Grow Omaha Sports

League One Volleyball announced its 2026 season awards last Friday, and Jordan Larson was named 2026 Outside Hitter of the Year, adding to her decorated career. Larson finished top 10 in the league in kills (234), points (267) and aces (15) in her final season.

Creighton baseball trio Ben North, Isaac Wachsmann and Jack Pineau each earned Big East weekly honors, announced Monday, after leading the Bluejays to a 4-0 record last week. The Bluejays dominated in a 16-4 midweek win over North Dakota State and swept Seton Hall in last weekend’s series.

Ben North was named Big East Player of the Week for paving the way offensively, going 7-for-13 at the plate (.538) with three doubles, one home run and six RBI. Jack Pineau and Isaac Wachsmann each earned a spot on the Big East Honor Roll, with Pineau throwing six scoreless innings to open the weekend series against Seton Hall and Wachsmann batting 6-for-13 (.462) with three home runs and seven RBI.

On Tuesday night, Creighton traveled to Haymarket Park for this season’s second edition of the battle for I-80. The Bluejays got out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning by way of a two-run homer by Nate McHugh and an RBI sacrifice fly from Teddy Deters. Creighton’s lead grew as large as 4-0 in the second inning, but Nebraska scored five straight runs in the second and third innings to take the lead, 5-4. After a fast start, neither team scored again, and Nebraska secured the season series with its second win ahead of the May 12 finale.

Creighton (18-16, 4-2) will travel to Villanova for a weekend series, beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday. Next Wednesday, April 22, the Bluejays will return to Omaha and make the short trip down Dodge Street for another in-state rivalry game against the Mavericks. Wednesday’s contest will begin at 6 p.m.

Omaha softball won its series at St. Thomas over the weekend, but dropped Sunday’s finale for its first conference loss of the season and first loss since March 14 against BYU. This weekend, Omaha hosts South Dakota State for a series at Connie Claussen Field, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. Next Tuesday, April 21, Omaha will host Nebraska for the season series finale, which the Mavericks are currently winless. Tuesday’s game is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be televised on Nebraska Public Media.

Creighton volleyball newcomer Ayden Ames was selected to train for the 2026 NORCECA U21 Pan American Cup, USA Volleyball announced on Monday. Ames is one of 20 women selected to the team, and is the latest Bluejay to train with USA Volleyball. Last summer both Ava Martin and Norah Sis played for the 2025 Women’s U23 National Team at the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup, helping the American side win the gold medal.

In 2026, the U.S. Women’s U21 National Team athletes will have the opportunity to represent the United States at the U21 NORCECA Pan American Cup (July 5–13) in Columbus, Ohio. Of the 20 athletes that made the cut, 14 will be selected to compete at the 2026 NORCECA Women’s U21 Pan American Cup.

Creighton volleyball will host Nebraska Saturday for an exhibition at D.J. Sokol Arena. Both programs reached the Elite Eight last season, and their early season clash at the CHI Health Center drew a crowd of 17,675, the largest indoor volleyball-only regular-season crowd in NCAA history. Saturday’s match begins at 7 p.m. and will be televised statewide by Nebraska Public Media.

The Omaha Supernovas, fighting for one of Major League Volleyball’s four playoff spots, suffered two losses over the weekend to the Grand Rapids Rise and Dallas Pulse. Omaha now stands at 11-13 and is in fourth place in MLV standings, and with just four regular-season matches remaining, will hit the road for a crucial two-match trip.

The first match is tonight at 6 p.m. against the Orlando Valkyries, who are 10-12 and sit just three points behind Omaha in fifth place in league standings. The Supernovas will then face the Atlanta Vibe Sunday at 2 p.m. Both matches can be heard on the Supernovas Radio Network on KCRO 660 AM.

Union Omaha lost 1-0 to Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on Tuesday. The U.S. Open Cup is the country’s oldest ongoing national soccer competition, and is a single-elimination tournament that pits teams from professional leagues like the MLS, USL Championship and League One divisions against each other, with the overall champion awarded $300,000 in prize money and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. This Saturday, Omaha will return to regular USL League One play, facing the Richmond Kickers on the road at 5 p.m.

The Omaha Kings professional arena soccer club has clinched a playoff spot, finishing second in the Midwest Division, and will face Mexico City’s Deportivo La Asuncion in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. Omaha will host the Major Arena Soccer League 2 Semifinals and National Championship on April 18 and 19, featuring top professional arena soccer talent from across the United States and Mexico. Should the Kings win on Friday, they would play the first-seeded Harrisburg Heat on Saturday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Baxter Arena.

Omaha Storm Chasers outfielder John Rave was named the International League Player of the Week by Minor League Baseball for his performance the week of April 6 to 12. Rave went 9-for-19 (.474) at the plate during Omaha’s road series against the Iowa Cubs, tallying three doubles, two home runs and a league-leading 18 total bases and nine RBIs in five games played.

