Ignite, Head Coach Bertolacci Agree to Multiyear Contract Extension
Announcement Solidifies Indy Franchise Direction for Seasons to Come
By Mark Robinson
FISHERS, Ind. (January 9, 2026) – The 2026 season has yet to begin but the Indy Ignite have already scored a major victory, announcing today that head coach Lauren Bertolacci has agreed to a multiyear contract extension.
Bertolacci, who will coach her first Major League Volleyball match Saturday when the Ignite take on the Dallas Pulse in the season opener, originally signed a one-year contract in July 2025. But as the 40-year-old began constructing Indy’s 2026 roster and implementing her philosophies for playing style, training regimen and long-term success, it became clear to team management that the Australian with more than a decade of European coaching experience is the right fit to lead the franchise for years to come.
“It was an easy decision to offer Lauren a contract extension,” Ignite President and General Manager Mary Kay Huse said. “She has already transformed the way this team has prepared for the upcoming season in her short time here. We knew that putting in place a coach with the same long-term vision that we have as a franchise was the right way to develop lasting growth and success. Lauren is that coach and who we want to build this program with.”
Under Bertolacci’s guidance, the Ignite will unveil a faster-paced, aggressive, attacking style of play this season. She also oversaw an upgrade of the team’s practice facility and added respected performance coordinator Zuzanna Czyznielewska to the staff to develop personalized strength and conditioning programs for each player so they can compete at peak ability. Those are just the type of building blocks that a second-year franchise like the Ignite needs to sustain lasting success.
“I’ve said before that I love being a part of things that I can build,” Bertolacci said. “I stayed with my last two clubs for five and seven years, which is really long in the professional world in Europe, and helped build them up through different stages. I have big goals to develop that process here – we call it ‘The Ignite Way’ – that will reach and retain that level of achievement for years to come.
“It’s important to align with people who share that vision, and that’s exactly what I have found with Mary Kay and the leaders at the Ignite from the day I arrived,” Bertolacci added. “Their support in putting this process in motion has been instrumental, which is why I am thrilled to extend this partnership and work together to create the legacy this franchise deserves.”
Reaching an agreement now on the three-year contract extension—which will take Bertolacci and the Ignite through the 2029 season—before the 2026 season even begins, sends a strong message about the determined direction for the team in the years ahead, Huse said.
“Players in the U.S. and abroad are already considering their options for 2027 and beyond,” Huse explained. “We want to continue building a roster of the best-skilled, highest-character athletes for those seasons ahead. With Lauren on board for the long term, we’re confident that the Ignite will be an attractive opportunity for more players like that to join the foundation we’ve begun to lay here. We could not be happier with today’s news.”
Indy’s season opener at Dallas streams for free on the Roku Sports Channel at 7 p.m. ET Saturday, the first of 28 regular-season MLV matches. Indianapolis-area fans can join the excitement by attending official watch parties at the Craft Cellar at District Tap Northside (3720 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis) or at Hotboys North Indy (4335 W. 106th St., Carmel).
The first Ignite home match is set for Saturday, January 24 against Omaha. Tickets and more information about all matches are available at IndyIgnitevb.com.