Ignite Run into Buzzsaw at Columbus
Despite Defeat, Indy Remains Tied for Third in PVF
By: Mark Robinson
COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 5, 2025) – Competition in Pro Volleyball Federation is top-notch, top to bottom. That was evident tonight when the Columbus Fury defeated the Indy Ignite in four sets.
Columbus entered the match with the worst record in the league (5-15), while Indy came in with a 12-8 ledger that had the Ignite tied for third in the standings. The records mattered not, as the Fury defense stifled the Ignite attack and ended Indy’s four-match winning streak.
Columbus won by scores of 25-21, 25-20, 21-25 and 25-23 to register its first win over Indy in their four meetings this season. Even with the loss, the Ignite remained knotted with Orlando for third in PVF with identical 12-9 records.
“Tip the cap to Columbus, they came to play tonight,” Ignite head coach George Padjen said. “I thought they played a tough match, scrappy, had nothing to lose and it showed. Good by them.”
The opening set was tied at 11 when Columbus went on an 8-3 tear to take command. Indy dropped that set despite a stellar six kills and a block from outside hitter Caitie Baird, playing in her second Ignite match and making her first start.
The second set got away from the Ignite early, as the Fury ran out to an 11-6 advantage and then led 24-16. Indy saved four set points before Columbus put it away 25-20 for a two-set lead. The Fury defense logged seven block points in the set to spearhead the win.
“They came out and they were fighting,” Baird observed. “They were putting their bodies on the line, giving it their all. It just felt like a lot of things they were getting up and it was hard to score. Props to them for coming out and competing like they did.”
The Ignite showed they weren’t going away quietly in set three. Trailing 14-13, Indy’s 8-3 run put it in charge and led to the 25-21 victory. Baird and opposite hitter Azhani Tealer each had five kills in the set, with Tealer contributing five digs and Baird four.
The Ignite looked poised to force a fifth set when they took a 14-9 lead in set four, but the Fury fought back. A block touch that barely grazed Baird’s finger started a five-point Columbus run that turned a 20-18 deficit into a 23-20 lead. A Tealer kill staved off one match point, but Megan Lush’s 13th kill of the night stamped the last point on the 25-23 set win that clinched the match.
After being limited to three kills in the first two sets, Tealer chimed in with 13 kills in the final two sets. The PVF All-Star was frequently attacked on defense and responded with 14 digs. Baird had 15 kills and three blocks to lead the Ignite with 18 points. Setter Sydney Hilley registered another double-double with 40 assists and 19 digs.
“There were definitely some high points,” Padjen said, also pointing to the energy and digs Kylie Murr provided off the bench. “The league is so good, you’re razor thin on margins, so even in a match where you’re going to lose to somebody – Columbus is better than their record – it’s going to be one or two or three things you’re still going to do well on your side.”
Baird said the team will build off those good points and shore up the areas that need it before the next match in six days.
“Just working together as a team, getting better at the little things,” she said. “Communicating a little bit better, getting those short balls, knowing who’s taking what. Just being scrappy on defense and getting after it. I know there’s more in us so we’re just going to keep going back to practice, working it out and figuring out how we’re going to get to that point.”
Five of the Ignite’s remaining seven regular-season matches are at home, the first on April 12 against Grand Rapids on Firestorm Appreciation Night presented by Best One Tire & Service. The match starts at 7 p.m. ET but there will be a full day of action at Fishers Event Center. It begins at 3 p.m. with a scrimmage featuring teams from Purdue and Vanderbilt universities. Following at 5 p.m. will be a Fan Fest where players from Purdue, Vanderbilt and the University of Kentucky will sign autographs, not to mention tailgate games, grass volleyball, food trucks, giveaways and more at the FORUM Credit Union Plaza in front of Fishers Event Center.
Tickets for that and all Ignite matches are available from Ticketmaster via the Ignite website.
Indy Ignite Volleyball Editor Mark Robinson may be reached at Mark@indyignitevb.com