OMAHA (KMTV) — The Omaha Supernovas believe their depth is one of their biggest strengths,and in a gym like that roles can of course change week to week.
Recently outside hitter Ally Batenhorst and setter Mac Podraza earned starting roles. And it’s their love for the sport and their teammates that motivate them to keep competing.
Ally Batenhorst is used to high standards after playing at Nebraska and USC, and it’s the same with the Supernovas.
“I knew at some point I was going to get my time to go in and shine,” she said. “I think I just really enjoy showing up every day with this team. It’s a lot of fun and I’m not lying when I say that.”
“Ally I think she just made the decision,” Supernovas head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said. “There was a little three day break that we had, and a reset, and we had individual meetings, and she kind of vocalized it to us as a staff. But then she showed it.”
Batenhorst says it’s not hard to work hard for this team.
“Playing the sport I love, it’s my job, so that keeps me motivated,” she said.
Mac Podraza had a different trajectory: The second-year pro began the season on the practice squad before coming off the bench.
“You can choose to either fall over or grow from it and I choose to grow through what I go through every single time,” she said. “So just kind of keeping that mindset and rolling through it, knowing that my time will come when they need me.”
And when that happened, she embraced it, tallying 41 assists and the win in her debut as a starter.
“That was a cool check on the career box,” Podraza said.
Head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn says the competitive chemistry of the team makes adjustments like this go smoothly.
“There’s a rhythm to a match,” she said. “Obviously her and Nati (Valentin-Anderson) are very different. But our team, having competed the way they do every day, they find that rhythm fast with either of them.”
But that doesn’t mean her job is easier when picking the starting lineup.
“We’re here for it,” Kuhn said. “As coaches if that’s our biggest challenge, having to put that starting lineup out, everyone’s ready.”
The Novas are looking to maintain that top spot in the league and eventually defend their Pro Volleyball Federation title.
The second match of their four-match homestand is Friday at 7.
