Grow Omaha Sports

Nebraska football received a commitment last Friday from Omaha Central safety Tory Pittman III, a four-star prospect ranked as high as the No. 23 recruit in the 2027 class. He becomes Nebraska’s third-highest-ranked commit in school history, behind Marlon Lucky (2005) and Dylan Raiola (2024).

Creighton basketball added a late piece to its 2025 recruiting class with the signing of Kerem Konan from Turkey. Konan is a 6-foot-10 forward, who most recently played for Besiktas in the Basketbol Super Ligi in Turkey. The international big man also drew interest from South Carolina and Kansas before committing to the Bluejays.

Omaha Storm Chasers infielder Harold Castro was named International League Player of the Week August 11 to 17. Castro batted 9-for-17 (.529) with four home runs and seven RBIs. He ended Tuesday’s series-opening game against St. Paul with a walk-off single in the ninth inning.

The Omaha Supernovas added another star to their roster on Monday. The club signed outside hitter Sarah Wilhite Parsons, who was named the 2016 National Player of the Year at Minnesota. She is a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team and is a 10-time international medalist. Six of those medals came while playing under current Supernovas head coach Luka Slabe.

Union Omaha announced Tuesday that it’s hiring Jamie Henderson as the club’s first-ever sporting director. Henderson has been an international scout with Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United FC since 2019. Prior to that, he had held roles in the Omaha area with Papillion Soccer Club and Bellevue West High School. In soccer, a sporting director acts as a general manager and handles staff moves, roster management and strategic planning for the organization.

Omaha softball recently added Papillion native Brooke Dumont to its coaching staff. Dumont graduated from Papillion-La Vista, where she was a four-year all-state selection, before moving on to play four years at South Dakota State University. She continued her success there, earning All-Summit League First Team honors twice as a catcher. Dumont will join a Mavericks program that is seeking a fourth consecutive Summit League Championship as an assistant coach.

Both Creighton and Omaha men’s soccer will begin their respective seasons tonight at 6 p.m. Creighton will take on Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, while Omaha will face Florida International down the coast in Miami. On Sunday, each team will swap opponents, with Creighton playing at Florida International at 5 p.m. and Omaha at Florida Atlantic at 6 p.m.

Creighton volleyball begins its season against Penn State in the AVCA First Serve on Saturday. The Bluejays, who fell to the Nittany Lions in the Elite Eight of last year’s NCAA Tournament, will be looking for revenge to ignite their 2025 campaign. Saturday’s match will be held at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln at 4 p.m. For Creighton fans who can’t make the trip, the match will be nationally televised on FS1.

Upcoming Games

• Omaha women’s soccer at SIUE | Thursday, August 21 | 5 p.m.
• Creighton men’s soccer at FAU | Thursday, August 21 | 6 p.m.
• Omaha men’s soccer at FIU | Thursday, August 21 | 6 p.m.
• Omaha Storm Chasers at Columbus | August 19 – August 24 | 6:05 p.m. Friday
• #12 Creighton volleyball vs. #2 Penn State | Saturday, August 23 | 4 p.m.
• Union Omaha vs. AV Alta FC | Saturday, August 23 | 7 p.m.
• Omaha women’s soccer at Lindenwood | Sunday, August 24 | 1 p.m.
• Creighton men’s soccer at FIU | Sunday, August 24 | 5 p.m.
• Omaha men’s soccer at FAU | Sunday, August 24 | 6 p.m.

Stepper-ettes Baton & Dance recently took home gold at the 2025 International Baton Twirling Federation World Majorette Championships in Turin, Italy. Both the Senior Exhibition Corps and the Youth Accessories Corps won first place in the event and are now World Champions. The Youth Exhibition Corps earned second place in its performance. The Stepper-ettes are based in La Vista and are “the largest baton twirling and dance organization in the Midwest.”

 The Omaha Supernovas have been busy to start MLV free agency, which started one week ago. Last Thursday, on the first day of free agency, the club signed former Nebraska All-American Merritt Beason, who was selected No. 1 overall in last year’s draft. Along with Beason, the Supernovas signed 2025 Setter of the Year Sydney Hilley and 2024 Libero of the Year Morgan Hentz.

 New General Manager John Cook wasn’t finished stocking the pantry for first-year head coach Luka Slabe. On Day Two of the free agency period, the Supernovas re-signed 2025 Outside Hitter of the Year Brooke Nuneviller and signed Papillion native Norah Sis. A former Creighton Bluejay and Big East Player of the Year, Sis returns to Omaha after spending her rookie season with the Orlando Valkyries.

 LOVB Nebraska unveiled its 2026 roster last week. Among 11 returners from last year’s team are founding athlete and new co-owner Jordan Larson and libero Lexi Rodriguez. The full roster can be found on LOVB Nebraska’s website.

 “Bombs away” for former Bluejays: On Sunday, former Creighton baseball infielder Ryan Fitzgerald made his first career MLB start with the Minnesota Twins after eight seasons in the Minor Leagues. In the third inning, he scored his first career hit and home run when he sent a two-run shot over the right-field wall.

Later the same day, Isaac Collins, now the National League Rookie of the Year favorite, continued his impressive play for the blazing-hot Milwaukee Brewers. Collins went 3-for-5 at the plate against the New York Mets. The final came with the game tied 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning, when he hit a walk-off, solo home run to extend the Brewers’ winning streak to nine straight.

