‘My Favorite Day of the Year!’ Ignite Players Embrace Media Day
Team Gives Sneak Preview into 2026 Major League Volleyball Season
FISHERS, Ind. (December 29, 2025) – It’s called “media day,” but for Indy Ignite players and coaches, it’s an anticipated harbinger of the season just around the corner.
The Ignite hosted their second annual media day at Fishers Event Center today. All 15 players on the 2026 roster, along with new head coach Lauren Bertolacci, made their way through a rotating swath of media interviews as well as photography and video sessions to gather content for the Major League Volleyball season that begins in 12 short days. The activities concluded with an open practice—the second time this second edition of the Ignite had the chance to play together on their home court.
The Ignite players approached their media responsibilities with the same excitement and vigor as they do a match.
“It’s my favorite day of the year!” exclaimed opposite hitter Camryn Hannah, who joins Indy after playing last season with the Vegas Thrill. “If you see me on media day, I'm gonna be cheesin’ from ear to ear. I love the camera, I love media day; yeah, it's the best time.”
Much of the players’ talk during interviews centered on the style of play Bertolacci has installed in her first season as the Ignite head coach after more than a decade coaching men’s and women’s pro teams in Europe. “Fast” and “aggressive” were the buzzwords of the day.
Outside hitter Kayla Lund, who played last season for the MLV’s San Diego Mojo, can draw on first-hand knowledge of that style. She played for Bertolacci and assistant coach Haley Brightwell at Switzerland’s Viteous NUC in 2022-23.
“Them being here was one of the main reasons why I wanted to come to Indy and have the opportunity to play for them again,” Lund said. “I love their style of play. It's something that I think I have in myself, so it's a lot of fun to play for them. Lauren especially just sets such a great standard. It's a high standard, it's a winning standard, so as athletes, what more could you want than a coach that will do anything to help you win?”
Middle blocker Lydia Martyn is among seven returnees from the 2025 Ignite team that reached the MLV championship match in the franchise’s inaugural season. She believes the faster pace of play makes Indy even more dangerous for 2026.
“With this new coaching staff and all the support we've gotten so far, we're going to be even better than we were last year,” Martyn said. “That says a lot because we were in the finals, and I think this year we can just take it all the way. Lauren and Haley have been really great about expanding what we can do on the court and how we can prepare for other competition coming up.”
Lund has already witnessed the potential explosiveness as the players learn and perfect the system in training camp that began earlier this month. She says Indy’s tagline – “Ignite the Fire” – is more than just a slogan in the locker room.
“We're a team that will have a lot to prove,” she said, “but at the same time, we're going to be a lot of fun and we're going to be so competitive. In our practices, we are super competitive and yelling and cheering, and so ‘igniting the fire’ for Indy is not just like a casual saying for us. That's something that we want to really embody all season long.”
Twelve players have been in training camp since it opened December 3, with a trio selected in the MLV Draft whose college teams were still playing in the NCAA Tournament not joining until shortly before Christmas. While it’s still a work in progress, Bertolacci is pleased with the direction she’s seeing.
“We've been going for three and a half weeks now, which is still a short amount of time,” Bertolacci said. “I think we have a big potential and still a lot of work to do, but I am really happy with where we're at. I'm liking what we see so far. The girls are really working really hard on getting faster, being very aggressive in their play, and they're all bought in and ready to play this Indy style of game.”
The Ignite begin their 2026 season January 10 at Dallas, with the home opener at Fishers Event Center on January 24 against Omaha. Season and single-match tickets are available now at IndyIgnitevb.com.