Omaha is currently hosting the Indianapolis Indians for a series, and tonight is $3 Thursday at Werner Park. Fans can enjoy Busch Light cans and select concessions and tickets for just $3 each. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

Upcoming Events

• Omaha Supernovas at Orlando | Thursday, April 16 | 6 p.m.
• Omaha Storm Chasers vs. Indianapolis | April 14 – 19 | 6:35 p.m. Tonight
• Creighton softball at St. John’s | April 17 – 19 | 1 p.m. Friday
• Creighton baseball at Villanova | April 17 – 19 | 2 p.m. Friday
• Omaha Kings vs. Mexico City | Friday, April 17 | 7:30 p.m.
• Omaha softball vs. South Dakota State | April 17 – 19 | 6 p.m. Friday
• Omaha baseball at North Dakota State | April 17 – 19 | 6:30 p.m. Friday
• Union Omaha at Richmond | Saturday April 18 | 5 p.m.
• Omaha Supernovas at Atlanta | Sunday, April 19 | 2 p.m.
• Omaha softball vs. #5 Nebraska | Tuesday, April 21 | 6 p.m.
• Omaha baseball vs. Creighton | Wednesday, April 22 | 6 p.m.

The Omaha Supernovas hosted the franchise’s second “Volleyball After Dark Showcase” Friday night. The showcase featured a spring exhibition match between the University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK) and Wayne State prior to the Supernovas’ match against the Grand Rapids Rise. 

UNK and Wayne State played in a timed, 80-minute match to accommodate the league’s 90-minute warm-up requirement. The schools split the first two sets, the only full sets they played. In the third set, with Wayne ahead 23-22, the horn sounded, marking the end of the exhibition.

Friday’s second match was the official beginning of a transitional period for the Supernovas, who parted ways with first-year head coach Luka Slabe on April 7. Assistant coach Thomas Robson was promoted to interim head coach for the remainder of the season and will resume his role as assistant coach following the season. 

Omaha entered Friday’s match 11-11 on the season and in third place in league standings with six regular-season matches remaining. A win would further insulate Omaha’s place in the top four of league standings and improve its chances at a playoff berth for a third consecutive season. 

The Supernovas took control of the first set early, scoring the first point and holding the lead before Grand Rapids tied the set at 12. From there, Grand Rapids stymied Omaha’s offense, which carried a .043 attack efficiency through the first set. Grand Rapids never trailed again, using a 13-5 run to steal the first set 25-17. 

In a tightly contested second set, Thomas Robson earned his first successful challenge as a head coach, when video review determined that Brooke Nuneviller’s attack indeed hit the floor before Grand Rapids’ Paige Briggs-Romine could get under it with her pancake attempt. Later in the second set, however, he lost his perfect challenge record following an unsuccessful challenge for a net touch by Grand Rapids.

With the score tied at 25 in set two, Grand Rapids’ Elizabet Inneh’s attack went long, bringing Omaha to set point. Leyla Blackwell closed set two, blocking Grand Rapids’ attempt at the net to win the set for the Supernovas and tie the match at one set apiece. 

Blackwell got the scoring started for the Supernovas in set three, picking on former teammate Morgan Hentz, who could not corral her attack. From there, however, the third set was all Grand Rapids, who continued to halt Omaha’s offense at every turn. Omaha could not overcome its increasingly poor efficiency (.039) in set three, allowing Grand Rapids to take the set 25-20.

Set four mirrored set two as a back-and-forth affair, but again, Omaha could not overcome the Grand Rapids defense, and the Rise took the final set 25-22 and the match 3-1. Friday night, Omaha set a franchise record for most swings in a four-set match with 193, and Grand Rapids countered with 104 digs, the most by a Supernovas opponent in franchise history.  Omaha’s .119 attack efficiency was its second lowest output of the season, the lowest since it hit .063 in a three-set loss to Orlando on February 15.

Despite the low offensive team output, middle blocker Leyla Blackwell came off the bench and had the best match of her professional career. Blackwell posted a team-high .444 hitting efficiency with 10 kills and just two errors on 18 swings, and added a pair of blocks.

The second edition of “Volleyball After Dark,” while ending in a Supernovas loss, was another win for volleyball in Nebraska. After Creighton and Omaha’s exhibition last season, two more in-state programs got to showcase their talent on a professional court, and in front of many young volleyball players with collegiate dreams. 

The Supernovas continue to prove that Nebraska is the volleyball capital of the world and provide opportunities for the next generation of young talent in the state.

Omaha, still sitting in third place in MLV standings, will return to action on Sunday, when it hosts the second-place Dallas Pulse at 4 p.m.

The Greg McDermott era has come to a close at Creighton, as the Bluejays were eliminated in the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown on Saturday, falling 87-70 to West Virginia. McDermott closed his career with a 366-189 record in 16 seasons as head coach and as the winningest coach in program history.

