Poster featuring the full roster of the 2024 Omaha Supernovas.
This volleyball is from a game played by the Omaha Supernovas during their inaugural season in 2024. The jersey was worn by Sophie Davis during gameplay. Davis was drafted by the Supernovas from James Madison University and will play for the team again in their 2025 season. The Omaha Supernovas’ season starts January 10, 2025.
This volleyball was used during a regular season Omaha Supernovas volleyball game during the 2024 season.
These items were collected in a slightly different way than some might think historical organizations acquire their collections. Museums typically acquire material in two ways: passive or active collecting. These Supernovas materials were acquired through the method of active collecting, meaning staff actively pursued these materials for their collection.
Active collecting is when staff notice something of significance that isn’t currently held in their collection and seek it out. Active collecting takes place for potential exhibits, current and significant events (elections, sporting events, etc.), or as staff survey the collections and note missing periods, people, or events through Nebraska’s history.
This jersey was worn by Supernovas player Sophie Davis. Davis was drafted by the Supernovas in the 2023 U.S. College Player Draft from James Madison University in Virginia.
When the Pro Volleyball Federation launched and the Supernovas were born, the collections staff at the Nebraska State Historical Society made note of the history of women’s professional sports in Nebraska. We later reached out and were able to work directly with the Supernovas organization to acquire some amazing pieces for the collection!
We can’t wait to share more of these collections with the public in person, but in the meantime, all Supernovas materials can be viewed in our digital collections here.
– Jordan Miller, 3D Objects Curator, January 2025
