Ignite Sign Middle Blocker Emma Clothier
American Standout Arrives from Italy to Join Indy for Late-Season Run
By Mark Robinson
FISHERS, Ind. (March 31, 2026) – The Indy Ignite have signed middle blocker Emma Clothier for the remainder of the 2026 Major League Volleyball season. Clothier bolsters the team’s depth at the middle position after Indy lost Blake Mohler to a season-ending injury.
Clothier, a 6-foot-2 native of Carrollton, Texas, comes to the Ignite immediately after playing for Helvia Recina Volley Macerata in Italian Serie A1, the top league in Italy. She played her final match with the team Saturday before driving to Rome the following morning and catching a flight to the U.S. to meet her new team in Indiana.
During her collegiate career, Clothier played at Florida State from 2019-22, where she was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman Team in 2019, to the all-conference first team in 2020 and second team in 2022. She finished her college career at SMU in 2023, when she earned American Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors.
Clothier then spent a short season in Puerto Rico before joining Dresdner SC in 2024-25, with the team winning the German Cup and finishing second in the German Bundesliga, the highest level of pro volleyball in the nation. This season, she played for the Italian league.
Ignite head coach Lauren Bertolacci is happy to welcome Clothier to the Ignite.
“Our current situation with only two healthy middles was not tenable for too long, so we got on the market to find Emma before the transfer deadline ended,” Bertolacci explained. “This required quick management of everyone involved, but we are very happy to have Emma joining us in practice today. She is quick, athletic and good behind the setter, and I am sure she will have an immediate impact on our game.”
Clothier is eager to play for Bertolacci. She’s heard much about the Ignite coach who was already a highly regarded coach in Switzerland before joining the Ignite this season.