Union Omaha played the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC to a draw at Werner Park on Saturday night thanks to a second 96th-minute goal in as many games. Midfielder Stefano Pinho answered a Chattanooga goal in the 85th minute that looked like the nail in the coffin, saving the Owls from a tenth loss this season. Union Omaha now sits tenth in USL League One standings with five wins, nine losses and three draws and will travel to Tennessee to face One Knoxville SC on Saturday.

The Omaha Storm Chasers are hosting the St. Paul Saints this week at Werner Park. Tonight is $3 Thursday, with tickets, Busch Light and select concessions $3 each. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m.

Soccer season is upon us, with both Creighton and Omaha women’s soccer kicking off their seasons tonight. Creighton travels to Kansas City to face Oklahoma at 7 p.m. while the Maverick women will host Northern Colorado at Caniglia Field tonight, also at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Games

• Omaha Storm Chasers vs. Saint Paul | August 12 – 17 | 6:35 p.m. Tonight
• Omaha women’s soccer vs. Northern Colorado | Tonight, August 14 | 7 p.m.
• Creighton women’s soccer vs. Oklahoma | Tonight, August 14 | 7 p.m.
• Union Omaha at One Knoxville SC | Saturday, August 16 | 6 p.m.
• Creighton women’s soccer at Kansas City | Sunday, August 17 | 1 p.m.
• Omaha women’s soccer vs. Green Bay | Sunday, August 17 | 2 p.m.

League One Volleyball (LOVB) announced that the team has a new ownership group for its professional volleyball team in Nebraska, featuring a familiar face to Nebraskans. Former Husker legend and LOVB Founding Athlete Jordan Larson will headline the new ownership group that also includes JE Dunn Construction Group’s investment subsidiary.

Larson is not the only volleyball legend from the state who will be involved in the team’s front office. LOVB revealed that former Creighton University women’s volleyball head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth will serve the team as president of business operations. After 22 seasons leading the Bluejays, Booth abruptly stepped down at Creighton in April. At that time, she revealed that she had accepted an administrative position with LOVB. Her role is now defined. Read more about Larson and Booth’s involvement with new-look LOVB Nebraska HERE.

The Pro Volleyball Federation and Major League Volleyball announced plans for a single league branded as MLV. The move brings in additional team owners, league governance, ownership standards and innovative off-court player opportunities and fan engagement. The league stated in a press release that “MLV is an evolution of PVF, and the upcoming campaign will be recorded as the league’s third season.”

On a busy volleyball news week, the Supernovas also announced that retired Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball coach John Cook is now the club’s general manager and co-owner. The Husker legend retired after last season. More information on the Supernovas and Cook can be found HERE.

Significant staffing moves were made by the Supernovas in conjunction with Cook’s arrival. The team announced Wednesday that Laura “Bird” Kuhn will not be moving with the Supernovas as head coach. Kuhn took over as head coach two matches into the inaugural 2024 season and led Omaha to a PVF Championship. In 2025, she and her staff led a roster with only two returning players and eight rookies to a league-best 21-7 record.

Luka Slabe will become the Supernovas’ next head coach. His hire was announced less than two hours after Kuhn’s announcement. Slabe has served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team since 2024. Prior to that, he served as an assistant for the U.S. Women’s National Team, winning the country’s first-ever gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Assistant coach Thomas Robson will remain on staff for his third season with the Supernovas. Robson has been instrumental in the success of the team over the past two seasons and helped guide the team to its 2024 PVF Championship.

The United States U23 national volleyball team won the NORCECA Pan American Cup on Friday night, sweeping Canada in the gold medal match. Former Bluejays Ava Martin and Nora Sis were two of 12 athletes to make the team for this event. Martin appeared as a serving specialist for Team USA, serving the final three points of the win. Nora Sis did not play in the match. Martin will return to Creighton this fall for her senior season, while Sis heads into her second season with Major League Volleyball’s Orlando Valkyries.

Creighton volleyball is ranked 12th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s Top 25 preseason poll. This is the ninth time in the last 10 seasons that Creighton has been ranked in the preseason. Brian Rosen, in his first year as head coach, returns 11 letter winners from last year’s team that finished 32-2.

Creighton baseball alumnus Isaac Collins won the National League Rookie of the Month for July, recording 25 hits and posting a .321 average for the month. Collins ranks second in betting odds, behind Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin, to win National League Rookie of the Year.

Union Omaha defeated Westchester SC on Wednesday night, 2-1. The winner came on a goal from Stefano Pinho in the 96th minute. Union Omaha fell behind 1-0 early in the second half and scored two goals in the final 13 minutes of the game to secure its fifth win of the season. The Owls are back in action Saturday at 6 p.m. at Werner Park, hosting the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

The Omaha Storm Chasers are playing a series at the Indianapolis Indians this week. Omaha took games one and two on Tuesday and Wednesday. First pitch tonight is at 5:35 p.m. All Storm Chasers games can be streamed with a subscription to MLB.TV or the MLB app.

Upcoming Games

• Omaha Storm Chasers at Indianapolis | August 4 – August 10 | 5:35 p.m. Tonight
• Union Omaha vs. Chattanooga | Saturday, August 9 | 6 p.m.