Ignite Extend Win Streak to Four with Five-Set Comeback Triumph
Victory Knots Indy with Orlando for Third in PVF Standings
By Mark Robinson
ORLANDO, Fla. (March 30, 2025) – The Indy Ignite continue to light it up with exciting – and winning – Pro Volleyball Federation play. Today, the Ignite mounted a sensational comeback to defeat Orlando in five sets, giving Indy a season-best four-match win streak.
After going down two sets to one to the host Valkyries, the Ignite regrouped and recharged to capture the last two sets. The thrilling victory moved Indy into a third-place tie with Orlando in the PVF standings, both teams with identical 12-8 records.
“I think it took everybody together to do this tonight,” Ignite head coach George Padjen said after his team won its second five-setter in 10 days. “Obviously, Orlando's a really good team and we're on the road, but I was really proud of how they came back there.
“We’ve been working on it, the team’s coming around together, but it's a process. A few months into this, I'm happy with our progress.”
After opening with a 25-21 triumph in the first set at Addition Financial Arena, the Ignite lost the next by 25-20 and 25-21 scores. The first two times that Indy and Orlando met earlier this season, the team that won the first set then dropped the next three. The Ignite were intent on ending that trend today.
Trailing 10-9 in set four, the Ignite put together an 11-5 scoring burst to take command. The run was sparked by four kills from middle blocker Lydia Martyn and three by outside hitter Caitie Baird, playing in her first match since joining the Ignite this week. Back-to-back kills by outside hitter Carly Skjodt and opposite hitter Azhani Tealer sealed the 25-21 win to even the match at two sets each.
Baird was downright unstoppable in the fifth set, scoring eight of Indy’s points in the match decider. She nailed four kills in a 5-1 run that broke the Ignite away from a 4-4 deadlock and appropriately added kills for the final two points in the 15-11 win.
A two-time All-American and 2019 NCAA champion at Stanford who most recently played professionally in Turkey, Baird led all Ignite scorers with 20 points on 17 kills, two blocks and a service ace, along with contributing nine digs. She played sparingly in the first two sets, notching all of her kills and blocks when she started the final three sets. She finished the match with a sizzling .423 kill percentage and .385 kill efficiency.