OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha Supernovas, Nebraska’s professional volleyball team and first-ever Pro Volleyball Federation Champions, signed nine free agents across the first day of the PVF Free Agency period on Sunday.
Captain Brooke Nuneviller started things off and will return to Omaha for the 2025 season. Nuneviller was an elite outside hitter for the Supernovas en route to the first PVF Championship, making the 2024 PVF All-League First Team. Her 3.32 digs per set mark ranked sixth in the league while her 3.33 kills per set average was sixth. The Oregon graduate also holds franchise records for most digs in a single match (22) as well as the franchise’s all-time leader in kills, kills per set, attacks and digs.
Natalia Valentín-Anderson will return to the Supernovas as one of the team’s setters for the 2025 season. The Puerto Rican split time last year, averaging 8.6 assists and 2.87 digs per set across 21 matches played. Valentín-Anderson was named the PVF Player of the Week in May after averaging over 12 assists and four digs per set. That included a masterful defensive play against the Vegas Thrill on May 6 that reached No. 2 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 highlights.
Middle blocker Sophie Davis is another returner from the 2024 championship-winning Supernovas squad. The Florida native comes back to Omaha after playing in six matches during her rookie season in professional volleyball. Davis was selected No. 24 overall by the Supernovas in the 2023 U.S. College Player Draft.
In one of the biggest moves of the PVF offseason, outside hitter and 2024 PVF Rising Star of the Year winner Reagan Cooper is coming to Omaha. Cooper had a dominant offensive season for Columbus, leading the Fury in both kills (339) and kills per set (4.13) while playing six rotations for the first time. Her kill total was fourth in the PVF and kills per set mark third. Cooper does have a Nebraska connection with her father, Reggie, who was an All-Big Eight linebacker for the Nebraska Football team.
Two-time Nebraska Volleyball national champion Briana Holman makes her return to Nebraska after spending the last few years overseas. Holman joins the Supernovas after playing for Maccabi XT Haifa in Israel as well as Thailand. Helping the Huskers win national titles in 2015 and 2017, Holman posted 1,413 career kills and 646 blocks across her four collegiate seasons as well as receiving four AVCA All-American accolades.
Another former Husker, Kayla Caffey, signs with the Supernovas after spending the inaugural PVF season with the Grand Rapids Rise. Caffey recorded 81 kills on a .293 clip, 39 digs and 37 blocks in 19 matches for Grand Rapids. The Chicago native spent two seasons with the Huskers, earning AVCA Second-Team All-American honors after aiding Nebraska to the 2021 National Championship. Caffey would appear in the national title match again the following season, helping Texas win a national title over San Diego in the CHI Health Center.
Kaitlyn Hord rounds out the trio of former Huskers joining the Supernovas. Hord spent the first season of the PVF in Columbus, hitting .332 with 111 kills and 42 blocks in 22 matches played. The Lexington, Kentucky native spent the 2022 college volleyball season with Nebraska. Hord was the top blocker in the nation that season, including a leading 1.61 blocks per set mark. Before her time in Lincoln, Hord spent four seasons with Penn State finishing with a top-five career hitting percentage (.405) while being top ten in career block assists (458) and total blocks (522).
The Supernovas boosted their defense with the signing of libero and former Grand Rapids Rise player Camila Gómez. The Colombian National Team member made 12 starts out of the 21 matches played for the Rise, posting 187 digs and 38 assists in 71 total sets. Gómez has a connection with current Supernovas Interim Head Coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn, having played for Bird in her final collegiate season at Texas A&M in 2019. Gómez racked up 470 digs that season and would go on to earn 2019 AVCA South All-Region honors.
Kansas volleyball and international superstar Kelsie Payne finished out the first day of free agency for the Supernovas. Payne is one of the best players in Kansas Volleyball history and has played in some of the top professional leagues in the world. The 6-foot-3 opposite will play in the United States for the first time in her pro career having spent time in Italy, Turkey, South Korea, Switzerland and Brazil over the past six seasons. Coached under Kuhn for her first two seasons in Lawrence, Payne finished her KU career No. 1 in career kills (1,510), kills per set (3.63) and attacking percentage (.334). Payne is one of three Jayhawks to have at least 1,300 career kills and 300 career blocks. She is also a three-time AVCA All-American including two honors on the first team.
