FISHERS, Ind – Light. It. Up.
The air in the Fishers Event Center filled with that chant as fans encouraged their team on.
In its first-ever match, the Indy Ignite defeated the Orlando Valkyries in four sets.
It was the first-ever professional volleyball match in the state of Indiana, and the home crowd did not disappoint. From the moment the doors opened to the end of the fourth set, Indy fans were all in. They even started a chant to go with each hit. I-N-I.
The first set, however, was all Orlando. The Valkyries got out to an early lead and kept expanding on it, winning the set 25 to 13. Orlando was able to do this by striking hard and accurate, connecting on 13 kills out of 24 attacks (54 percent kill rate). On the other side of the net, Indy only nine kills out of 32 attacks (28 percent kill rate).
"It was such an incredible environment. I think seeing the crowd out there, we got a little nervous," setter Sydney Hilley said. "We wanted to really show them some Indy Ignite volleyball, so that first set was just a lot of nerves."
Libero Kylie Murr echoed this, saying that Indy needed just play their game.
"We knew that wasn't our style. We knew that wasn't our game. We knew that we were making a lot of errors, and they weren't doing crazy things to slow us down. We just had to control our side."
It was the second set that the Ignite would find their footing. In a much more competitive, back-and-forth set, the lead changed hands multiple times until Indy took it and ran with it, winning 25-19. Outside Hitter Leketor Member-Meneh explains what led to this turn around.
"It was the eye contact and the belief that we had in each other. We play with each other all the time, and like, we knew that what we showed was not how we played. We were able to just let go of that and turn into second gear.
We were all looking at each other, we're like, 'no, we're not leaving here without a dub.'"
Member-Meneh was the star of the night, finishing with 25 kills on 50 tries (50 percent kill rate) and 18 digs. She credits her teammates for helping her get the opportunity to strike.
"It's easy to swing when I know I got people covering me. You can feel when they're around. They're really pushing for me," Member-Meneh said. "It gave me the confidence to swing high and hard, and even if it didn't hit the block my teammates were there."
Hilley, who finished the contest with 44 assists and 15 digs, shared the same sentiment that her job couldn't have been done without her teammates.
"They make my job really easy... but it came to a point when I was like, 'Okay, it's time to feed the beast.' [Member-Meneh] was phenomenal tonight. I think she really got us going with her offense and how she led this team. I'm super proud of her."
With an official attendance of 6,089, the home crowd played a crucial role in the match. It not only expressed Indiana's love for volleyball, but the growth of women's sports.
Murr, a native of Yorktown, Indiana, explained that she had to control her emotions and focus on the game.
"I had full body chills the whole game. It was super exciting to look up into the crowd and see people that grow up watching you play. This is just the start of Indiana volleyball, and I think we showed people that tonight, so I'm excited for them to come back, and I think it's only
going to get better."
Murr finished with 12 digs and five assists, and opposite hitter Azhani Tealer racked up 19 kills on 38 attacks (50 percent).
The Ignite would win the third set 25-17 and the fourth set 25-21.
Indy plays host to the Grand Rapids Rise Jan. 16 before making its first road trip, a three-game stand starting in Columbus Jan. 18.
Contact Derran Cobb via email at derrancobb@gmail.com or on X @Derran_cobb.
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