Ignite Clinch PVF Playoff Bid with Victory over San Diego
April 27, 2025 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
Indy Ignite News Release
FISHERS, Ind. - The Indy Ignite are playoff bound! With their victory today over the visiting San Diego Mojo, the Ignite clinched a spot in the Pro Volleyball Federation postseason in the franchise's first season.
Shrugging off the pressure to clinch and bearing the burden of a five-match losing streak coming in, the Ignite put together a spirited and complete match to defeat the Mojo by scores of 25-22, 25-19, 20-25 and 25-23. Indy (13-13) is two games ahead of Grand Rapids (11-15) with two matches remaining for both teams, but even if they finish with identical records, the Ignite hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Rise.
Indy is locked in as the fourth seed in the PVF playoffs and will play the No. 1 seed in the semifinal round on Friday, May 9. The semifinal winners advance to the championship match on Sunday, May 11 - the "Match for a Million" that pays a $1 million bonus to the winning team.
"Making the playoffs was one of our goals coming in that we talked about as a team," Ignite setter Sydney Hilley said following today's clinching triumph. "We tried to take it one game at a time. That's the only way you can make the playoffs because this league really is challenging and anyone can win on any given night. For us to come out and play the way we did after a five-game losing streak is the perfect time for us to get hot going into the playoffs."
Hilley orchestrated a diverse Indy attack that saw five Ignite players score at least eight points in the match. Hilley's own versatility was on display in the first set when she dished 12 assists while scoring three points on a kill and two blocks, not to mention getting four digs. Opposite hitter Azhani Tealer and outside hitter Anna DeBeer each contributed five kills in the opener.
Indy's defense led it to the second-set win. The Ignite registered nine blocks, tying the PVF record for a set, with five of them courtesy of Tealer. Outside hitter Nina Cajic led the offense with five kills.
San Diego took a 4-0 lead to start the third set and never trailed to keep the match going. The fourth set became precarious when Indy saw a 16-11 lead slip into a 20-19 deficit, but the home team rallied behind strong support from the Fishers Event Center crowd. With the set squared at 23-23, Hilley set up Tealer and DeBeer for thunderous back-to-back kills that ended the match and secured the postseason trip to Vegas.
Tealer's kill was her 11th of the match, under her season 14.6 average coming in, though she did tie her season high with eight blocks. But when it was crunch time, Ignite head coach George Padjen had full confidence that "Z," as she's called, would deliver.
"Syd stuck with her and when we needed the biggest kill at the biggest time, who delivered? Z," Padjen said. "Those are the moments when you start to understand you get bigger and bigger, get the confidence up, get going. Not having your best doesn't mean you've got to stink all day. You can come up big when it's asked and that's what she did. I know it's who she is and I'm glad Syd trusted her."
DeBeer finished with a team-leading 17 kills to go with a pair of blocks after sitting out Friday's match against Orlando. Starting her second straight match after sitting out the previous eight, Cajic chipped in 14 kills and a season-high 17 digs. Hilley completed her 16th double-double of the season with 43 assists and 17 digs.
"I think we did a really good job of just taking it one point at a time," observed Hilley. "Especially when we knew playoffs was on the line, I think it's easy to get too high or too low. When they started pushing back, I thought we did a really good job of staying in the moment and believing in ourselves. I thought 'Z' showed up in the big moments; I'm so proud of her."
Tealer took pride in helping Indy advance to the postseason in its inaugural season.
"I think we all came here, the players and probably our coaching staff too, knowing how special this place could be and how big this operation could be," Tealer said. "It's a testament to the front office all the way down in how impressive this thing is run and how special the people are that do it. For us to be in the playoffs the first season here just proves what an incredible thing this can be for years to come. It's really exciting for everyone who's a part of the organization."
For Padjen, who made the move as a longtime collegiate assistant coach to take the head coaching reins, it was an emotional moment as he pondered what the Ignite accomplished on this day.
"First year, moving to Indy, it's put into perspective," he said, fighting back tears. "You take a chance on a city like this, a team like this. I couldn't be happier."
Indy hosts its final home match at 7 p.m. ET Thursday against playoff-bound Atlanta on Military Appreciation Night. Tickets are available on the Ignite website. The Ignite finish the regular season Saturday at San Diego.
Tickets for the PVF playoffs, to be held May 9 and 11 at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada, are available on the Pro Volleyball Federation website. CBS Sports Network will also telecast the matches.
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Pro Volleyball Federation Stories from April 27, 2025
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- Fury Drop Four-Set Match at Orlando - Columbus Fury
- Ignite Clinch PVF Playoff Bid with Victory over San Diego - Indy Ignite
- Mojo Rally Falls Short in Four-Set Loss at Indy Ignite - San Diego Mojo
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