Briggs powers the Supernovas' late set success against Grand Rapids
Nuneviller, Hilley both set franchise records for Omaha
OMAHA—Grand Rapids scored the final five points of the second set to gain momentum against the Supernovas.
The Supernovas needed to change something up to recapture the energy. The answer was rookie outside hitter Paige Briggs.
The 5-foot-10 Western Kentucky product recorded 11 kills on 20 swings during the final two sets to help spark Omaha to a 27-25, 20-25, 30-28, 25-22 victory Thursday night in front of 7,505 fans at the CHI Health Center.
Omaha outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller said Briggs rips her shots and encourages others to play more aggressively when they start to sit back on their heels.
“I've never seen a player so fearless,” Nuneviller said. “I'm so impressed with her and I think she's a big reason why we got that win tonight.”
Briggs, who briefly appeared in the first set as a serving specialist, replaced Betty de la Cruz in the lineup after the intermission and instantly changed the mood on the court for the Supernovas.
She was at her best late in the third set. Briggs recorded a kill to give Omaha a set point at 27-26. However, the Rise responded with back-to-back kills to earn a set point.
Briggs fought that off with another kill and then recorded a massive dig to keep the next play alive, leading to an Omaha point. Another Grand Rapids error gave the Supernovas the set on the following rally.
“When you have Paige running such a quick tempo, it opens up the middle a little bit and gives her a lot of range,” setter Syndey Hilley said. “I'm so proud of her because she's just been so ready for this opportunity. She's been itching to get in, and I think that she just really owned the moment and was really ready, so I'm super proud of her.”
While Briggs provided the late boost, Nuneviller and Hilley were threats the whole match.
Nuneviller set new Omaha franchise records with 24 kills and 22 digs. Hilley set a team record with 51 assists, one more than Natalia Valentin-Anderson tallied the last time they played Grand Rapids, to go with 15 digs. Libero Kendall White added 18 digs while Jess Lansman tallied 11 kills.
Each of the sets came down to the final stretch of rallies. The first set was knotted at 22-all, while the other three included tied at 20-20. Interim head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said the key was the direct conversations they have on the court and during timeouts that get everyone on the same page.
“It's the way this team competes together,” she said. “Their communication is urgent, and it's not like chaos. In a word – control. It's communicating on a level that is just urgent.”
Omaha trailed 22-19 in the first set before scoring the following three points. The Supernovas ended it on their fourth set point on an ace from Nuneviller.
Grand Rapids controlled the end of the second set as outside Claire Chaussee recorded the final three points on kills. The Louisville graduate finished with 16 kills. Opposite Emiliya Dimitrova led the Rise with 23 kills to go with her 16 digs.
After Briggs’s heroics in the third set, she combined with Lansman to end the match. Briggs recorded a kill to break a 20-20 tie before Lansman ran off points via kill-block-kill. Hilley ended the match with her fifth kill on seven attacks.
“I usually like to give the glory to someone else, but I had to today,” Hilley said. “When they're giving it to us, I think it makes it a lot harder to defend when you have an active setter and just opening up for everybody else.”
After having the past 12 days off, Thursday’s match starts a stretch of four games in the next eight days.
"Rest is good. sometimes. It's a grind, this season," Nuneviller said. "I think we've been really great with giving our players time off. We're good coming back into practice and being 'Alright, let's go.' Like really good intentionality. Some teams might struggle with not playing for two weeks, but I think we do what we need to do to get ready on the court."
PVF Playoffs Set for Omaha
Omaha has set the bar for attendance and atmosphere during the first season of the Pro Volleyball Federation.
Now, the Supernovas will get to show that off during the league’s postseason. PVF announced on Wednesday that CHI Health Center will host the league semifinals and finals on May 15 and 18, respectively.
The Supernovas submitted a proposal to the league office in early March. Still, it wasn’t a done deal, as the arena management needed to shift an event to accommodate the playoffs. However, once they showed they had arena availability, they also needed to demonstrate how to run the championships.
“Luckily, in Omaha, we've done that a lot, and so that made it very easy,” said Supernovas team president Diane Mendheall.
Based on attendance numbers, Omaha appeared to be an easy choice for hosting the playoffs. The Supernovas have averaged 10,247 fans through seven home matches, including a league-record of 12,090 on March 16.
Two semifinal matches will be played on Wednesday evening, and the championship match is slated for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. In addition to the matches, an awards ceremony will be on Thursday night, and the downtown area will be filled with fan events.
While having the playoffs in Omaha is nice to look forward to, Hilley said they are focused on the remaining schedule to ensure they can enjoy a home-court advantage.
With Thursday's win, Omaha improved to 9-4 and is half a game behind league-leading Atlanta. Grand Rapids is in second place at 6-6.
“I was like, ‘Oh, that's exciting.’ But then I was like, ‘Okay, wait, we got to make it there first,’’' Hilley said. “This is a long season. We're only a little bit over halfway, and a lot can happen.
“So we're trying to stay in the moment. Then, if it happens, I think that Omaha will be a great place just because of how much they love their volleyball, and the fans will definitely show out.”
While Omaha would like to host the event every year, Mendenhall said the playoff will be put up for bidding again next year when new franchises in Kansas City and Indianapolis join the league.
“It's a coveted jewel that all the teams want,” Mendenhall said.