Grow Omaha Sports

The Pro Volleyball Federation and Major League Volleyball announced plans for a single league branded as MLV. The move brings in new team owners, league governance, ownership standards, and new and innovative off-court player opportunities and fan engagement. The league stated in a press release on Tuesday 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. 

MLV will be the longest-running professional women’s volleyball league and the only one operating with independently owned teams in-market. League play is scheduled to begin in January 2026.

The Omaha Supernovas will be a founding member of the new league and plan to play their home matches at the CHI Health Center for the foreseeable future, per a team release. The Supernovas are coming off a historic 2025 season, where the franchise led the world in average attendance, drawing 10,925 fans to the CHI Health Center per match. The club’s total season attendance of 152,949 marks a 32% year-over-year increase from 2024.

Joining the Supernovas will be teams from Atlanta, Columbus, Dallas, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Orlando, and San Diego. The league already has expansion plans for 2027, with the addition of two more franchises in Washington, D.C. and Northern California. These teams will use the 2026 season to introduce fans to the league prior to their inaugural seasons.

Although no games will be played until next January, the 2026 MLV season officially begins this Thursday, Aug. 7 with the opening of the free agency signing period.

The league has several subsequent announcements planned for the near future, including season schedules, team ownership, special events, and more.

League One Volleyball (LOVB) announced today 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.

Booth will lead the club through its rebrand from LOVB Omaha to LOVB Nebraska, a move the club also announced today. In a press release, LOVB Nebraska stated that “The team’s new name represents more than a shift in geography—it signals the team’s mission to serve every athlete and fan across the Cornhusker State.”

Along with the new ownership, name and commitment to the state, the club completed its rebrand with a new logo.

With a network of clubs from the youth level all the way to its professional league, LOVB creates a pathway for players from club to pro, with each pro team tied directly to its local LOVB junior volleyball clubs. Players from LOVB youth clubs are afforded resources to help with training, recruitment and even financial aid.

To open the doors to the whole state is to create significant opportunities for the next generation. Premier Nebraska, from Omaha, is the only club in Nebraska currently in the LOVB network. Through its rebrand, LOVB Nebraska is hoping to expand its youth footprint.

“It’s all about accessibility and the ability to play at a young age,” said Jordan Larson in an interview Monday, when asked what the biggest benefit of LOVB’s unique framework is.

“And for them to see this club-to-pro model and be like ‘Hey, now pros are coming into our gym.’ Now you get to visually see what’s happening in front of your eyes, versus watching someone on YouTube.”

The rebrand to LOVB Nebraska is designed to bring this club-to-pro model, and the associated resources, to athletes throughout Nebraska and not just in the metro.

“It’s definitely about trying to get athletes from across the state who usually don’t get to be a part of it… Omaha is great… having the identity of the state and having the state back it has been huge.”

Larson, a native of Hooper, Nebraska, wondered if her story would have been different had she not grown up near the metro. “If I hadn’t lived 45 minutes from Omaha, would I have been able to grow as well as I did?

There are girls in the panhandle of Nebraska who have to drive five hours just to reach a decent volleyball club. If they could regularly see high-level volleyball, what would that look like?”

Larson will likely get her answer in upcoming years while leading LOVB Nebraska.
She is a Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, a three-time All-American, a national champion, and past assistant coach for the Huskers. She spent 15 years on the U.S. National Team, is a four-time Olympic medalist, and helped lead Team USA to gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Kirsten Bernthal Booth turned Creighton Volleyball into a national powerhouse during her 22-season tenure, earning a national seed in the NCAA Tournament in seven out of her final 10 seasons. She was voted Big East Coach of the Year five times. She was an American Volleyball Coaches Association President and served on the AVCA Board of Directors.

These women are among the most respected and accomplished figures in the history of American volleyball. They earned their roles in shaping the future of LOVB Nebraska not only for their career accomplishments, but also because of their deep ties to the sport in the state of Nebraska. Jordan Larson and Kirsten Bernthal Booth have shaped volleyball in Nebraska for the past two decades, and in conjunction with LOVB, they will have a defining role in shaping its future.

For more information on LOVB Nebraska, visit lovbneb.com and follow @lovbneb across social platforms.

Omaha Supernovas libero Allison Whitten, who just finished her first professional season, is joining the College of Saint Mary volleyball coaching staff as an assistant coach. “I’m extremely excited for the opportunity to join the coaching staff at CSM! The fall college season is the perfect complement to the professional season in the spring, allowing me to experience the best of both coaching and playing,” Whitten said.

Whitten will be right at home while coaching the Flames this fall. The College of Saint Mary has been a premier partner of the Supernovas since the team’s inaugural season. CSM’s Lied Fitness Center and Fieldhouse currently serves as the franchise’s official practice facility, and head coach Rick Pruett also serves as the Supernovas’ director of operations.

Creighton men’s basketball has made some recent moves on its coaching staff. Former star Mitch Ballock has been promoted to assistant coach from graduate assistant, Greg McDermott announced on Monday. Mike Nesbitt was also named an assistant coach, joining the Bluejay staff after spending the past two seasons at High Point with head Creighton head coach-in-waiting Alan Huss. Julien Berry, Malik Garner and former Bluejay Geoffrey Groselle were named as graduate assistants for this season.

Omaha Hockey announced Simon Latkoczy and Griffin Ludtke as the program’s 26th and 27th Menke Family Captains in program history on Tuesday. It is the first time since 2015-16 that the Mavericks have had co-captains. That season, Brian Cooper and Jake Guentzel shared the honors.

Latkoczy, a senior goaltender, was the 2024-25 NCHC Goaltender of the Year, the first in Maverick history. Ludtke is a senior defenseman who played in all 36 games last season, tallying 13 points. Tyler Rollwagen and Cam Mitchell, both coming off career-high seasons in points, were named as assistant captains for the upcoming season.

Omaha men’s basketball will take on a familiar face to begin its 2025-26 season. The Mavericks will face former Creighton assistant coach Ryan Miller and Murray State in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon on Monday, November 3, at 12:30 p.m. The game will be held at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Creighton volleyball season tickets have officially sold out, with more than 1,900 seats in D.J. Sokol Arena already reserved for Brian Rosen’s first campaign as head coach. Last season Creighton averaged over 2,300 fans per home match, ranking 29th nationally. Single-match tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. this Friday, August 1.

Ava Martin and Nora Sis were two of 12 athletes selected to represent Team USA at the 2025 NORCECA Women’s U23 Pan American Cup from July 27-August 1. They made the cut following a training block held July 18-25 at the National Team Training Center. The duo led Creighton volleyball to its first Elite Eight since 2016 and were unanimous All-Big East selections in 2024.

The U.S. swept the Dominican Republic on Sunday in a match where Martin saw action in all three sets as a serving specialist. Nora Sis did not play in the match. On Monday, Sis and Martin combined for 20 kills in a sweep over Suriname. Tuesday, they were at it again, sweeping Costa Rica in a match where Sis and Martin saw limited action. Due to its dominant performance thus far, Team USA earned a bye in Wednesday’s quarterfinal round and advances directly to the semifinal round tonight at 7 p.m.

The Omaha Storm Chasers are hosting the Louisville Bats for a series this week and have the early lead, 2-0. Tonight is $3 Thursday – you can get tickets, Busch Light and select concessions for $3. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

Upcoming Games

• Omaha Storm Chasers vs. Louisville | July 29 – August 3 | 7:05 p.m. Tonight
• Union Omaha at Spokane Velocity | Saturday, August 22 | 9 p.m.
• Union Omaha vs. Westchester SC | Wednesday, August 6 | 7 p.m.