Guaranteed in fourth place, they will play the top-seeded side in the semifinals
Published 02:21, 28 Apr 2025
The Ignite confirmed their presence in the playoffs in front of their home fans (Photo: Indy Ignite)
The Indy Ignite claimed the fourth and last spot in the 2025 Pro Volleyball Federation playoffs and will be in contention for the title of the American League in the club’s first season of existence.
The Ignite won the dispute with the Grand Rapids Rise and will join the Omaha Supernovas, the Atlanta Vibe and the Orlando Valkyries in the Finals, which will be held in Las Vegas, from May 9-11.
The Ignite entered the 16th and penultimate week of the regular season in fourth place and needed to get two victories and collect at least four points to clinch a spot in the playoffs, regardless of the results of their competitors, the Grand Rapids Rise, over the week. The team from Michigan was defeated in their only match in the week, falling to the Vibe 3-2 (25-25, 25-22, 21-25, 23-25, 15-13) on the road on Saturday, and cleared the way for them.
The Ignite dropeed their first match in the week, losing to the Valkyries 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 26-24, 28-26) on Friday, but returned to the Fishers Event Center on Sunday and snapped a five-match winless streak with a 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23) victory over the San Diego Mojo that confirmed the team’s presence in the playoffs.
Opposite Azhani Tealer, who scored 20 points (11 kills, eight blocks, one ace), and outside hitter Anna DeBeer, who produced 19 (17 kills, two blocks), were pivotal in the team’s decisive triumph.
“Making the playoffs was one of our goals coming in that we talked about as a team,” setter Sydney Hilley said. “We tried to take it one game at a time. That’s the only way you can make the playoffs because this league is really 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.”
The three other teams qualified for the postseason went undefeated over the week and will keep the race for the top two spots ahead of the playoffs open until the end of the regular season. The Supernovas (19-7) and the Vibe (18-8) fight for first place, while the Valkyries (16-10) can still move up to second place.
The defending champions Supernovas scored a pair of home victories over the weekend, beating the Columbus Fury 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 26-24, 23-25, 15-9) on Friday and the Vegas Thrill 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-23) on Sunday.
The Vibe played just once, beating the Rise on Saturday, while the Valkyries followed up on their Friday victory over the Ignite with a 3-1 (22-25, 29-27, 25-22, 25-18) home win over the Fury on Sunday. The weekend’s schedule also included a 3-2 (24-26, 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 15-11) home win of the Thrill over the Mojo on Friday.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, the PVF standings have the Supernovas (19-7) on top, followed by the Vibe (18-8), the Valkyries (16-10), the Ignite (13-13), the Rise (11-15), the Thrill (10-16), the Mojo (9-17) and the Fury (8-18).
The regular season will be completed this week, with one match on Wednesday, two on Thursday, two on Friday, one on Saturday and two on Sunday.
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