There was no Banana Boat involved, but during the summer, three of the top players in Major League Volleyball decided they wanted to play together.
Instead of hatching a plan to form a superteam, a la Lebron James and Dwyane Wade, Brooke Nuneviller, Sydney Hilley and Morgan Hentz discussed in a group text thread about teaming up this year.
After some negotiations, all three signed with the Omaha Supernovas during the first few days of free agency in August. As a result, the Supernovas have the league’s top outside hitter (Nuneviller), setter (Hilley) and libero (Hentz) from last season on their roster.
The trio forms the core of Omaha’s team and will kick off the 2026 season Thursday night, hosting the San Diego Mojo at CHI Health Center Omaha at 7 p.m. CT.
“Me, Brooke and Morgan were like, ‘We want to do this together.’ So once we all got on the same page, it was an easy yes,” Hilley said. “ I wanted to play with those two. They’re two of my great friends in the sport of volleyball, and, obviously, they’re really good at it. That’s just a solid foundation for any team.”
Omaha Supernovas setter Sydney Hilley prepares to serve against Grand Rapids in 2024. After playing for Indy Ignite last year, Hilley re-signed with Omaha in the offseason. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Hilley and Nuneviller were teammates during the league’s first year on the Supernovas and won the league championship. Last year, Hilley played with the Indy Ignite and guided them to the title match. Hentz spent the first two years with the Atlanta Vibe, earning Best Libero honors each season.
The group had played together in Athletes Unlimited in each of the past three years. Yet this year, when they were talking about their plans for the following year, they finally put them into motion. When free agency opened up, they were all texting each other, making sure they were all on the same page.
“For the last couple of years, we made a pact. We said we’re going to play on the same team,” Nuneviller said. “We’re texting in a group chat, ‘Are you guys signing? Like, is this a thing? Are we doing this?’ And we all did. It’s really cool to not only have that commitment from the players, but they’re so talented. Just having them here, they’re awesome.”
Nuneviller said the Supernovas won out over the other teams because of Hilley’s history with Omaha (Nuneviller said Hilley missed playing in the city), and they convinced Hentz to join them in Nebraska, where the Supernovas averaged just under 11,000 fans last season.
“The fan base here is so special,” Nuneviller said. “The huge difference here is just that the fan base is so amazing, and just being a part of this community is really special.”
Morgan Hentz passes a serve during an Athletes Unlimited match in October against Team Hoffman on Monday, October 13, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Dawson Anderson.
Hentz has been in Omaha as an opposing player and was impressed by the crowds and atmosphere. She said there aren’t many other places like it in the world. In addition, she’s looking forward to playing with Nuneviller and Hilley for an entire season.
“Both Brooke and Syd have an elite level of IQ for volleyball,” Hentz said. “They see the game super well. And I think they’re also just poised leaders on the court, whether that’s what they’re saying or what their actions are displaying. They lead in both ways, which I think is a really special quality to have. It’s an honor to be playing amongst them.”
Three players do not make a complete team, though. They are joined by 12 other players who aim to provide depth and options to help the Supernovas raise another banner to the rafters.
Leading them is first-year coach Luka Slabe, who previously coached North Carolina State and was an assistant on the United States Women’s National Team. The Slovenian native still serves as an assistant for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Slabe’s biggest challenge is figuring out the playing time amongst all the positions. He said the staff has an idea of what the best lineup is, but they are still learning about roster players, and they have lots of options to start matches and also serve as game changers off the bench.
“The beauty of our team is they’re very deep,” Slabe said. “Depth, it’s a blessing, but it can also not be an easy thing, because you have so many good ball players.”
Hilley and Hentz are likely locked into starting roles, but the rest of the lineup is up in the air. The Supernovas drafted Hilley’s backup in November — Pittsburgh’s Brooke Mosher, who could also come in as a serving specialist — and brought back Allison (Whitten) Holder as a second defensive specialist.
Omaha Supernovas outside hitter Reagan Cooper was all smiles before taking on the Grand Rapid Rise in 2025. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Behind Nuneviller, the Supernovas feature Reagan Cooper, the 2024 Rookie of the Year and runner-up in Athletes Unlimited last fall, Norah (Sis) TeBrake, who was a first-round draft pick by the title-winning Orlando Valkyries, and Sarah Parsons, the 2016 AVCA National Player of the Year at Minnesota and who played professionally abroad for seven years.
Parsons also played for Slabe on the national team from 2018 to 2021. She gave birth to her first child in January and is working her way back into form. On Wednesday, Nuneviller and Parsons were named co-captains of the Supernovas.
“She has more experience than all of them together, playing the World Championships, playing in Vienna, playing in Italy, playing in Turkey, playing in Germany, playing all over the world in the best leagues, with the national team for many years,” Slabe said. “She’s not old, don’t get me wrong. If she wants, she can play for many, many more years, but she’s not 20 anymore, and she’s a mother, so that takes a little bit extra work.”
The Supernovas have two second-year players at opposite in Emily Londot and Merritt Beason. Londot flashed last season and earned a league-wide Player of the Week honor. Beason also had a roller-coaster season with Atlanta Vibe after being the No. 1 overall pick.
Omaha has five options to play at middle blocker, including the team’s first-round pick the last two years: Toyosi Onabanjo (2024) and Kiara Reinhardt (2025). Reinhardt will be reunited with her former Creighton teammate Elise Goetzinger, who didn’t play last year as she finished up her degree. They are joined by a pair of middle blockers who played for other MLV teams last year: Leyla Blackwell (San Diego Mojo) and Janice Leao (Columbus Fury).
Despite the lack of clarity with playing time and starting lineup, Hentz said everyone on the roster is putting in the work to push each other and make the team better.
Omaha Supernovas middle blocker Toyosi Onabanjo spikes the ball against the Columbus Fury in 2025. Onabanjo is one of five middles on the roster and the only one back from last season. Photo by John S. Peterson.
“All of us are striving to get that 1% better every single day, and I think that’s the best mindset that we can have as a group,” she said. “MLV is extremely competitive across the board, like last year and the year before. If you’re not going to bring your A-game, you’re going to lose every game.”
The team has been practicing against each other since the beginning of December and is ready to take on different teams. Slabe said he is looking forward to seeing them tested against an opponent in front of a packed arena, dealing with the initial discomfort and seeing how they respond.
During one of the first practices in December, the team talked about goals for the year. Without mentioning specifically that they were chasing a championship, the entire team understood why they were there. Slabe said they don’t have to talk about winning a title because it takes their focus off the immediate task at hand.
“If we are trending the right way, if we’re taking care of business, then a year from today, we’re going to be raising the banner right there, and if not, try again,” Slabe said.
