It didn’t take long for Sarah Parsons to make history with the Omaha Supernovas.
The eighth-year professional and former AVCA National Player of the Year made her debut with Omaha Thursday night as she suited up for her first club match since April 2024 with Kuzeyboru in Türkiye’s professional league.
Parsons, who gave birth to her son a year ago, set a new franchise record for kills (17) and points (21) in a three-set match. The Supernovas swept the San Diego Mojo 25-23, 25-21, 25-16 at CHI Health Center Omaha in front of 9,538 fans.
“It was pretty surreal walking into just the space in general. It’s so fun to play here,” Parsons said. “I had heard only good things about it, so it was built up in my mind, and it really fulfilled those expectations. To play in the States and just the fact that we have the chance to do that is amazing.”
Omaha Supernovas celebrate an ace against the San Diego Mojo. The Supernovas tied last year’s season high with seven aces. Photo by Brandon Tiedemann.
This wasn’t her first time on the court since her son was born via cesarean section last January. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter participated in the six-week Athletes Unlimited in the fall, primarily playing in the back row, as she recorded 42 kills across 37 sets.
San Diego coach Alisha Glass Childress said she has a soft spot for all mothers who return to the court after giving birth. She said playing in Athletes Unlimited helped Parsons knock the rust off and get back into competition mode.
“It was really cool to see her work through that in Athletes Unlimited,” she said. “She’s gotten even better since then, having a month of preseason to really dial in. I am absolutely not surprised that she came out and did a really nice job tonight.”
Parsons got the start for first-year coach Luka Slabe, who was an assistant coach with her on the United States Women’s National Team from 2018 to 2021.
Although her first three attacks were dug and she missed her first serve, Parsons eventually settled in and made an impact in the first set. The former Minnesota All-American recorded four kills during a 7-1 run that gave Omaha an 18-12 advantage. San Diego chipped away at the lead and fended off three set points until Parsons ended the set with her sixth kill.
She added seven more in the second set, including back-to-back terminations that gave the Supernovas a 19-18 lead. Parsons finished with a .325 hitting percentage and added three blocks and an ace serve.
Omaha opposite Merritt Beason said she is impressed by “Sauce” — Parson’s long-time nickname — every day, both on the court and off.
“I feel like I’m amazed by Sauce every day. It’s so cool, as somebody who I feel like is one of the younger girls on the team, to see and to have someone like her, who’s experienced so much in volleyball, but also in life,” Beason said. “ To know that she’s going home to a baby that she has to attend to at all times is so inspiring.”
The old franchise record for points in a sweep came from Emily Londot last year when she put up 19 points against Columbus. Brooke Nuneviller and Reagan Cooper held the franchise mark for kills in three sets at 16, which they both recorded in 2025.
Omaha Supernovas opposite Merritt Beason gets introduced during a professional volleyball match against the San Diego Mojo. The former Nebraska All-American was playing her first home match in the state where she finished her collegiate career. Photo by Brandon Tiedemann
Beason also made a triumphant return to the state where she finished her collegiate career. The 6-foot-4 second-year player spent last year with the Atlanta Vibe after she was the No. 1 overall draft pick.
Beason finished with seven kills, three blocks and an ace. She recorded a kill on the first rally, but had no memory of the play after the match.
“I was so nervous, I felt like I hadn’t played volleyball in so long,” Beason said. “I don’t really know why, because the break was the same break as college, but I was so nervous, so I honestly blacked that out.”
The Supernovas tied last year’s season-high with seven aces from five different players. Setter Sydney Hilley and middle blocker Elise Goetzinger each had two aces. Goetzinger added seven kills and a .545 hitting percentage, while Hilley finished with 38 assists. Middle blocker Janice Leao chipped in six kills while libero Morgan Hentz tallied 11 digs.
San Diego saw three players finish with 10 points. Grace Loberg recorded nine kills and a block, while Kayla Caffey tallied eight kills on nine swings, an ace and a block. Maya Tabron finished with six kills, three blocks and an ace.
Slabe said even though they picked up the sweep at home, they have plenty to work on and got exposed in several areas, but nothing they couldn’t fix.
Omaha Supernovas libero Morgan Hentz passes the serve against San Diego. She finished with 11 digs. Photo by Brandon Tiedemann.
Omaha struggled with San Diego’s short serve, which took Brooke Nuneviller (six kills, 16 digs) out of the offense at times, and put up a consistent double block against Beason. Omaha adjusted and, after getting blocked seven times in the first set, was stuffed just once in the final two sets.
“We got exposed, and that’s what we’re hoping for,” Slabe said. “Now we know what to work on. It’s nothing that we haven’t worked on yet. We’ve just got to do it better.”
The Supernovas have a quick turnaround before their next match — a road game at Columbus. The Fury defeated Atlanta in four sets, led by 27 kills from Raina Terry.
“We fly out tomorrow — not too early, which is great — and straight from the plane to practice and video,” Slabe said. “The next day, another battle. So it’s a quick turnaround, but it’s our job.”
