Omaha Supernovas Sign Former Husker Middle Blocker Leyla Blackwell

Leyla Blackwell is making a return to the state of Nebraska.

The former Nebraska volleyball middle blocker was signed by the Omaha Supernovas on Thursday after spending her rookie season with the Pro Volleyball Federation's* San Diego Mojo. Blackwell joins a new star-studded Supernovas squad featuring several familiar names and faces from the Huskers, including new Co-Owner and General Manager John Cook and former All-American Merritt Beason.

*The PVF rebranded as Major League Volleyball this offseason.

📍 Back in the 402

Welcome home, Leyla! 🌽 pic.twitter.com/IgcX3l7ngp
— Omaha Supernovas (@OmahaSupernovas) August 21, 2025

“I am so excited and beyond grateful to be joining the Omaha Supernovas for this upcoming season,” Blackwell said. “Getting to return to the state of Nebraska and continue to be a part of the volleyball community here is a dream come true. NovasNation are some of the best fans in the country and I cannot wait for this new chapter to begin.”

Blackwell appeared in 10 matches for the Mojo, making eight starts and playing in 26 sets for San Diego through 2025. She scored 47 points with 33 kills, 10 blocks, and four service aces while adding 18 digs and two assists. She averaged 1.27 kills in her rookie season after being selected in the fourth round and 26th overall in the 2024 PVF Draft.

Nebraska Volleyball — Leyla Blackwell celebrates a Husker kill in the third set. | Amarillo Mullen

Blackwell played in 13 matches and posted 2.35 kills per set while hitting .417 with 1.26 blocks per set in her graduate senior season with Nebraska. The middle blocker played a reserve role behind Rebekah Allick and Andi Jackson, as Jackson would earn First-Team All-American honors and Allick a Second-Team All-Big Ten nod. Blackwell had signature performances in a sweep over Iowa and Rutgers, collecting nine kills each while hitting over .600 in each match.

Prior to joining Nebraska, Blackwell was a three-time First-Team All-WCC player at San Diego. She shattered single-season block assists records with 152 in her junior season, leading the conference with 176 total blocks and an average of 1.50 blocks per set. In her final year with San Diego in 2023, Blackwell would earn her final All-WCC First-Team honor, averaging 2.25 kills per set and 1.24 blocks per set while hitting .329.

Blackwell originally committed to Indiana volleyball out of high school, appearing in 18 matches for the Hoosiers in 2020-21 and would tie the Indiana program record for blocks in a Big Ten five-set match with 13 against Iowa.

Nebraska volleyball middle blocker Leyla Blackwell (11) celebrates a point with setter Bergen Reilly (2) against Rutgers. | Nebraska Athletics

Blackwell returned to Nebraska for the Husker volleyball Alumni Match this past weekend, playing as the Alumni Team's middle blocker. She participated in all four sets of the exhibition contest, generating eight kills while hitting .300 for the match. The middle added three block assists for the contest.

"She’s a great teammate, and she's very close with the team, which I think is what allows her to come in and, like Laney said, make it seamless," former coach John Cook said of Blackwell following a mid-October stretch in 2024. "She knows her role here, and she’s going to do whatever the team needs."

The Omaha Supernovas season continues to prepare for their inaugural season in their new league, Major League Volleyball, following the merger of MLV and the Pro Volleyball Federation. The Supernovas' third season begins in January 2026.

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