By Annie Walker

Angel Perez Columbus Fury head coach Press Conference Fury 3 Omaha 1 February 21, 2024.mp3

COLUMBUS—The Columbus Fury made history on Wednesday night, hosting the first-ever professional women’s volleyball match in the state of Ohio at Nationwide Arena. The Fury capped off their historic night by taking home a 3-1 (25-12, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23) victory over the Omaha Supernovas in their inaugural home match.

To add to the history being made, over 9,000 people attended the match as the Fury sold out the lower bowl and delivered a win in front of a packed house.

Set 1

The Fury jumped out to an early lead, going up 7-2 on a kill from Asjia O’Neal. Omaha cut the lead to two points and Columbus answered with a 5-0 run behind the serve of Megan Courtney Lush, to go up 16-9. Back-to-back kills from Reagan Cooper and Samantha Drechsel gave the Fury match point for the first set and it was O’Neal who closed out the first set win with a kill.

Set 2

Columbus got out to another quick start, taking a 3-0 lead in set two. Cooper put down her ninth kill of the match to extend the Fury lead to 6-1. The Supernovas came back to cut the Fury lead to 15-13 on an ace from Schaben-Lansman. The teams traded points the rest of the way but the Fury held on to their slight lead to secure the set and a 2-0 lead.

Set 3

The third set was tightly contested throughout, with neither team leading by more than three points until Omaha pulled away in their final two points. The Supernovas held a 24-20 lead and Columbus scored three-straight points with back-to-back blocks from O’Neal and Ashley Wenz. Despite getting within a point of Omaha, the Fury dropped the third set, 25-23.

Set 4

Omaha got out to the early 4-1 lead in set four, but Columbus rallied back behind a 4-0 run to take a 5-4 lead. Cooper put down her 18th kill of the night to tie the set at 10-all. With the set tied at 18, Columbus went on a 3-0 run on a kill from Drechsel, a block from Rainelle Jones, and a kill from Cooper taking a 21-18 lead. The Supernovas were not able to recover from the deficit and O’Neal secured the Fury their first win with her 13th kill of the night.

Standout Stats

• Reagan Cooper has improved upon her previous performance in each match this season. In her home debut she went for 22 kills and 11 digs, both season highs.
• Cooper was one of three Fury players who notched double-doubles. Ray Santos had 47 assists and 21 digs while Megan Courtney Lush went for 11 kills and 11 digs.
• As a team, the Fury had a season-high 12 blocks. The team also had their most efficient hitting game of the year with a .256 attacking percentage as a whole.

Quotable

Ray Santos

On finally being able to play in front of the home crowd: “This started a long time ago, and we’ve been working for a long time. To finally be able to play at home with our gym how it was, it was a dream come true.”

On making an impression on the city of Columbus: “I think the team needed that W for us to believe more in ourselves and what our coaches are giving us, because they are working every single day, watching film, to deliver the information for us to be confident inside of the gym. So I think we made a great impression for Columbus.”

Coach

On getting their first win at home: “We took care of our part and put on a good spectacle for the fans, and I think overall it was an amazing night for the city of Columbus, and we’re just really happy to be a part of it.”

On keeping the team’s momentum: “We just have to celebrate this and embrace the moment, it was a hell of a night for the city and take it as it was but tomorrow morning, we’ve got to go back to work and keep that ambition.”

Asjia

On playing in front of a nearly sold out Nationwide Arena: “We knew people were coming but we didn’t know how many people were going to show up, so it was really awesome to have the city riding behind us and be so engaged and excited and wild throughout the whole match.”

On the performance of teammate Reagan Cooper: “Reagan has worked really hard with our setters on just being able to score in tough situations. Her and the setters have worked really hard on building that trust and connection.”

Up Next

The Fury will play their next match on the road and will travel to Nevada to take on the Vegas Thrill on Saturday, February 24. Columbus will get a rematch with the Thrill as the Fury return to Nationwide Arena on Monday, February 26.

ABOUT THE COLUMBUS FURY

The Columbus Fury is a women’s professional volleyball team in Columbus, OH, and is an inaugural member of Pro Volleyball Federation, the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. The Fury are the first major women’s professional volleyball team in Columbus, the capital city and the most populous city in Ohio, and the second most-populous city in the Midwest (behind only Chicago). The Fury play their home matches at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus. Tickets for all Columbus Fury matches can be purchased by visiting ColumbusFury.com.

COURTESY COLUMBUS FURY COMMUNICATIONS