Courtesy of Geoff Exstrom of the Omaha Supernovas
DULUTH, Ga. — Omaha Supernovas opposite Merritt Beason returned to Gas South Arena in Atlanta on Sunday, facing the Atlanta Vibe at the venue for the first time as an opponent after spending her rookie professional season with the club. Now with the Novas, Beason torched her former team, recording match highs of 16 points and 14 kills to lead the Supernovas (13-13) to their second consecutive sweep, a 25-21, 25-11, 25-14 domination of the Vibe (9-15) in front of 1,752 fans.
The former MLV No. 1 overall selection picked apart the Atlanta defense, posting a career-high .448 hitting percentage along with two blocks, nine digs and a pair of assists. The former Nebraska volleyball standout completed the best two-match stretch of her young professional career, combining for 31 points (5.17 P/S), 23 kills (3.83 K/S), 15 digs, three blocks, three aces and a .360 hitting percentage over the weekend.
Beason was the highlight of a well-oiled Omaha machine Sunday afternoon as the Novas hit a franchise-record .413 with 43 kills and just five errors on 92 swings. It marked the first time the Supernovas have hit above .400, surpassing their previous high of .391 at Dallas on Feb. 5. One match after tying the franchise mark for most blocks in a three-set contest (13), the Novas set a new mark with 14 against the Vibe, finishing the weekend with 27 blocks in six sets (4.5 per set).
Outside hitter Sarah Parsons nearly matched Beason with 15 points, totaling 11 kills on a .435 hitting percentage along with 11 digs, three blocks and one ace. Brooke Nuneviller did not record a hitting error on 20 swings as the reigning league Outside Hitter of the Year posted a career-best .450 hitting percentage with nine kills and eight digs. She became just the second player in league history to surpass 1,000 career kills, joining Atlanta’s Edmond, and now has 1,005 for her MLV career.
Newly inserted into the starting lineup, middle blocker Janice Leao spearheaded the Omaha block effort with five blocks while adding four kills for nine points. Kiara Reinhardt was extremely efficient, hitting .500 as the former Creighton star totaled four kills on eight swings with a solo block.
Setter Brooke Mosher orchestrated the most impressive offensive performance in franchise history, dishing out 36 assists and adding a career best 13 digs. The rookie was not phased at the net, recording three blocks, one kill and one ace for five points. Libero Elena Oglivie reached double figures again with 11 digs and three assists while passing at a team-leading 70% positive rate on 10 receptions.
As a team, the Supernovas recorded a .413 hitting percentage with 14 blocks, two aces, 41 assists, 43 kills and 53 digs.
Vibe outside hitter Leah Edmond was the only Atlanta player to reach double figures with 10 points, all on kills. Opposite Aiko Jones added nine kills in support. Atlanta posted a .117 team hitting percentage with one block, two aces, 31 assists, 32 digs and 34 kills.
The Supernovas are next in action for the 2026 home finale, featuring the franchise’s Stripe Out and Fan Appreciation match versus the Columbus Fury on Friday, April 24, on Kiewit Court at the CHI Health Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CDT on News Channel Nebraska and the Supernovas Radio Network, led by flagship station KCRO 660 AM.
Key Notes
- The Supernovas improved to 5-1 all-time against Atlanta, with their only road loss to the Vibe coming April 13, 2024.
- The Novas’ four attack errors are the fewest in a match in franchise history and just the sixth time they’ve had single-digit miscues. Four of those six instances have occurred in 2026.
- This weekend marked the first set of back-to-back sweeps since March 2 and 5, 2025, against Indy and Columbus.
- Omaha’s sweep was its sixth of the season, tied for third in MLV, and the 21st in franchise history, the most among all MLV teams.
- Atlanta’s 32 digs are the fewest by an opponent in Supernovas history, surpassing the previous mark of 36 set against Vegas last season.
- Sunday marked just the third time in team history that an opponent has recorded one block or fewer.
- The Supernovas’ seven blocks in the third set tied the franchise record, marking the fourth time it has occurred.
