Pro ‘Skers Lead LOVB Omaha in Crucial Victory

It has been a rollercoaster of an inaugural season for Omaha, who started off 3-0 before injuries and inconsistencies resulted in a 2-11 stretch for the regular season. Their struggles were frustrating, and certainly not due to lack of talent – abundant with homegrown and international stars to highly-touted college players. Larson, in her infinite experience and wisdom, says; “It’s just having patience in the process. We're still learning quite a bit with this league, so I think getting comfortable in that space is different, right? I really put value in how I can help others find that for them versus making it about me.” They approached last night's quarterfinal match as a clean slate; with their prior record meaning nothing in the context of the post season tournament and a winner-take-all 200k on the line, they left it all on the court to achieve a well-earned victory.

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Omaha handedly controlled the first set, taking it 25-17, but the roles reversed in the second. As the teams battled for each point, sparks flew between the net and tensions began to rise between former Olympic teammates. Madison’s opposite Annie Drews – one of the league-leaders in kills, matched up on libero Justine Wong-Orantes down the line. Omaha switched up their defensive tactics a little bit, but more importantly – they executed. As a team, they racked up 71 digs at an 87% success rate, Wong-Orantes alone contributing to 18 of them. “We know a player like Annie Drews is gonna get hers and I think she definitely did,” Wong-Orantes said, “But we weathered the storm throughout the whole match. I think that's a big strength of ours – creating opportunities in transition, and we did a good job of that tonight.” A good job indeed – .289 in transition, an undeniable factor in their win. 

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The other Olympians sparring match was between Lauren Carlini and Jordan Larson. A controversial call at the end of the second set led to a yellow card on Larson – who responded simply with a knowing smirk, and anyone who has watched her play knows what it means when you see that look in her eye. The commentator quips, “she's a tiger you don’t want to poke,” a sentiment later reinforced when she earned Player of the Match honors. Those who tuned in got to witness a Jordan Larson masterclass, but it wasn’t just her typical crafty shots that she implemented, reminding us that although she’s pushing 40 – she can still kill the ball. Her toolbox is so diverse that you rarely see the same shots twice; that, matched with her high volleyball IQ and court vision, is what makes her so dangerous as an attacker. 

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But although Larson garnered the prestige, it was a much younger Husker that led the way offensively for Omaha. Madi Kubik-Banks led the team in points with 21 – tallying 18 kills (.350), 8 digs, and 3 blocks. She had stepped into a starting role halfway through the season, and was one of the few bright spots during their dry patch. At Nebraska, the All-American was known for her ball control, offensive range, and most notably – infectious smile and personality. There was rarely a time you would not see her boasting a grin on the court (the only time I can recall was during the last game of her collegiate career, when the Huskers lost in 5 sets in the National Championship), but there's a new and matured shaft in her demeanor. She has been incredibly reliable in the front and back row, and has held her own despite being targeted constantly on serve receive. 

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While the other three Huskers were firing on all cylinders, there was one more key piece that had been sidelined for most of the year. Lauren Stivrins had been in-an-out with injury for several months, but she looked reminiscent of her old self last night. Although she made the positional transition to the opposite, the so-called “Stivrins Slide,” was too good of an attack to not utilize. It was incredibly effective against Madison – hitting .533 with 8 kills. She was honestly the difference maker for Omaha in this game; who had their fair share of chances the last few weeks but had been unable to finish. Head Coach Suzie Fritz had one word to describe the win; “Overdue. Overdue just to put one together. We’ve had so many pieces and parts feel like they're almost there for a very long time, and the resilience that they’ve shown through all of that – staying at it, trusting each other, trusting the process.”