Indy Ignite Host Atlanta in Final Match before All-Star Break
Love Your Pet Night Presented by Yo-Health Features Great Volleyball Paired with Therapy Dogs
By: Mark Robinson
FISHERS, Ind. (February 19, 2025) – The Indy Ignite look to bounce back from a heart-wrenching five-set loss at Atlanta when they face the same Vibe team in a rematch Thursday at Fishers Event Center. The match also serves as Love Your Pet Night, the perfect way to wrap up National Love Your Pet Day with therapy dogs on the concourse available to provide fans some love, comfort and support, and a free doggy bag holder given to the first 1,000 fans through the door.
The Pro Volleyball Federation match starts at 7 p.m. ET Thursday, with doors opening an hour earlier. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster via the Ignite website. Note that family pets are not permitted in Fishers Event Center other than certified service animals.
The Ignite and Vibe will square off for the second time in five days. Atlanta barely prevailed Sunday on its home court by scores of 28-30, 25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 15-13. The teams are separated by just as narrow of a margin in the season standings, the Vibe with a 6-5 record and the Ignite at 5-5.
Playing without injured PVF All-Star outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh for the first full match, Indy head coach George Padjen utilized his bench extensively. He used 12 players in a valiant effort that fell a couple points shy of a comeback triumph.
Ignite setter Sydney Hilley, another PVF All-Star, totaled 52 assists, 13 digs, a block and a kill in the match. She saw many good takeaways from her team but knows the Ignite must slow the fast-paced Atlanta offense in order to reverse the outcome in the rematch.
“They run a very fast offense and they passed extremely well, so they were in system most of the game, which made it really difficult for us to slow them down,” Hilley said. “Hopefully, we can serve a little bit more aggressively and then be able to set up a stronger block to slow down their hitting percentage a little bit.
“But I liked our competitiveness, I liked our willingness to stay in it even when we were struggling at times,” Hilley added. “I thought Isabel Martin did a fantastic job in her first start and everyone who came in – like our double sub with Ainise (Havili) and Grace (Wade), and (fellow bench players) Carly (Skjodt) and Elena (Scott) and Lydia (Martyn). Everyone who came in did a great job, so it's going to take every single one of us, for sure.”
Outside hitter Nina Cajic led the Ignite with 18 kills, two blocks and two service aces on Sunday. In her first start replacing Member-Meneh, Martin had 15 kills and two blocks. All-Star opposite hitter Azhani Tealer delivered 15 kills, a block and an ace in the balanced team effort.
Libero Kylie Murr, the fourth Ignite player added to the PVF All-Star team this week, said the key to turning back the Vibe this time will be for everyone to stay on the attack all the time.
“I thought when we stayed aggressive or were the more aggressive team (Sunday), we came out on top,” Murr said. “We just had a couple moments of I think just our youngness coming in. Just going out there with confidence next time from the start will help us, and I think good things will happen for us.”
Thursday’s match is the last before the inaugural PVF All-Star Match that Indy is hosting at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Hilley and Murr will play for the team coached by Georgia Tech’s Michelle Collier, while Tealer will be on the team coached by Purdue’s Dave Shondell. Member-Meneh was also slated to play for Team Shondell but will be on the bench actively cheering on her team as she recovers from an ankle injury that has her on injured reserve.
Tickets for that PVF All-Star Match are available at ProVolleyball.com/pvftickets or the Fishers Event Center box office. Live national network television coverage airs on CBS at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Indy Ignite Volleyball Editor Mark Robinson may be reached at Mark@indyignitevb.com