#4 GRAND RAPIDS RISE 0 vs. #2 Omaha Supernovas 3
Pro Volleyball Federation Final
May 18, 2024
OMAHA, Neb. — From ideation to creation to a championship match appearance. The Grand Rapids Rise, unveiled 530 days ago on Dec. 5, 2022, as the first Pro Volleyball Federation franchise, finished a historic inaugural season in heartbreaking fashion as the No. 2-seeded Omaha Supernovas completed a title match sweep Saturday evening inside the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
Playing on their home court and in front of a favorable crowd, the Supernovas (18-8) lifted the championship trophy, celebrated in the confetti, and collected the $1 million bonus after winning by set scores of 25-13, 26-24, 25-22.
Grand Rapids (13-13) entered the postseason as the fourth and final seed but pulled off a five-set upset against the top-seeded Atlanta Vibe in the semifinals on May 15. Three days later, the Rise came up short in their quest to become the first-ever Pro Volleyball Federation champions.
Omaha came out swinging with a lethal .615 hitting percentage on 17 kills, one attack error, and 26 swings in the opening set. Four different Supernovas had three or more kills, with three of them — Stephanie Samedy (4-for-4), Bethania De La Cruz (3-for-3), and Hristina Vuchkova (3-for-3) — hitting a perfect 100%. Brooke Nuneviller also had a team-high six kills (.500).
Rise captain Emiliya Dimitrova, who was playing her final professional match before retirement, scored the first point of the match with a kill that clipped the line. However, that moment turned out to be one of the few bright spots for the Rise in a 25-13 set one victory for Omaha.
A closer second frame was tied 17 times as the two teams continuously kept trading points. A kill from middle blocker Kayla Caffey and the only Rise ace of the contest by setter Ashley Evans put Grand Rapids two points away, 23-21, from leveling the title match at one set apiece. The Supernovas responded with a side-out kill from Samedy and another put down from De La Cruz. Tied at 24-24 after Rise outside hitter Claire Chaussee was awarded her eighth kill following a video review for an Omaha block touch, the Supernovas made sure not waste another set point. De La Cruz provided a side-out kill and Tori Dixon sealed the set at 26-24 with her second of two blocks. Omaha outblocked Grand Rapids, 7-4, in the match.
Omaha scored the first three points of the third set. Grand Rapids played catch up for most of the frame before a pair of Omaha attack errors allowed the Rise to finally draw even at 19-19. Dimitrova’s 12th and final pro kill kept the score level at 20-20. Omaha scored its final five points with a kill each from Nuneviller and Vuchkova, plus three Rise miscues — two serving errors and one attack error. The Supernovas won the final set 25-22.
The Rise ended with their second-fewest kills (37) this season with a .182 hitting percentage. Dimitrova (.235) and Chaussee (.212) both finished with a team-high 12 kills. Dimitrova also had 11 digs for her 13th double-double this season, and the only Rise double-double to occur in a three-set loss. Evans, who split time with Mac Podraza, tossed up 20 assists in the loss to finish with a League-best 1,073 for the inaugural season. Libero Camila Gómez collected 10 digs, giving her 11 matches with double-digit digs this year.
Omaha, hitting a staggering .342, was paced offensively by De La Cruz (13 kills, .423), Samedy (13, .346), and Nuneviller (12, .229). Supernovas setter Sydney Hilley was named the Championship MVP after providing 40 assists, six digs, and a block.
Notes
- Three Rise players hit a perfect 1.000 attack percentage: Shannon Scully (two kills), Morgahn Fingall (one), and Podraza (one).
- This was only the second time the Rise were swept this season. The other 3-0 defeat came on April 28 at the Columbus Fury.
- Omaha got revenge after losing 3-2 in Grand Rapids on May 12. The Supernovas finish the 2024 season with a 4-1 record against the Rise with a 14-7 advantage in sets won.
- Dimitrova ended her professional career after 17 seasons. She made her pro debut in 2007 with Slavia Sofia in Bulgaria when she was 16 years old. She had played for 13 club teams in six countries (Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey, Romania, Japan, and France) before coming to the United States in 2023. In her future endeavors, she aims to pursue a career as an elementary school teacher while expanding her family in Bulgaria with her husband, Rise assistant coach, Denis Dimitrov. Dimitrova’s stat line for her final season: 24 matches played (95 sets), 402 kills, 1,056 attack attempts, .239 hitting percentage, 275 digs, 30 blocks, 21 assists, and 12 aces.
- The official match attendance was 10,678, which is the largest crowd the Rise have played in front of this entire season. The previous high of 7,805 spectators watched the Rise play their first-ever match on Jan. 25 in a sold out Van Andel Arena against the Columbus Fury.
GR 13 24 22 — 0
OMA 25 26 25 — 3
Team Leaders
GR: Kills — Emiliya Dimitrova 12, Claire Chaussee 12, Erika Pritchard 4; Assists — Ashley Evans 20, Mac Podraza 12; Aces — Evans 1; Blocks — Kayla Caffey 2, Pritchard 1, Martin Grote 1; Digs — Dimitrova 11, Camila Gómez 10, Chaussee 7.
OMA: Kills — Bethania De La Cruz 13, Stephanie Samedy 13, Brooke Nuneviller 12; Assists — Sydney Hilley 40, Kendall White 2; Aces — De La Cruz 1, Samedy 1; Blocks — Hristina Vuchkova 3, Tori Dixon 2; Digs — Nuneviller 15, White 9, De La Cruz 8, Samedy 8.
A — 10,678
Photo by Bonnie Ryan/Omaha Supernovas for Pro Volleyball Federation