Published for Indy Ignite fans — October 2026
By Toxlay Sports Editorial Team · Last updated October 24, 2026
🏐 Indy Ignite Fans — Your First Championship Is Waiting!
A league-record 23-5 season, the MVP in the #91 jersey, and a semifinal heartbreak that still stings. The Ignite were the best team in volleyball last spring — now pull on the orange and finish the job in 2027.
The Club
The Indy Ignite are Indiana’s first professional volleyball team — announced as a Pro Volleyball Federation expansion club on December 7, 2023, with the Ignite name and logo revealed on January 28, 2024. The Ignite play at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana, in the Indianapolis metro area, where mascot Pepper keeps the orange-clad crowds loud. The debut could not have gone better: on January 11, 2025, Indy beat the Orlando Valkyries 3-1 in the first match in franchise history, and by May the expansion club had stormed all the way to the championship match. Two seasons in, the Ignite already own two playoff berths, a finals appearance and the greatest regular season the league has ever seen. Searching for an Indy Ignite jersey, the latest Ignite schedule or Ignite tickets? Start with the question every Indy fan asks each winter: when do the Ignite play — because in Fishers, match day is a fire that never goes out.
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Last Season (2026): The Greatest Season That Fell One Match Short
The 2026 Ignite were a machine. Indy went 23-5 — the most wins in a single season in league history — to win the MLV regular-season championship, going 13-1 at home and leading the league in points (1,941), kills (1,585), assists (1,476) and kill percentage (40.6%) while playing the fewest sets of anyone. The awards haul matched the record: Mia Tuaniga was named league MVP and Setter of the Year, Azhani Tealer took Opposite Hitter of the Year, Lydia Martyn won Middle Blocker of the Year, Elena Scott won Libero of the Year, and Lauren Bertolacci was Coach of the Year in her first season. Then came the cruelty. In the May 7 semifinal at Frisco, No. 4 seed Omaha — the same club Indy had upset as underdogs a year earlier — returned the favor, beating the Ignite 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 27-29, 25-20, 15-13) after Indy led 2-1. The best regular season ever ended one match short of the final.
Best Players Right Now (2026 Roster)
Mia Tuaniga, Setter (#91) — The 2026 MLV Most Valuable Player and Setter of the Year. Tuaniga ran the league’s most explosive offense at a league-best 11.49 assists per set and added 25 aces — all in the most recognizable jersey in volleyball, the rare #91.
Azhani Tealer, Opposite Hitter (#19) — The 2026 Opposite Hitter of the Year and a First Team All-League pick in both Ignite seasons. The franchise’s original power finisher announced herself with 19 kills in the club’s first-ever match and has never slowed down.
Anna DeBeer, Outside Hitter (#14) — The franchise cornerstone. Indy traded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 PVF Draft to land the Louisville star at No. 2, and she has been the face of the Ignite’s rise ever since.
Elena Scott, Libero (#9) — The 2026 Libero of the Year. Scott’s floor defense turned desperate rallies into Ignite points all season long.
Lydia Martyn, Middle Blocker (#22) — The 2026 Middle Blocker of the Year and a 6’3” wall at the net — one of four Ignite players to win a positional award in 2026.
Leketor Member-Meneh, Outside Hitter (#7) — An original Ignite star who poured in 25 kills in the franchise’s first-ever match.
Taylor Landfair, Outside Hitter (#12) — A 6’5” attacking presence who gives Indy size and power on the pin.
Cara Cresse, Middle Blocker (#13) — The 6’6” Louisville product anchors the block alongside Martyn.
Head coach: Lauren Bertolacci — The 2026 MLV Coach of the Year, hired July 2, 2025. Bertolacci also coaches the Swiss women’s national team and arrived with a 207-37 record and six Swiss titles from Viteos NUC. In year one she built the best regular-season team in league history.
Star Spotlight: Stories You Should Know
The MVP in the #91 jersey. Nobody in volleyball wears 91 — except the league’s Most Valuable Player. Mia Tuaniga turned setting into a headline act in 2026: a league-best 11.49 assists per set, 25 aces, and total command of an offense that led MLV in points, kills and kill percentage. When the Ignite were flying, the ball moved like electricity — and Tuaniga was the current.
The role-reversal heartbreak. In 2025, Indy were the giant-killers: a No. 4 seed that stunned top-seeded Omaha 3-2 in the semifinal. Twelve months later the script flipped with brutal symmetry. The 23-5 Ignite, the No. 1 seed, led Omaha 2-1 in the 2026 semifinal — and watched the Supernovas take the fourth set and steal the fifth 15-13. Same rivalry, same scoreline, opposite tears. It is the loss this entire franchise is now organized around avenging.