He ushered the Bluejays from the Missouri Valley Conference into the storied Big East and led Creighton to its first Big East regular-season title (2019-20), three Sweet 16 appearances (2021, 2023, 2024) and the program’s first Elite Eight since 1941 (2024). In 13 years, Greg McDermott compiled 147 Big East wins, which put him sixth all-time in league history, only behind Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun, Jay Wright, John Thompson and Rick Pitino. After a Hall of Fame-worthy career, he officially passes the job to Alan Huss.

The Omaha Supernovas announced Tuesday that the team has parted ways with head coach Luka Slabe and promoted Thomas Robson to interim head coach for the remainder of the 2026 season. Blake Rawlins will remain on staff as assistant coach alongside Robson. Following the season, Robson will resume his role as assistant coach after signing an extension with the franchise through the 2028 season.

Omaha (11-11) sits in third place in MLV standings with six matches remaining in the regular season. The league’s top four teams will play in the MLV Championship, beginning with semifinal matches on Thursday, May 7.

LOVB Nebraska failed to secure the league’s fourth and final playoff spot for the upcoming LOVB Playoffs, following a loss to Austin and a Salt Lake win on Saturday. Salt Lake defeated LOVB Madison, clinching the final spot in the LOVB Playoffs due to the league’s three-way tiebreaker.

Saturday’s loss to LOVB Austin marked the final game of Jordan Larson’s storied career. Larson, completing her 17th professional season, is retiring still at the top of her game. This season, she led all outside hitters in kills and finished top five at the position in points, aces, blocks and digs. On Saturday night, she left everything she had on the court, finishing the night with a 19-kill, 20-dig double-double.

Creighton baseball began Big East play at UConn this weekend and departed Storrs, Conn. with a 1-2 record to begin league play. After taking Friday’s series-opening game 3-1, the Bluejays were outscored 22-11 in Saturday and Sunday’s losses.

Creighton will look to improve its conference standings when it hosts a home series against Seton Hall this weekend, before heading to Lincoln to avenge its March 31 home loss to the Cornhuskers on Tuesday evening.

Union Omaha defeated AV Alta FC on Saturday behind a fast start from its offense. Kempes Waldemar Tekiela got the Owls going with the first goal of the match in the eighth minute, before Pato Botello-Faz added a goal in the 20th minute to stretch the early lead to 2-0. Union Omaha’s Adrian Billhardt added another goal in the 82nd to put the Owls up 3-0 before AV Alta scored its only goal in the third minute of added time. Omaha secured the 3-1 win to improve to 3-1 on the regular season. Union Omaha will host Forward Madison FC on Saturday at Morrison Stadium at 4 p.m.

League One Volleyball (LOVB) announced its 2026 LOVB Icons on Wednesday. The program honors athletes who demonstrate exceptional performance and leadership throughout the 2026 LOVB Pro regular season while inspiring the next generation of volleyball players. Selected through a public voting process, 14 athletes were named to the First Team and Second Team through a weighted voting system that included fans (50%), players (25%) and coaches (25%), continuing to give fans, athletes and coaches a voice in recognizing the league’s top performers.

LOVB Nebraska outside hitter Jordan Larson was a unanimous selection to the LOVB Icons First Team, moving up from her Second Team spot last season. Nebraska rookie middle blocker Ana Carolina da Silva earned Second Team honors, and is one of three first-year players around the league to become a LOVB Icon.

Both Omaha baseball and softball had their Easter weekend series interrupted by inclement weather. Omaha baseball’s slate against South Dakota State was canceled, while Omaha softball’s trip to North Dakota was postponed. Baseball will return to play at home this weekend, hosting Oral Roberts for a series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. Softball will travel to St. Paul, Minn. to face St. Thomas in a series beginning Friday at 3 p.m.

The Omaha Storm Chasers clinched last week’s home series against the Buffalo Bisons, 4-2. Omaha is on the road this week against the Iowa Cubs, and the series is currently tied 1-1. Omaha dominated Tuesday’s opener, 8-1, before Iowa repaid the favor, overpowering the Storm Chasers in a midday game on Wednesday, 12-4. This week’s series will play through Sunday, and the Chasers will return home next Tuesday to host a series against the Indianapolis Indians. Every Storm Chasers game can be streamed live with an MLB.TV subscription.

Upcoming Events

• Omaha Storm Chasers at Iowa | April 7 – 12 | 7:08 p.m. Friday
• Omaha Supernovas vs. Grand Rapids Rise | Friday, April 10 | 8 p.m.
• Omaha softball at St. Thomas | April 10 – 12 | 3 p.m. Friday
• Creighton baseball vs. Seton Hall | April 10 – 12 | 6 p.m. Friday
• Omaha baseball vs. Oral Roberts | April 10 – 12 | 6 p.m. Friday
• Creighton softball vs. Georgetown | April 10 – 12 | 6 p.m. Friday
• Union Omaha vs. Forward Madison FC | Saturday, April 11 | 4 p.m.
• Omaha Supernovas vs. Dallas Pulse | Sunday, April 12 | 4 p.m.
• Creighton baseball at #19 Nebraska | Tuesday, April 14 | 6 p.m.
• Omaha baseball at Kansas State | Tuesday, April 14 | Time TBA