The Omaha Supernovas are champions. The MVP? Omaha volleyball fans

The Omaha Supernovas are champions of the Pro Volleyball Federation.

The MVP? Omaha fans, of course.

Is there anything they can’t do?

The PVF placed a team in Omaha for geographic — and financial — reasons: no state cares more about volleyball than Nebraska.

A crowd of 11,624 showed up for the inaugural Novas’ match back on Jan. 24. Four months later, 10,678 were there Saturday night to help push the team over the finish line for the first championship.

Their presence was noted. Their impact was immeasurable. Not only did they inspire the team’s play, Omaha crowds brought validation and credibility to the Supernovas and a new league looking for buzz and sponsors.

No one could blame the fans if they wanted a cut of that winners’ $1 million check. But those volley fans no doubt feel fulfilled with the entertainment they received for their money.

Our considerable — and growing — volleyball community saw big-time players and a top-level product. Combined with the major-league environment of the CHI Health Center, and you had a first-year winner.

The owners of the Supernovas invested a lot in this venture, with marketing around town and also choosing to play their games in our biggest venue.

They could have chosen a cheaper option, but the Novas brass understood that first impressions to the community were important. They took a calculated gamble that good crowds would show up and it paid off. There were seven crowds of 10,000 or more.

The Omaha crowds were so good that the PVF moved its playoff finals here to energize the event and give CBS Sports Network a big-time crowd for the final. It worked.

The Novas and the PVF both have good momentum going forward. Thanks to Omaha fans.

Now here comes League One Volleyball, another pro volleyball venture planting a flag in Omaha and hoping to cash in on Nebraska volleyball passion. It’s not yet known where the Omaha team will play or when.

But they have Jordan Larson, a Nebraska and volleyball icon, as well as other Huskers signed up. And the LOVB has a contract with ESPN.

Will Omaha and Husker fans show up to see Larson and Co.? You would think. But how much pro volleyball is too much?

Omaha fans will tell us. And I wouldn’t be surprised at anything they do.

They have been a major part of the story — in some cases the story — for as long as I can remember.

Their passion has anchored the College World Series here and built a new ballpark. They transformed Creighton basketball games and helped build a new arena.

USA Swimming officials took note. So did NCAA men’s basketball.

There’s little time for reflection for the Omaha fans. This week is the Big Ten baseball tournament — an event that the Big Ten has tried to anchor here because of the local team in red.

They aren’t there for every Purdue-Minnesota game. But when the Huskers are playing, and winning, the stadium is packed and loud. For fans around the nation who happened to turn on the game, it makes Big Ten baseball look bustling and popular.

That’s no easy task. Omaha — and Nebraska — fans do that.

I have no doubt that if the Big Ten or Big East decided to rotate their basketball tournaments to Omaha for one year, the city’s fans would do the event proud.

Congrats to the Supernovas. And all the MVP’s out there.

I’m glad Ed Servais gets to go out his way next year and hopefully help pick his successor.

Servais has done a lot for Creighton and was dragged into a tough situation in the Big East by basketball realignment. And now an overdue baseball facility is too late for Servais, a class act who never complained.

That said, no NCAA regionals since 2019 and two straight years of missing the Big East tourney is unacceptable.

Here’s to Servais turning that around and making a regional as he takes a final bow.

Thanks to UNO’s amazing softball team for the fun ride.

Coach Mike Heard and the ladies were a revelation.

Looking forward to seeing more from this program on the rise.

St. Thomas won the Summit League baseball title but the Tommies are ineligible for the league tourney because they are still in a transition period from Division III to Division I.

If you can play an entire conference schedule and win the league, why can’t you play in a one-week tourney?

That said, it benefits UNO, which finished second to St. Thomas and is now the No. 1 seed in the tourney this week at Oral Roberts. Time for another NCAA tourney run?

Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman has pushed back on a plan by the major conferences to settle antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA.

Part of the settlement will be a revenue-sharing plan that will benefit the major football schools. The Power Four leagues informed the Big East it would owe $5-7 million per year for 10 years as doing their part.

Because the Big East isn’t in the football business, Ackerman sent them a letter rejecting the plan.

This reminds me of a dinner I attended long ago with a group of national sports writers, who ordered several bottles of wine for the table and then divided up the check evenly — including those who didn’t drink wine.

I asked for a separate check. So should Ackerman.

If Rocco’s near Charles Schwab Field did a Jell-O Shot competition for the Big Ten tournament this week, would SEC fans show up?