The cornerstone trade. Before the Ignite had ever played a match, the front office made the boldest move of the 2025 PVF Draft: trading the No. 1 overall pick to land Louisville star Anna DeBeer at No. 2. It was a bet that one player could define a franchise. Two playoff runs, a finals appearance and a record-breaking season later, DeBeer is exactly that — the homegrown face of Indiana volleyball’s first pro team.
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This Season (2027): Unfinished Business
The mission for 2027 could not be clearer: win the one match that got away. The Ignite have now lost a championship match (2025) and a semifinal as the No. 1 seed (2026) in back-to-back springs — close enough to taste it, twice. Lauren Bertolacci returns with the league’s most decorated core: the MVP (Tuaniga), the Opposite Hitter of the Year (Tealer), the Middle Blocker of the Year (Martyn) and the Libero of the Year (Scott) all wore orange in 2026. The stage gets bigger, too — MLV expands to 12 teams for 2027 with DC Flight, NorCal Rumble, Minnesota Forge and Los Angeles Thunder joining, the Vegas Thrill returning and San Diego folded. The season starts in January 2027, with the college draft set for November 23, 2026 and the full schedule still to be released. Dallas are the champions, Omaha are the nemesis — and Indy are the team everyone knows should have been there. Unfinished business does not get more motivating than that.
Mark Your Calendar: The Road Ahead
Check the Ignite schedule and grab Ignite tickets early — here is the road to the 2027 season, plus the 2026 nights every fan should circle for the rematches:
- November 23, 2026 — MLV College Draft: The league’s next wave of stars gets picked. Indy’s front office has already proven it can land a cornerstone in the draft — remember DeBeer.
- January 2027 — Season opener: The 12-team MLV season begins and the Ignite’s revenge tour opens at Fishers Event Center. First home match of 2027 is a sellout waiting to happen.
- Relive it — April 19, 2026, vs Dallas Pulse (Fishers Event Center): Indy beat the eventual champions 3-1 at home. When the Pulse return in 2027, it is the measuring-stick match of the season.
- Relive it — May 3, 2026, vs San Diego Mojo (Fishers Event Center): A 3-1 win that closed the regular season at a league-record 23 victories — the night the building shook.
- Relive it — May 7, 2026, MLV Semifinal vs Omaha (Frisco, TX): The 3-2 loss that ended the dream. The 2027 rematch with the Supernovas is the date every Ignite fan wants first.
Biggest Rivalries — The Wars
1. Omaha Supernovas — the defining rivalry of the young league. Pure playoff trilogy energy: Indy upset No. 1 seed Omaha 3-2 in the 2025 semifinal, then Omaha returned the favor as the No. 4 seed in 2026, winning 3-2 after Indy led 2-1. The 2026 season series finished 2-2, and every meeting feels like a final.
2. Orlando Valkyries — the first chapter and the lost final. Orlando were the opponent in the Ignite’s first-ever match — a 3-1 Indy win on January 11, 2025 — and the team that beat Indy 3-1 in the 2025 championship match. Indy swept the last meeting 3-0 on April 23, 2026, but the trophy Orlando lifted still burns.
3. Columbus Fury — the I-70 rivalry. Fishers to Columbus is about 175 miles of interstate, and Indy has owned the road: 4-1 all-time through early 2026, including a five-set road win and a 3-2 win on May 1, 2026 to close the regular season.
4. Dallas Pulse — the new standard. Indy beat the expansion Pulse 3-1 at home on April 19, 2026 — then watched Dallas finish as the No. 2 seed and win the whole championship. The team Indy beat is now the team Indy must chase.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When do the Indy Ignite play next?
The Ignite open the 2027 MLV season in January 2027 at Fishers Event Center. The full 2027 schedule has not been released yet, but the season starts in January with the expanded 12-team league, and the college draft takes place on November 23, 2026.
Where do the Indy Ignite play their home matches?
At Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana — the home of the Ignite since the franchise debuted in 2025, where the orange-clad crowds helped Indy go 13-1 at home in 2026.
How many championships have the Indy Ignite won?
None yet — but they have been close twice. The Ignite reached the championship match in their debut 2025 season, losing to Orlando, then won the 2026 regular-season title with a league-record 23 wins before falling to Omaha in the semifinal.
Where can I buy Indy Ignite fan gear?
Toxlay Sports offers fan-inspired apparel for Ignite supporters — fan-designed gear made for real fans. Note that fan-inspired apparel is not official MLV licensed merchandise.
Sources: MLV, Pro Volleyball Federation, team announcements — schedules, rosters and records checked October 2026.
Light the fire — the Ignite are coming for the crown.
