The Omaha Supernovas bounced back from a sweep by the Indy Ignite on March 22 with two wins last week. The Supernovas defeated the Vegas Thrill in three sets Friday, then the Grand Rapids Rise in four sets Sunday in a rematch of the inaugural PVF Championship. Omaha still sits atop the PVF standings at 14-5 and faces the fourth-place Orlando Valkyries at home at 6 p.m. Saturday.
LOVB Omaha secured its first win in over a month last Friday, defeating LOVB Austin in five sets behind a record-setting performance by Laura Dijkema. The setter dealt a league record 62 assists in the match and added 14 digs, setting up her team to post another LOVB-record 78 team kills. Omaha then fell in five sets to Salt Lake on Saturday, dropping to 5-10 on the year with one match to go in the regular season. LOVB Omaha’s final regular season game is tonight against LOVB Atlanta at 7 p.m. at Liberty First Credit Union Arena. All six LOVB clubs will compete in the LOVB Finals beginning next Thursday.
Union Omaha evened its season record Saturday with a 3-1 victory over the South Georgia Tormenta FC. The strong performance helped keep their perfect record against South Georgia intact and landed four Owls on the USL League One Team of the Week for Week Four.
Defender Charlie Ostrem recorded two assists in the match, the first time he has done so in his career. One of those assists went to fellow defender Dion Acoff, who scored his first goal of the season. Midfielders Sergio Ors Navarro and Max Schneider chipped in a goal each. Union Omaha’s next match will be Wednesday, April 9 at 6 p.m. You can stream all USL League One games on ESPN+.
The Omaha Storm Chasers celebrated Opening Day last weekend with a series against the Iowa Cubs in Des Moines, Iowa. The two teams split the series, with Iowa winning Friday’s game 6-3 and Omaha winning Saturday’s contest 12-7. Sunday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather.
On Tuesday, the Chasers dropped their home opener against the Louisville bats 3-7 before bouncing back Wednesday with a dominating 12-6 victory. If you don’t have plans tonight, Omaha hosts the Bats at 6:35 p.m. for $3 Thursday. Get tickets, Busch Light and select concessions for $3 each.
Ryan Kalkbrenner was announced Tuesday as the National Association of Basketball Coaches Defensive Player of the Year. Kalkbrenner led the Big East with 2.7 blocks per game this season, a mark that ranked third nationally. Kalkbrenner is still one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award for the nation’s best center. He is among the top 10 for the Naismith Trophy and one of 15 players up for the Wooden Award. Both awards recognize the best player in the sport.
Creighton baseball continued its imitation of Bluejay basketball Tuesday, beating Nebraska for the 12th time in 14 meetings. The game was tied 4-4 in the seventh inning before a two-run single from Kyle Hess put Creighton ahead for good, and the Bluejays brought home a 9-5 victory from Haymarket Park. Creighton begins Big East play against Connecticut Friday at 6 p.m. at Charles Schwab Field.
If that wasn’t enough, Nebraska traveled to Omaha on Wednesday for what was hoped to be a palate cleanser from Tuesday’s loss but was still left with a bitter taste. The Mavericks downed the Huskers 11-9 last night at Tal Anderson Field. Omaha got out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning before Nebraska scored the next four unanswered. From there it was a back-and-forth affair, but the Mavericks battled back from down five and took the lead for good when Drew Borner sent a two-run shot to left field in the seventh. Omaha has a home series against North Dakota State this weekend with first pitch at 4 p.m. on Friday.
Another week, another crosstown rivalry. Omaha Softball took down Creighton Tuesday 3-2 behind an authoritative performance from pitcher Maddia Groff, who allowed just one baserunner over the first 5.3 innings. Former Bluejay Alexis Wiggins took over from there, but allowed life to her former team, as Creighton cut the lead to 3-2 with two outs in the fifth. The Mavericks got out of the jam, and Wiggins made it to the seventh, where Groff returned to close out her start and win the game she started 3-2.
Chris Crutchfield received yet another award after leading Omaha Basketball to a historic season with a school-record 22 wins. The Ben Jobe Award is presented to the top minority head coach in college basketball each year, and coach Crutchfield is the 2025 recipient. It is well deserved for the coach in his third season at his alma mater. He took Omaha from the bottom of the Summit League to the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
The USL Jägermeister Cup Second Round began this week, and Union Omaha defeated the Des Moines Menace last night 2-1. The interleague tournament featuring all 38 teams from the USL began March 18, and will conclude the weekend of October 4 when a champion will be crowned. This season-long, World Cup style tournament features games that do not count towards regular season standings in each league.
Omaha Hockey received good news this week with a pair of important upperclassmen announcing their plans to return for the 2025-26 season. NCHC First Teamer and conference Goaltender of the Year Simon Latkoczy will be returning for his senior campaign next year. He will be joined by teammate and senior defenseman Griffin Ludtke.
The Omaha Beef moved to 3-0 and the top of the National Arena League standings Saturday, securing a 28-24 victory over the Idaho Horseman. The Beef’s offensive attack was spearheaded by three rushing touchdowns from quarterback Joshua Hollins. On the other side of the ball, defensive back Marcus Gray led the way with nine tackles earning National Arena League Defensive Player of the Week honors. The Beef’s next game will be Sunday, April 13 at the Beaumont Renegades.
Jamiyah Neal and Steven Ashworth will play in Friday’s NABC-Reese’s All-Star Game at the Final Four in San Antonio. You can watch the pair play at 3:30 p.m. Friday on CBS Sports Network. Ashworth will also represent Creighton in the 3-point contest tonight and is one of eight players selected to the event. The sharpshooter should make some noise; Ashworth ranked ninth in the country in three-pointers made with 110, shooting at a 37.4 percent clip. The event will air tonight at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
Upcoming Games
• Omaha Storm Chasers vs. Louisville Bats (April 1-6) | Tonight, April 3 | 6:35 p.m.
• LOVB Omaha vs. LOVB Atlanta | Tonight, April 3 | 7:00 p.m.
• Creighton Softball at Georgetown (April 4-6) | Friday, April 4 | 2:00 p.m.
• Omaha Baseball vs. North Dakota State (April 4-6) | Friday, April 4 | 4:00 p.m.
• Creighton Baseball vs. Connecticut (April 4-6) | Friday, April 4 | 6:00 p.m.
• Omaha Softball at North Dakota State (April 5-6) | Saturday, April 5 | 12:00 p.m.
• Omaha Supernovas vs. Orlando Valkyries | Saturday, April 5 | 6:00 p.m.
• Creighton Baseball vs. North Dakota State | Tuesday, April 8 | 6:00 p.m.
• Omaha Storm Chasers at St. Paul Saints (April 8-13) | Tuesday, April 8 | 6:37 p.m.
• Union Omaha at Richmond | Wednesday, April 9 | 6:00 p.m.
• Creighton Softball at Nebraska | Wednesday, April 9 | 6:00 p.m.
