FISHERS, Indiana, March 1, 2026.-Halfway through the 2026 Major League Volleyball season, things couldn’t be going much better for the Indy Ignite. Following an impressive triumph over visiting Omaha, the Ignite boast a league-best 12-2 record and a lead of three games over the nearest competitor.
After dropping the first set to the Supernovas, the Ignite unleashed a vicious attack that saw them sweep the following three sets and compile franchise records in kill percentage (48.8%) and efficiency (37.4%) for a four-set match. The victory was Indy’s first over Omaha at Fishers Event Center in four all-time meetings and extended the Ignite’s win streak to a franchise-best six.
Omaha broke from a 13-13 tie in the opening frame to take it 25-17 in one of the more uneven sets of the season for the Ignite. Indy head coach Lauren Bertolacci then inserted outside hitter Kayla Lund for the second set and it made a world of difference. Seeing her first extensive playing time in a month since injuring her knee, Lund delivered an all-around sensational performance with 14 kills on otherworldly kill percentage (70.0%) and efficiency (65.0%) figures, adding 10 digs to complete her third double-double of the season.
“Knowing the situation that we were in after the first set, that was my game plan,” Lund said. “Just come in and bring some joy and some life. Like Lauren says, I am a cleaner upper and I’m a proud cleaner upper. I play my best when I help out my teammates and I have the most fun when I do that. That was my focus: how can I make my teammates better; how can I help us.”
Lund had four kills, six digs and a block in the second set when Indy never led by more than four points, finally pulling away to a 25-22 win. Opposite hitter Camryn Hannah scored on four kills and a block in the set, with setter Mia Tuaniga dishing 16 assists, dropping two kills and adding a pair of digs.
A five-point burst let the Ignite pull away from 12-all deadlock in set three, and while the Supernovas did close within 21-20, outside hitter Anna DeBeer pushed Indy to take the set 25-21 by scoring her team’s last three points on two kills and a service ace. DeBeer totaled eight points (five kills, two aces, one block) in the set, with Lund chipping in five kills and Tuaniga totaling 17 assists.
Indy blew open the fourth set with an early 8-2 run and closed it with a 9-2 burst to end the match with the 25-13 set triumph. Behind five Lund kills and four more from Hannah, the Ignite hit a sensational 63.6% with 54.5% efficiency in the clincher.
“It was just one of those games where things were going my way,” Lund said following her 14-for-20 attack performance. “When you kind of reach just a flow state of, ‘I didn’t fully mean to do that and it fell and I’ll take it.’ Sometimes they just barely kiss the back line and I’ll take it. Our team set me up pretty well. Mia’s a great setter, and we got digs everywhere. Normally I’m not that offensive, but I’ll take that for a win.”
The Ignite placed four players in double figures, led by DeBeer with 19 points (13 kills, three aces, three blocks) in her second consecutive strong match this week.
“Now that she’s jumping through the roof, we’re getting used to her hitting from that height again,” Bertolacci said of the second-year pro from Louisville. “There were some really nice swings and some nice overload plays that she put down today, so I’m really happy to see Anna’s progression. The last couple games have been really phenomenal from her.”
Lund’s 14 points all came on kills in just three sets of action. Hannah also had 14 points (12 kills, one block, one ace) and middle blocker Lydia Martyn scored 10 (nine kills, one block). Middle blocker Blake Mohler just missed the double-digit club with nine points (seven kills, two blocks). Tuaniga finished with 52 assists and 11 digs for her own double-double, tying libero Elena Scott for the team lead in digs.
The Ignite have a week between matches now but aren’t about to rest on any laurels earned from their sensational opening half of the season. If anything, it motivates them to keep reaching for the next levels and chase that ultimate achievement, the MLV championship.
“We’ve had a great start but that doesn’t mean we need to stop working,” DeBeer said. “There’s so much game left, a lot of season left, so we’re really just going to take it game by game and we have a lot to improve on and we know that. If we can keep on doing that, it’ll be really good for us as we finish out this season.”
The Ignite host Grand Rapids at 6 p.m. ET Sunday, March 8. The Supernovas will use a six-day break to prepare for their next match against the Grand Rapids Rise on Saturday, March 7, at Van Andel Arena.
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