When Ally Batenhorst heard the stat that she had broken the Supernovas’ franchise record for hitting percentage, she looked like she was in disbelief.
The 6-foot-5 outside hitter learned of her impressive feat during a post-match interview, and her eyes grew big as she took a step back in shock, covered her mouth with her jersey, and started to laugh.
Batenhort paced the Supernovas (19-7) with a match-high 10 kills on just 15 swings without an error. Her .667 hitting percentage is the best for a match with a minimum of 10 attacks. Kaitlyn Hord set the previous mark two weeks prior with six kills on 10 swings.
The record might have seemed like a long shot because Batenhorst didn’t enter the match until midway through the second set, but she quickly made her presence felt and then put on an offensive clinic in the third set. She provided a spark as the Supernovas finished with a 25-20, 25-16, 25-23 victory over Vegas Sunday afternoon at the CHI Health Center.
“I just had a lot of fun with those girls on the court. So honestly, I wasn’t even paying attention to the stats, and that’s amazing,” Batenhorst said. “I’m really grateful to be able to be in this position.”
Omaha Supernovas libero Allison Whitten digs the ball against the Vegas Thrill. Whitten earned her first start of the season at libero and finished with 10 digs. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Before Batenhorst checked into the match, Omaha was already rolling with a 16-5 lead as the Supernovas were dominating the set. Even though she missed her serve, Batenhorst quickly made an impact on offense with three kills on four attacks, including on set point.
She continued to fire away in the third set with seven more kills and again provided the final point to end the set and the match.
Omaha coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn called Batenhorst a “natural spark.” Batenhorst said she is used to joining the action as a substitute and adapting to the flow. She’s started just five of the 16 matches she’s appeared in this season.
“Whenever it’s my time to come in, I’m ready, regardless of what the score is,” Batenhorst said. “I think I’m just ready. I’m used to it, so I just go in and compete as hard as I can.”
In the first set, fellow substitute Lindsay Krause provided the late spark. After Omaha won a long rally to take a 20-19 lead, Krause checked in to serve. On the first point, Toyosi Onabanjo recorded a block for the Supernovas. Krause’s next serve caught the net, forcing a tough pass which led to an errant attack. Then the former Husker delivered an ace that gave Omaha enough cushion to close out the set three points later.
The Supernovas dominated the early stages of the second set and led by as much as 15-3 after six straight points with Natalia Valentin-Anderson serving. While outside hitter Reagan Cooper provided the offense with five kills on five swings, Nuneviller was nails on defense with 11 digs.
Omaha Supernovas Brooke Nuneviller readies for a serve from the Vegas Thrill. The outside hitter finished with 17 digs and five kills. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Early in the second set, Nuneviller made a diving one-arm save to keep a rally alive that led to a Cooper kill. Then on the next point, she kept up a back-row missile from Lauren Jardine and then used her shoulder to dig a hard-hit shot from Hannah Maddux before Valentin-Anderson recorded a stuff block.
Nuneviller said defense comes down to effort, which is something she can control. She is fifth in the league with 3.5 digs per set, and she finished with 17 against Vegas.
“You make defensive plays by going through the ball honestly,” she said. “If you practice that way, then you’ll see it come in the match the times that you need it. Our team is really great at going for it, and you’ve seen that this week. Our grit has probably been the best it has been all season. We refuse to let the ball drop.”
For the match, Vegas (10-16) hit .108 with just 29 kills. Maddux led the way with seven kills, but she hit only .071.
Opposite Kelsie Payne added nine kills for Omaha as Cooper finished with eight kills at a .333 clip. Onabanjo hit .364 with seven kills.
After match point, the celebration kicked off for the Supernovas as they took a team picture and then broke out into a kick line. A crowd of 11,204 helped the Supernovas close out the home portion of the schedule. Omaha went 10-4 at the CHI Health Center and averaged 10,925 for the season, which exceeded last year’s average of 9,656.
“This is a special place. I think the players know that, and they feel it every time we get to come back home and we play home,” Kuhn said. “The moment that they had at the end, just with the fans, taking that in, that stuff is so cool. I would say that we’ve done our best to not take it for granted this year, but it is a great feeling to have the support that we have here in this community, and to feel it everywhere we go.”
The Supernovas have two matches left in the regular season: at Grand Rapids on Friday and at Atlanta on Sunday. If Omaha wins a match or even makes it to the fifth set in either one, it will clinch the top seed for the postseason tournament. Atlanta, Orlando and Indy have also clinched postseason berths.
Nuneviller said the Supernovas want to prove to themselves that they are capable of finishing the regular season on top, but they don’t care who they face in the playoffs in Las Vegas.
“We’ve beaten every single team at this point at least two times that will be in the playoffs,” she said. “We’re ready just to play our best volleyball and focus on our side of the net. This team is capable of finishing a regular season as the No. 1, and it would be a great goal to achieve.”
