Record Night from Tealer Not Enough to Lift Ignite to Victory
Indy Falls to Omaha in Reverse Sweep; Tealer Sets PVF Record for Points and Kills
By: Mark Robinson
FISHERS, Ind. (March 13, 2025) – To be the best, you first have to beat the best. The Indy Ignite are almost there.
Indy came closer than ever to knocking off defending Pro Volleyball Federation champion Omaha tonight at a frenzied Fishers Event Center but unfortunately fell just short. Despite a record-setting effort from Ignite opposite hitter Azhani Tealer, the Supernovas rallied for a reverse-sweep victory by scores of 21-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-23 and 15-13.
Omaha is a perfect 3-0 against Indy this season and took over first place in the PVF standings with an 11-4 overall record. The Supernovas’ first two victories over the Ignite were sweeps, but the wins were by a total of 17 points across the six sets.
Indy, which slipped to 8-8 with tonight’s loss, never trailed in the first two sets. Tealer led the way with mirror performances of seven kills and a block in each set, but she wasn’t alone as setter Sydney Hilley sparked an aggressive, diversified attack by handing out 28 assists.
The defending PVF champs weren’t about to go away quietly. Omaha coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn made some lineup changes and Omaha captured the next two sets to even the match at 2-2. The Ignite were on the verge of closing out the victory when they led 23-22 in the fourth set, but the Supernovas reeled off three straight points to force the decider.
“The first two sets I felt like everything was kind of going our way,” Hilley said. “We were playing very clean volleyball. When Omaha made their switch to have (Ally) Batenhorst and (Kelsie) Payne come in and Mac Podraza came in, they did a really good job of changing the energy and they changed the momentum.”
Supernova players admitted that a spirited but positive locker-room talk from Kuhn after going down 2-0 helped them turn the tide.
“There was an energy switch and we found it,” Kuhn said, “and they came out and just competed. That’s what we do every day, so I’m just proud of our team. Indy was playing lights out, just dominating. We were able to slow them down and grind and get some momentum back.”
With the match on the line, Tealer was at her PVF All-Star best in the fifth set. She dominated single-handedly, pounding out eight kills and adding a service ace to propel the Ignite to a 12-10 lead and within sight of their biggest win of their inaugural PVF season. But Omaha regrouped to score five of the next six points to take the 15-13 match ender. The final Supernova point came when a Tealer attack sailed just long of the baseline.
“I thought we were being aggressive,” Hilley said. “Even the last swing, we were telling ‘Z’ (Tealer), ‘You just go for it, you just go for it.’ She played amazing and I’m glad she got that last swing and just went for it.”
Tealer finished the night setting PVF records for points scored (35) and kills (31) in a match. She took it upon her shoulders to bring more energy with outside hitter and fellow All-Star Leketor Member-Meneh sidelined for a second time this season with an ankle injury.
“Lek is a huge part of this team – a lot of points, a lot of energy,” Tealer said. “Her going down, I know I have to bring a little bit more and that’s what I was trying to do tonight. Just give to my team a little bit more. Fell short but I thought it was pretty good.
“Things like that are tough, 15-13,” she said of the final set, shaking her head. “That’s a really good (Omaha) team obviously, and a few balls here and there and that game is completely different.”
In addition to Tealer’s stellar performance, several other Ignite players posted notable numbers. Hilley finished with a season-high and franchise-record 62 assists. Outside hitter Anna DeBeer notched a personal-best 12 kills for the second straight match and had 12 digs. Outside hitter Nina Cajic also posted a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs.
Indy faces a quick turnaround in its effort to move back above .500 on the season. The Ignite travel to Grand Rapids for a match at noon ET Saturday that streams live on the PVF YouTube Channel.
Indy Ignite Volleyball Editor Mark Robinson may be reached at Mark@indyignitevb.com