Story by Supernovas Communications
OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha Supernovas (10-4) hit the road for the first time since March 9 as Omaha takes on the San Diego Mojo (3-7) for the second time this season on Tuesday, April 2. It will be Omaha’s first of two trips out to San Diego with Tuesday’s contest set to begin at 9 p.m. CDT.
The match will be broadcast live on the Supernovas Radio Network, featuring its flagship station 93.7 The Ticket. The broadcast will also be live on 95.7 The Boss (Omaha), KRVN (Lexington), KOLT (Scottsbluff), and KTIC (West Point).
Tuesday’s contest will also be streamed live on the Pro Volleyball Federation's YouTube channel.
Full match notes can be found here.
The Supernovas enter Tuesday with a three-match winning streak which matches the franchise record. Omaha has had two previous three-match winning streaks this season, winning three straight from Feb. 12 through Feb. 18 as well as Feb. 25 through March 9.
The Mojo are 2-2 in their last four matches, getting swept last time out at Atlanta on March 30. Despite a 3-7 record, two of those wins have come at home including a 3-1 win over Grand Rapids on Feb. 23 and a five-set victory against the Rise on March 4.
Omaha domianted the first time the two franchises met on Feb. 3 in Omaha as the Supernovoas hit a season-high .373 en route to a 3-0 sweep. Soon-to-be three-time Olympian Bethania de la Cruz had one of her best performances of the season, hammering down 13 kills on a .444 hitting percentage.
Cruz enters Tuesday as the league leader in aces with 23 as she leads a potent lineup that excels from behind the service line. The Supernovas lead the league with 65 aces in 14 matches for a 4.64 match average. San Diego is the complete opposite as they sit last in the league with 2.8 aces per match.
Temi Thomas-Ailara leads the Mojo attack with 129 kills on the season which includes a team-leading seven aces and 13 blocks. She’s tallied double-digit kills in the last four matches. Although, her lowest kill total of the season came against Omaha on Feb. 3 when she recorded only four kills.
The middle blockers will be another storyline to watch. Supernovas Tori Dixon and Hristina Vuchkova has beecome a dominant duo for Omaha. Both reside in the top five in total blocks including 41 from Dixon, who tied a franchise high with five against Vegas on March 30. In fact, in the first match against the Mojo Dixon hit a franchise record .550. Vuchkova started slow after arriving from the Chinese League, recording 10 blocks in her first five matches. She’s turned it on in the latest string of matches, totaling 26 blocks in the last six matches alone.
Mojo middle Ronika Stone is one of the more athletic middle blockers in the league and she’s shown that with 21 blocks which is a team high. She’ll look to replicate her success from last time she faced Omaha when she hit .600 with 12 kills on 20 swings with no errors.
After Tuesday, Omaha returns home to face the Columbus Fury on Thursday, April 4 with first serve set for 7 p.m. CDT at the CHI Health Center.
News Channel Nebraska will provide television coverage of the match with John Baylor and Nancy Metcalf on the call. Fans can also listen to all the action on the Supernovas Radio Network led by the flagship station 93.7 The Ticket.