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Set 1: Parsons took advantage of a quick set from Mosher to put away a swing for the opening point. Jones answered with Atlanta’s first point, but a Vibe service error and a Leao block put the Novas ahead 3-1 early. Atlanta responded with a 3-0 run, using a Mosser kill, a Jackie Moore block and another Jones kill to take a 4-3 lead. After Edmond later tied the set at five apiece, Nuneviller tallied two kills as part of a Supernovas 3-0 run, which included another Leao block for an 8-5 advantage. Mosser sided out for the Vibe before Beason and Parsons followed with kills of their own for an 11-7 lead. Atlanta used the serving of setter Averi Carlson to get back into the set, as she recorded an ace and Edmond added three kills to tie it at 11-all. Beason and Nuneviller traded kills with Mosser as the set continued. Beason and Leao kills handed Omaha a 15-14 lead, but Mosser responded with back-to-back kills and Moore put down an overpass for a 17-15 Vibe advantage. After an Atlanta net violation, the Supernovas rallied as Beason tooled the block before Mosher added a block. Parsons put down an overpass to cap a 4-0 run and force a Vibe timeout at 19-17. Edmond sided out after the break as the teams exchanged service errors. Mosher won a joust before Edmond answered with another kill. The Supernovas used a pair of Vibe hitting errors and a Reinhardt kill to reach set point before Edmond’s serve sailed long, giving Omaha a 25-21 opening-set win.
The Supernovas started hot, hitting .387 with three blocks. A balanced attack led the Novas, with Parsons and Beason finishing with four points apiece. The Vibe hit .286 with one ace and one block, as Edmond led all players with nine points.
Set 2: Parsons stuffed a Vibe attack to start the set before Mosher sent her following serve into the net. With Parsons at the service line, the Supernovas surged ahead with their longest run of the season. Reinhardt terminated from the middle before Beason followed by tooling the block. Parsons then delivered an ace. Reinhardt’s next swing found the floor, and Beason added back-to-back kills. Nuneviller powered through for a kill before Atlanta sent another attack long. Anna Dixon, who came off the bench for Jones, recorded the Vibe’s first kill to end Omaha’s 9-0 run. Former Nebraska teammates Beason and Maggie Mendelson traded kills. Leao added consecutive points with a middle kill and a block. Mosser sided out for the Vibe, but the Supernovas answered with another extended run. Parsons and Mosher each recorded a block, while Parsons and Beason added kills during a 7-0 run that pushed the lead to 19-4. Using a new-look lineup, the Vibe found some momentum late in the set, as Mosser recorded a kill and Jones tooled the block for three more points. However, the Supernovas maintained control as Beason added two more kills and Nuneviller closed the set with the final three Omaha points for a dominant 25-11 win.
The Novas remained unstoppable, hitting .405 with four more blocks and Parsons’ lone ace. Beason led the way with a team-high seven kills on a .500 hitting percentage. The Vibe were held to a .050 hitting percentage, with Jones leading the team with three points.
Set 3: Beason slammed down a kill for the set’s first point. Leao and Jones traded kills as the early action remained tied at 3-all. A Vibe service error was followed by Mosher’s second block of the afternoon. Back-to-back hitting errors from Jones extended the Novas’ run to four as Omaha built an early 7-3 advantage. Mosser tooled the block for a side out, but Parsons answered with a kill and rejected a Moore slide attack on the next rally. A service error gave Atlanta a point, but Parsons responded with consecutive kills to extend the Novas’ lead to 11-5. Beason continued the block party with another Omaha stuff before Mosher sent the Vibe passers scrambling with an ace to make it 13-5. Edmond tooled the block for a point, but Reinhardt terminated from the middle and Beason blocked Edmond again. Jones bounced a ball off Omaha defenders, but Nuneviller’s cross-court kill sent the set to the media timeout with a 16-7 Supernovas lead. Beason and Nuneviller added two more kills, while Leao recorded back-to-back blocks to cap a 4-0 run and stretch the lead to 20-8. The Vibe answered with a Jones kill and Carlson’s second ace of the match. Beason responded by tooling the block, while Leao put down a middle attack and Reinhardt recorded Omaha’s franchise-record 14th block. Parsons closed the match with the Supernovas’ final two points, securing a 25-14 set win and a sweep of the rival Vibe.
The Novas stayed hot offensively, hitting .458 in the set with a franchise-record seven blocks and one ace. Beason led the way with six points, including five kills and one block. Atlanta was held to a negative hitting percentage of -.034, with Carlson recording the team’s lone ace. Jones paced the Vibe offense with four points.
