By Annie Walker

May 09, 2024

OMAHA, Neb. – The Columbus Fury (8-15) fell 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-21) to Omaha (16-7) on Thursday night.

Set One

The first set was tightly contested throughout with Omaha taking an early 10-7 lead. Down 16-14, Kendall Kipp got a kill and followed that up with an ace to tie the set while the Fury grabbed the next two points as well to take the 18-16 lead. Reagan Cooper gave Columbus the 22-21 lead on a kill and it was the Fury who earned the first set point, 24-23, on a Rainelle Jones block. Omaha responded to tie the set and earn a set point of their own and after the Fury fought off one set point, Omaha came through with a kill to earn the 27-25 win.

Set Two

The Fury created some momentum early as they used a four-point run to turn a two-point deficit into a two-point advantage, 10-8, capped by back-to-back kills from Michelle Bartsch-Hackley. Columbus was the first to 15 after a kill from Cooper, but the Supernovas responded with a 5-0 run out of the media timeout to take an 18-15 lead. The Fury came back to tie the set at 18 but the Supernovas responded with another run to give them set point at 24-19. Ray Santos came in to serve and sparked a late run for Columbus, as they earned an ace followed by a block to cut the deficit to 24-23 to force an Omaha timeout. The Supernovas won a long rally to take the set and a 2-0 lead.

Set Three

The Supernovas jumped out to an early 7-2 forcing an early timeout from Coach Pérez. A 3-0 run fueled by kills from Kipp and Cooper and a block from Jones got the Fury back within four points, 12-8. Omaha built their lead back up to as many as five, but Columbus would not go quietly. Down 22-17, the Fury got two kills from Kipp and another from Tori Stringer to get within three points, 23-20, but Omaha held on for the 25-21 win.

Standout Stats

• Kendall Kipp led the Fury with 15 kills and added 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.
• Tori Stringer put up another solid effort with 35 assists, seven digs and two blocks.

Up Next

The Fury will close out their season on Saturday at home against San Diego at 7 p.m. in Nationwide Arena.

ABOUT THE COLUMBUS FURY    

The Columbus Fury is the first women’s professional volleyball team in Columbus and is an inaugural member of Pro Volleyball Federation, the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. The Fury is one of seven founding members of Pro Volleyball Federation, joining the Atlanta Vibe, Grand Rapids Rise, Omaha Supernovas, Orlando Valkyries, San Diego Mojo, and Vegas Thrill for the inaugural season. 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.

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