Upon Review, It's Unanimous: Ignite Had Great First Season

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PVF Indy Ignite

Upon Review, It's Unanimous: Ignite Had Great First Season

May 16, 2025 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
Indy Ignite News Release


FISHERS, Ind. - A few days removed from the end of a magnificent inaugural season, Indy Ignite players, coaches and officials can look back with a smile on their Pro Volleyball Federation runner-up finish. They can also look ahead to a bright future for the fledgling franchise.

The Ignite came within one victory of claiming the PVF championship, surviving the grueling 28-match regular season and entering the playoffs as the lowest-seeded team. They knocked off defending league champion and No. 1 seed Omaha in the semifinals but didn't have an answer for Orlando in Sunday's title match.

After returning to Indy for a team celebration earlier this week, some team members began dispersing to their respective hometowns. Outside hitter Nina Cajic headed to her native Serbia to begin practice with her national team. Opposite hitter Azhani Tealer is bound for Nashville to start her job as assistant coach for Vanderbilt University, but not before she and teammates Carly Skjodt and Ainise Havili visited Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday and waved the green flag to start Indianapolis 500 practice for the day. Indy players also went to the track Thursday to take in practice and a tour of the Ed Carpenter Racing garages.

With some time to put their season into perspective, everyone on the Ignite had a greater appreciation for what they accomplished.

"I feel like the team always stuck together," said outside hitter Isabel Martin, who joined the Ignite as a fourth-round draft pick from Florida. "We had such good chemistry throughout the teammates and everybody became super close early on, which helped us a lot throughout the season. Making it to the playoffs, playing in the playoffs, it's just a bond that nobody can take from us. I feel, overall, pretty good."

Before she jetted across the Atlantic to join her national team, Cajic agreed with Martin, citing the extra time the team spent together going from their regular-season finale at San Diego straight to Las Vegas for the championships as a key bonding moment.

"As a first-year team, I think we did way more than was expected of us," Cajic, the fifth-round draft pick from Tennessee, said. "Obviously, it fell short in the finals, but overall I'm very proud of everyone on the team for even making it this far. Being in Vegas and San Diego for the past two weeks has really brought us together like extra special. The first win that we had over Omaha in the championship was really, I think, the testament to what happened and how close we've gotten to each other. Overall, I think it couldn't have gone any better honestly."

As a team co-founder, Don Hutchinson looked at it from the overall perspective of team and community. He loved what he saw this season and knows it's just the beginning.

"This season exceeded everybody's expectations," Hutchinson said. "The team, the staff, everybody, amazing. As I think about things, I would have expected that if we could build community engagement, get fans in the stands and win some, then we'd hit 'em all. We hit 'em all!

"No. 2 in the championship and our fans represented! We cannot forget them; they're unbelievably behind this team. We're building something really special ... and we're going to have a better '26."



Pro Volleyball Federation Stories from May 16, 2025


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