Ignite Pleased with First Half of Inaugural Season, Ready for More in Second Half
Indy Hosts Defending PVF Champion Omaha on Thursday
By: Mark Robinson
FISHERS, Ind. (March 12, 2025) – The inaugural season for the Indy Ignite has quickly reached its midpoint. It’s been an exciting ride so far, with the best yet to come.
On the court, the Ignite are right where they want to be. Despite fielding one of the youngest rosters – loaded with seven Pro Volleyball Federation rookies and three others in just their second year of professional play – Indy sits third in the standings with an 8-7 record. The top four teams at the conclusion of the regular season advance to postseason play in May.
The Ignite’s final regular season home match is at 7 p.m. May 1, when they take on the Atlanta Vibe at Fishers Event Center.
Off the court, the Central Indiana sports community has embraced the new team. Attendance has been strong at Fishers Event Center, topped by a sellout crowd of nearly 7,000 for opening night on January 11. Ignite action has become a must-see event, evidenced by the fact that numerous players from the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, WNBA’s Indiana Fever and more have attended matches to get an up-close view of the amazing athleticism and ability of women’s pro volleyball players on display.
League officials knew even before the season started how popular the sport would play locally, which is why Indy was asked to host the first-ever PVF All-Star Match on February 22. The response was tremendous but not unexpected, with another full house on hand. Four Ignite players – Sydney Hilley, Leketor Member-Meneh, Azhani Tealer and Kylie Murr – were selected to play in the match broadcast nationally on CBS, a first for professional volleyball.
Now, the Ignite look to keep that momentum going both on and off the court. Seven of the 13 remaining regular-season matches are at home, starting with Thursday’s showdown against reigning PVF champion, Omaha.
“I think third (in the league standings) is OK,” Ignite head coach George Padjen said as he considered how his team has progressed through the first half of the season. “There are a couple of really good teams with a lot of experience in front of us. We’re trying to play the long game here and get towards May with a lot of things going in the right direction.
“If you're a good coach, you're probably perpetually disappointed,” Padjen added. “You just always want to get better and be a little bit further ahead of where we are. But taking a step away from it and looking at it, I do feel good about where we're at right now in the mid part of the season.”
Thursday’s match with Omaha provides a perfect opportunity for Indy to show some of that continuing growth. The Supernovas are second in PVF this season with a 10-4 record and have a 2-0 mark against the Ignite. While both of those Omaha wins came via 3-0 sweeps, the competition was intense, with five of the six sets decided by two or three points.
“I don't know if anyone had expectations on where we’d be right now,” Ignite opposite hitter and PVF All-Star Tealer said, “but we have a system that we're trying to buy into, and I think in terms of getting to where we want to play as Indy Ignite, we're doing a great job. If we can get to that point 13 games from now, we'll be in a really good spot.