swing to make it 23-22. Foster checked in as a serving substitute, but her line-drive serve sailed past the Omaha passers for match point. Reinhardt sealed the sweep with the Supernovas’ 13th block of the night, securing a 25-22 set-three win.
The Supernovas hit .114 in the set, but their net defense was dominant with six blocks. Beason led the team with six points. Orlando hit .000 and was limited to two blocks and one ace, with Weatherington pacing the team with four points.
