OMAHA — Ally Batenhorst finished her first professional match with six kills, but her most important contribution of the night came from simply checking into the match.
The former Nebraska and Southern Cal outside hitter made her first appearance with Omaha trailing 20-19 in the third set to the loudest cheer of the match from the record crowd of 13,486 at the CHI Health Center.
Although the Supernovas dropped the set, the energy provided by the crowd awoke Omaha. It jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the fourth set and eventually earned a 22-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13 victory over Atlanta in the season opener Friday night.
Omaha coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said starting outside hitter Reagan Cooper wasn’t playing poorly, but they needed a spark late in the third set. She wanted to reward Batenhorst for her work in practice, and everything fell into place.
“I didn’t even think about the crowd,” Kuhn said. “There was no chance that that momentum would have stuck with us. Every time (Batenhorst) touched a ball, the crowd went nuts.”
With the record attendance, Omaha has hosted the eight largest professional volleyball crowds in the United States. It topped the previous mark of 12,090, set last year against Orlando on March 16.
Batenhorst wasn’t the only former Husker who received a warm welcome from the crowd. Outside hitter Lindsay Krause drew a strong reaction when she entered the match as a serving specialist three times. On the other bench, Merritt Beason made her professional debut and garnered cheers despite playing for the opposition.
Atlanta’s Merritt Beason made her professional debut Friday night. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Beason finished with 17 kills, two blocks and an ace. She recorded the first two points of the match and then put up six more kills in the fifth set. Beason said she almost got teary-eyed during the lineup introductions and was grateful for the cheers, even as her kills late in the match jeopardized Omaha’s chances of winning.
“Even though I’m playing against their team, you can still feel the love and the support,” Beason said. “I don’t know where else that happens. Truly, I don’t know where else in the world, in any sport that that happens. It might not have been cheering for us, but you can still feel the love in the air.”
Atlanta coach Kayla Banwarth, another former Husker, was impressed with Beason’s debut three weeks after her college career ended. Banwarth called Beason a “seasoned pro” and worth trading up to the top overall draft pick to get her on the Vibe.
“There’s a reason I fought so hard to draft her,” Banwarth said. “Great players come alive when the game’s on the line. I don’t know how many kills she had in game five, but she came alive in game five when the match was on the line. That is something an all-star does. That is something an elite player does. I’m so very impressed for her first-ever pro career to have that type of performance.”
While Beason was putting up kills for Atlanta, Brooke Nuneviller was carrying the load for the Supernovas. The 5-foot-11 outside hitter finished with 22 kills and 17 digs and recorded six kills on seven swings in the fifth set.
After Atlanta tied up the final set at 11, Nuneviller took over. She recorded kills on the next two rallies and accounted for Omaha’s final four points of the match. Nuneviller said she was trying to swing aggressively late. She committed too many errors early in the match when she swung too hard but found the right balance late when her team needed someone to terminate.
Kuhn said setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson looked at her during the fifth set and told her that Nuneviller was on fire, so they agreed to keep setting the team captain in clutch moments.
Supernovas outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller spikes the ball against the Atlanta Vibe. She finished with 22 kills. Photo by John S. Peterson.
“She was in the zone,” Kuhn said. “Brooke is one of the most intense competitors, but that’s the way she trains every day. That’s why she plays that way. That’s why she takes those big swings, and she earns it.”
Middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord called Nuneviller one of her favorite people to play with because of her intensity and her ability to deliver in the clutch.
“She makes it so easy to play with her, and I have the utmost trust in her,” Hord said. “Whenever she goes back to serve, I’m like, ‘It’s gonna be a great serve.’ Whenever she goes up to approach, I’m like, ‘This is gonna be a gas swing.’ She’s so amazing.”
Nuneviller also teamed up with Batenhorst for the play of the match.
Late in the fourth set, Batenhorst was blocked by Atlanta, but she reached out to save the ball from hitting the floor. Nuneviller kicked the ball up and Batenhorst slammed it home for a kill.
Nuneviller said her college coach, Oregon’s Matt Ulmer, might not have liked the move because he always made them do five pushups whenever they kicked a ball, but she made the play and got the point.
“I’ve never done that in my life before. I’ve never had a kick save,” she said. “Maybe that’s the one exception, but those are the plays that are momentum gainers. Ally knew exactly what to do with that ball in the moment, and then we just rolled from there.”
Kaitlyn Hord set a Supernovas record by finishing with seven blocks. The former Nebraska and Penn State player also contributed 10 kills on 18 errorless swings. Camila Gómez also set a team record with 31 digs in her Omaha debut.
The evening started with Omaha’s championship banner unveiling for winning the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation title. Even though the 2025 edition of the Supernovas features just two players from last year’s squad (Nuneviller and Valentin-Anderson), they welcomed back Gina Mancuso-Prososki and Jess Schaben-Lansman to the ceremony.
Nuneviller said they had many great connections as a team and with the staff, which made the championship possible. They enjoyed being around each other on and off the court.
“It’s really special to do something for the first time ever, and I think the girls worked their butt off last year,” Nuneviller said. “Last year, we had a really special team, and I see characteristics already and bonds that are being built with this new team.”
