GRAND RAPIDS RISE 1 vs. Omaha Supernovas 3
May 2, 2025
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Rise wrapped up their 2025 season Friday night at Van Andel Arena, playing in front of 6,509 fans — the third-largest crowd in franchise history and the second-largest of the season, behind only the home opener back in January. Despite the electric atmosphere, the Rise fell to the Omaha Supernovas in four sets by scores of 19-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-21.
The Rise took early control of the match by scoring the first three points, with opposite hitter Eleanor Holthaus recording two of her match-high 18 kills right out of the gate. With the opening set tied at 16-16, Grand Rapids went on a 4-0 run, fueled by kills from Alyssa Jensen and Carli Snyder and a pair of Omaha attack errors. The Supernovas, limited to a .178 hitting percentage in the frame, couldn’t recover. Holthaus capped the set with a set-point ace that clipped the line — confirmed by the Bolt6 replay — for a 25-19 win.
Grand Rapids went up 6-2 to open the second set before Omaha turned things around. The Supernovas used a 6-2 run of their own to even the set at 8-8. The score was last tied at 12-12 before Omaha gained momentum and pulled ahead for a 25-17 win, leveling the match at one set each. Kaitlyn Hord had all five of her blocks in the first two sets.
The Rise entered the match as the league’s top blocking team, but the Supernovas flipped the script on Friday by outblocking them 11-7, including nine blocks in the first two sets. Omaha outside hitter Reagan Cooper also had nine of her 15 kills in the match through the second set.
Fellow outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller caught fire in the third set, delivering seven kills as Omaha hit .375 as a team en route to a 25-20 win. The Rise made the scoreline more respectable after trimming what had been an eight-point deficit at 21-13. Holthaus kept pace with Nuneviller, racking up six kills on eight swings for an impressive .750 hitting percentage in the set.
Rise outside hitter Erika Pritchard started the fourth frame with her third kill of the match. Holthaus added two more kills to give the Rise another early edge at 3-1. A dump kill by setter Camryn Turner kept the Rise ahead, 8-7, at the first media timeout. Former Rise setter Mac Podraza repaid the favor with her third ace of the match to give the Supernovas a 9-8 lead.
The thrilling fourth set continued with Pritchard mirroring her former teammate, delivering an ace off the top of the net to tie the score at 10-10. Podraza answered with back-to-back kills, giving Omaha a 15-14 lead. That was followed by the play of the night, as Snyder made a jaw-dropping dive to keep a ball in play, which eventually turned into another kill from Holthaus.
Grand Rapids’ late-match heroics fell short in stopping Omaha from claiming a third straight set to win the match, 3-1. Cooper ended the Rise’s season with a kill on Omaha’s second match point, claiming the set 25-21.
Notes
- Omaha had four players reach double-digits in kills: Nuneviller (18, .283), Cooper (15, .448), Emily Londot (11, .370), and Toyosi Onabanjo (10, .304). The Rise had three players reach the same mark: Holthaus (18, .425), Paige Briggs-Romine (10, .108), and Snyder (10, .194)
- In the middle of the court, Ali Bastianelli posted seven kills on 13 swings (.462) and one block, finishing the season with a league-leading 89 rejections. Jensen added five kills (.200) and three blocks.
- The Rise finished with 344 blocks this season after having 245 last year.
- Turner tallied 47 assists and 16 digs, while Snyder registered 10 kills and 12 digs, each notching a double-double.
- Playing against her former team, Podraza racked up 36 assists, six digs, and five kills (.833). Former Rise players Camila Gómez and Kayla Caffey didn’t play in the match.
- Rise libero Elena Oglivie recorded a season-high eight assists to go along with nine digs, finishing the season with a team-record 392 digs.
GR 25 17 20 21 — 1
OMA 19 25 25 25 — 3
Team Leaders
GR: Kills — Eleanor Holthaus 18, Paige Briggs-Romine 10, Carli Snyder 10; Assists — Camryn Turner 47, Elena Oglivie 8, August Raskie 2; Aces — Snyder 1, Erika Pritchard 1, Holthaus 1; Blocks — Alyssa Jensen 3; Digs — Turner 16, Snyder 12, Oglivie 9, Briggs-Romine 9.
OMA: Kills — Brooke Nuneviller 18, Reagan Cooper 15, Emily Londot 11; Assists — Mac Podraza 35, Natalia Valentin-Anderson 17; Aces — Podraza 3, Kaitlyn Hord 2; Blocks — Hord 5; Digs — Allison Whitten 19, Cooper 13, Nuneviller 12.
A — 6,509
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 11-17 / 2025 Season Completed
Omaha: 20-7 / Sun., May 4 at Atlanta Vibe, 5 p.m. CDT
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise