Indy Sweeps Dallas to Stand Alone atop MLV Standings

Indy Sweeps Dallas to Stand Alone atop MLV Standings

All-Around Excellent Match Moves Ignite to 5-1 This Season

By Mark Robinson

 

FISHERS, Ind. (January 31, 2026) – In a battle for first place in Major League Volleyball, the Indy Ignite left no doubt who the top team was on this night. The Ignite swept Dallas before an excited crowd at Fishers Event Center to stand alone atop the MLV standings after four weeks of play.

Indy moved to 5-1 this season with the 25-14, 25-14, 29-27 triumph, ending Dallas’ four-match win streak and dropping the Pulse to 4-2. The victory sweep was the Ignite’s first in 17 matches, since they blanked Omaha on the road in March 2025, and the first at home in nearly a year, when they swept Columbus on February 2, 2025.

The Ignite combined all elements of play against the Pulse, with a varied offensive attack that saw four players score in double digits, a tenacious defense that totaled 51 digs and kept numerous rallies alive, and a service attack that yielded seven aces (tying the most in an MLV three-set match this season).

“We played a great game,” head coach Lauren Bertolacci said. “Very happy with the overall performance. I think our defense was phenomenal again. We were able to transition into some pretty good situations and, yeah, it was a dominant game for us, bar maybe seven minutes.”

Those seven minutes came late in the third set, after Indy had blown away to 11-point wins in each of the first two sets. Leading 20-16 in set three, Indy suddenly went cold and fell behind 23-22. A pair of vicious kills from Lydia Martyn pushed the Ignite back in front, two Kayla Lund kills and another from Mia Tuaniga kept the pressure on, and Indy closed out the overtime set 29-27 when a Dallas attack went long.

“This league is so tough and so tight all the time, so we're expecting sets like 29-27 every game,” Bertolacci said. “We even knew we went into the locker room (after the second set). We said, ‘OK, 2-0 is not a game. There's no way that they're not going to come back out and fight again and claw back. They are a top team for a reason and we need to be ready for their best at any moment.’

Bertolacci had high praise for the entire team’s defensive effort, led by outside hitter Lund’s 15 digs, 12 from libero Elena Scott and seven by setter Tuaniga. Indy limited Dallas to a 29.2% kill percentage and 13.2% efficiency.

“Playing next to Elena Scott, it's so fun that we get to just work together back there,” Lund said. “And then I think our block put up really good setups for most of the night. I think we touched so, so many balls (at the net) that then I feel like a lot were kind of coming into my lap pretty nicely. I just think, systematically, our defense as a whole was really awesome.”

The Ignite’s aggressive service attack also pleased their head coach, not only the seven aces but the many other serves that kept the Pulse out of system. “That's our best serving game by a mile,” Bertolacci said.

Along with her dozen digs, Lund manufactured a double-double with 10 kills and added two aces. Middle blocker Martyn hit a sizzling 62.5% kill percentage and 56.3% efficiency with 10 kills in 16 attempts, along with a pair of blocks. Opposite hitter Azhani Tealer had eight kills, two blocks and two aces. Outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh added nine kills, a block and an ace to the tally.

Tuaniga posted another sensational all-around match with 38 assists, seven digs, two kills, two aces and a block. She credited Bertolacci and the coaching staff for advocating the aggressive style of play no matter the circumstances.

“She lets us know what good mistakes are and what bad mistakes are,” Tuaniga said. “Just to have the standard to just go after everything is just a huge blessing in itself. A lot of us have big personalities and big games and big things we want to do with this team, and it's really nice to have a coach like this. Big ups to coach.”

The Ignite round out their four-match homestand against Grand Rapids at 7 p.m. ET Friday on National Girls & Women in Sports Day. Tickets are available at IndyIgniteVB.com.