Novas Reverse Sweep Propels Them Into PVF Championship Match

Omaha Supernovas 2024 PVF SEmifinals

In 84 regular season matches in the Pro Volleyball Federation, there was only one “reverse sweep.” In the semi-finals on Wednesday, that number was doubled when the Omaha Supernovas thrilled their home fans by winning the final three sets to eliminate the San Diego Mojo.

The Supernovas will face the Grand Rapids Rise in the PVF Championship final match on Saturday at 4:30 PM ET. The Ruse defeated the Atlanta Vibe in the first semi-final match on Wednesday.

The winner of Saturday’s match will win the $1 million prize and be crowned champions of the Pro Volleyball Federation in its first campaign. For many players, such a prize would double their pay for the season.

Omaha interim head coach Laura Kern shuttled in players like it was a fire drill in sets 3,4, and 5. Finally, the mix proved successful, and the Novas won 25-18, 25-11, and 15-11 in the final three sets. The Mojo seemed stunned, and barely managed to put up a fight in the fourth and final sets.

“My team wrote the definition of [resilience] tonight,” Kern said in the postgame press conference. “I’m proud of this team and the way they fought.”

Kern was named coach in February, a month into the PVF’s first season. She still carries the tag “interim” in her title, but if her team wins on Saturday (or even if it doesn’t), she seems to have earned the right to lead the Supernovas franchise on the court in the future.

Opposite hitter Stephanie Samady tied a PVF record with 30 kills against San Diego. She hit an amazing .410 for the match to lead a frontal attack against a formidable blocking corps on the other side of the net.

“She’s so chill and just does her job,” Kern said of Samady.

Chill was not the feeling in the CHI Health Center, where Omaha volleyball fans turned out to support the Supernovas.

“This crowd is awesome, that’s one of the reasons why I love being a Supernova,” said Omaha setter Sydney Hilley. “[The Omaha crowd was] a huge part in the energy of the momentum shift we had during that game.”

San Diego started with amazing energy of their own, winning set one, 25-20 behind great middle blocking from Ali Bastianelli and swinging by Lindsey Vander Weide. In set two, the Mojo shocked the partisan crowd with a commanding 25-16 win. That placed the Omaha season in doubt. But the Novas used a great passing game and nearly flawless hitting in set three to climb back, helped greatly by Samady.

Brooke Nuneviller had 15 kills, and Bethania De La Cruz recorded 11 for Omaha. On the San Diego side, Vander Weide had 11, and so did Temi Thomas-Alaira. But the Supernovas were too much: hitting .295 for the match, compared to .221 for the Mojo. Overall, Omaha held a 68-56 advantage in kills.

The Mojo climbed out of a 1-5 start to make their way into the PVF postseason, earning the No. 3 seed. But they couldn’t hold off the comeback by Omaha, which is only the second time a team came from behind 0-2 in sets this season to win.

Author of three books on sports, Dan Holmes has written more than 5 million words of copy for the Internet. He's the founder of BaseballEgg.com and the network of Egg Media websites. Dan formerly worked for Major League Baseball and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He covers sports media, sports business, and sports betting from Grand Rapids, MI.