After going 0-6 in deuce sets during the first three matches against Omaha, Indy Ignite finally found a way to finish in the clutch against the defending champions.
The Supernovas won the previous three meetings with Indy this season, including a reverse sweep nine days ago. However, the Ignite claimed the first two sets on Saturday night by two points on their way to a 25-23, 25-23, 25-21 victory in front of 12,929 fans at the CHI Health Center.
Indy outside hitter Azhani Tealer said she was glad they finally broke through against Omaha at the end of sets.
“We just need to finish sets. When we get close in two-point sets at the end, we sometimes get a little bit timid,” Tealer said. “For us to finish on that note, it was really good to get out of that set and move on to the next one.”
Omaha coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said they needed to serve tougher and have a better first contact off Indy serves to execute better during the final few points of each set.
“There were things that we tried to change up strategy-wise that didn’t quite impact the way we wanted to in that first set, but I think we responded in the second. We started that second set down and then came back and took the momentum back,” she said. “It was end game, deuce game, and we need to finish and execute.”
Omaha Supernovas Brooke Nuneviller tips the ball over Indy Ignite Azhani Tealer (19) and Lydia Martyn (22). Nuneviller led Omaha with 13 kills, while Tealer finished with 19 kills. Photo by John S. Peterson.
In each of the first three meetings, Omaha won two of its three sets by two points. Four of the sets the Supernovas won were 25-23. The finale for the March 2 match in Omaha went to extra points before the Supernovas pulled it out 27-25. On March 13, they finished a reverse sweep by winning the fifth 15-13.
Whether the Ignite solved their finishing issues, Omaha failed to match the intensity or the karma evened out, the Ignite made the biggest plays down the stretch of each set.
Omaha appeared to tie up the first set at 24-all as Tealer’s attack sailed long, but every Indy player on the court immediately signaled for a touch call. The Ignite challenged and were proven correct after a quick review to claim the set.
In the second set, the Supernovas fell behind 7-1 but rallied. They fought off two set points as Reagan Cooper recorded an ace and Valentin-Anderson slammed home a kill after an overpass on a Lindsay Krause serve. However, Tealer ended any hopes of a rally with her ninth kill of the set.
In the previous meeting, Tealer established new league records for kills (31) and points in a match (35). She continued her strong play against Omaha with 19 kills on 33 attacks on Saturday. In the four matches against the Supernovas, the 5-foot-9 opposite is averaging 5.1 kills per set with a .418 hitting percentage.
Nuneviller said Tealer is a great player and really elevated her play this season, but Omaha’s block didn’t challenge her enough.
“At least six or seven of her kills, she had a pretty open net,” Nuneviller said. “She just got 31 kills off of us in a five set match, maybe we should key on her just a little more or just be a little more attentive, a little more aggressive.”
The third set remained tight throughout, but with the score tied at 19, the Ignite (11-8) took over by winning four of the following five points, three of which came from Omaha hitting errors.
Omaha Supernovas Natalia Valentin-Anderson sets the ball against the Indy Ignite in the second set on Saturday. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Omaha setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson began the match on the bench, but after using a 6-2 in the first set with Mac Podraza, Kuhn went with Valentin-Anderson. She finished with 27 assists and recorded three kills on six swings.
After the match, she was upset about the one she missed, which gave Indy a 17-16 lead in the third set. Nuneviller said she’s willing to live with those types of mistakes if it occurs when her teammates are playing hard.
“All I ask of my teammates is, you go out there, you play with 100% passion, 100% fight, 100% energy, 100% effort,” Nuneviller said. “Execution will or won’t be there sometimes, but most of the time, if you give all four of those things, you’re gonna execute more often than not.”
Nuneviller led Omaha with 13 kills and seven digs. Opposite Emily Londot added 9 kills, while middle blocker Kayla Caffey recorded five kills and three aces, a team-high for the season.
Despite the loss, the Supernovas remain in first place in the PVF, two games ahead of Orlando in the loss column. They have three more home matches during the next two weeks and will finish the season playing eight of their final 12 at the CHI Health Center.
Kuhn was grateful for the second-largest crowd in franchise history on Saturday night, but the team must find its energy and motivation to win home matches.
“We can be very disappointed, and there are things that we’re going to work on, but this is our challenge. We’re back home,” Kuhn said. “This is where we have to find a better routine. We have to lock in. How do we create it? You can’t just rely on a crowd like that. You still have to give and create just like we do on the road.”
