GWINNETT, Georgia, February 21, 2026.–They don’t come any tougher than Indy’s win at Atlanta, but the Ignite showed just how resilient they are at Gas South Arena, downing the host Vibe in four sets.
Indy battled from behind in each of the final two sets, ending the hard-fought match with a 25-21 23-25, 27-25, 25-23 victory. The win is the fourth straight for the Ignite, equaling the franchise best set last season. It also kept Indy safely alone atop Major League Volleyball with a 10-2 record.
Capturing the win in such a slugfest is just fine with Ignite head coach Lauren Bertolacci. It helps build character for further wins later in the season.
“Getting us in situations like tonight is really important,” Bertolacci said. “There was a moment where they kind of looked a bit frazzled, we were down like 15-9 and I was like, ‘Hey, we’ve been here before!’ and everyone was like, ‘Oh yeah, we have been here before.’ The more situations we can be in and be successful at, and fail and learn how to be successful at, the better for us as the season goes on.”
Setter Mia Tuaniga, who played for the Vibe last season, was masterful in her return to Atlanta. The second-year pro had 54 assists and tied for the team lead with 14 digs to earn her second double-double of the season. As usual, Tuaniga spread the wealth with five teammates scoring in double figures – led by Camryn Hannah’s best performance as a pro with 23 points (20 kills, two service aces and a block) and seven digs.
Hannah, who started for the second straight match at opposite hitter in place of the injured Azhani Tealer, scored Indy’s first four points of the night on two kills and back-to-back aces. She totaled eight kills (and 10 points) in the set as the Ignite controlled the tempo and took it by four points.
The Vibe broke from a 22-22 tie in set two, scoring three of the final four points to even the match, despite outside hitter Anna DeBeer’s seven kills and seven digs, and Tuaniga registering 15 assists for the second straight set.
The third set exemplified the grit the Ignite have exhibited all season. They fell behind 4-1, recovered to lead by as many as three, fell behind again and rallied to tie at 22 – only to see Atlanta forge ahead 24-22 and sit within a point of taking a 2-1 lead. The Ignite warded off three Vibe set points – on an Atlanta service error followed by kills from DeBeer and middle blocker Lydia Martyn – before a Blake Mohler kill and Martyn service ace pulled out the 27-25 triumph.
Indy dug out from an even deeper hole in the fourth set, rallying from an 11-4 deficit to even the score at 16. Neither team led by more than a point again until the Ignite tallied the final three. Hannah’s 20th kill made it 24-23 and middle blocker Mohler’s second block ended the match.
In addition to Hannah’s 23-point outburst, DeBeer scored 17 (16 kills, one block) and had 13 digs, outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh had 16 points (14 kills, two blocks) and 14 digs, Martyn totaled 12 points (eight kills, two blocks, two aces) and Mohler 11 points (eight kills, two blocks, one ace). As a team, Indy posted more than respectable kill percentage (41.0%) and efficiency (23.6%) totals.
Tuaniga alluded to Hannah’s “calm spirit” for making her strong on the court and lifting her teammates at the same time.
“Even under stress – and we were under stress a lot in those sets going point for point, point for point,” Tuaniga said, “every time I talk to her, she’s like bringing us back down and keeping us focused.”
An MLV All-Star last season when she played for Vegas, Hannah credited that same cool-hand approach for her success on any night.
“Having the same mentality the whole game,” she said, “whether it’s point one or 24-24, I’m going to go up and I’m going to swing, I’m going to be aggressive at whatever ball is given to me. I know that my teammates have my back, so if I get blocked, it’s next ball and on to the next.”
Her coach couldn’t agree more.
“She just rips it,” Bertolacci said. “We just want her to go out there, swing on every ball, be aggressive, goldfish mentality. Don’t care if she gets blocked, come back around again and do the same thing. She’s best when she just swings really high and really hard, and I think for most of the game she did it really well, especially at the end there.”
The Ignite close their three-match road swing with a visit Friday to Columbus to take on the Fury at 7 p.m. ET, with a livestream available on WTHR+, the MLV YouTube channel and Samsung TV Plus. Indy returns home Sunday, March 1 to take on Omaha at 2 p.m. ET.
Atlanta takes to the road for the team’s next match against the Omaha Supernovas on Thursday, February 26 at 8 pm ET.
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