The Indy Ignite professional women’s volleyball team is gearing up for its second season as players, coaches and staff return to Fishers ahead of the Major League Volleyball draft later this month.
Team officials say multiple athletes have begun arriving in central Indiana, marking the start of formal preparations for the 2026 season. New head coach Lauren Bertolacci, who joined the club in September after coaching professionally in Switzerland, has also settled into the area. She has spent recent weeks preparing for the draft and training camp while attending NCAA volleyball matches across the region.
Several returning players are now back with the team, including Elena and Leketor Member-Meneh, who spent the offseason recovering from last season’s injury and is expected to return to the court in January. International signing Alexandra arrived Nov. 1 from Italy, and Camryn is expected in Fishers soon. Ainise and Lydia remained in central Indiana during the offseason and assisted with marketing and community engagement efforts.
The Ignite also welcomed Zuzanna “Zuza” Czyżnielewska on Nov. 1 as the team’s full-time strength and conditioning coach and performance coordinator. Czyżnielewska previously worked in the UCLA athletics department and has experience as both a professional volleyball player and a strength coach for European pro teams.
While players continue arriving, the Ignite front office is preparing for one of its most significant dates of the offseason: Major League Volleyball Draft Day on Nov. 24. The team will select four new athletes from the top NCAA players eligible for the league. The draft will be broadcast live on Roku beginning at noon.
The Ignite will operate an internal draft room from its Fishers offices, but fans are invited to a public Draft Day celebration at The Lounge at Parks Place Pub. Radio host Jake Query will broadcast “Query & Company” live from the pub, with festivities beginning at 11 a.m.
Following the draft, the team will turn its attention to its season opener. Indy Ignite will return to the Fishers Event Center on Jan. 24 for its first home match of the new season. The venue, which opened last November, is coming off its first full year as the home court for the Ignite.
The club also marked two milestones this month. Dec. 7 marked the second anniversary of the official announcement of Indy Ignite, and Nov. 22 marked the first anniversary of the Fishers Event Center.
Head coach Bertolacci recently summed up the team’s approach as preparations intensify: “Being crowned a champion is not totally in your control, but acting like one is,” she said during remarks at the IHSVCA State Finals Banquet.