Indy Ignite clinch MLV’s top seed with win at Atlanta

The Indy Ignite will enter the Major League Volleyball postseason from the top of the standings.

Indy defeated the Atlanta Vibe 3-1 Sunday in Gwinnett, Georgia, clinching the league’s regular-season crown and the No. 1 seed for the MLV Championship. Set scores were 25-18, 19-25, 25-22 and 25-23.

The victory moved the Ignite to 21-5, tying the MLV record for most wins in a season. Even if Indy drops its final two regular-season matches and Dallas wins out, the Ignite would retain the top seed through the league’s first tiebreaker, match result points.

Sunday’s match was not a runaway. Indy closed the opening set on a seven-point run, but Atlanta answered by taking the second set. The Ignite then pulled out two tight finishes, winning the third set 25-22 and the fourth 25-23.

Lydia Martyn led Indy with 14 kills and five blocks for a team-high 19 points. Leketor Member-Meneh added 12 kills and 11 digs, while Camryn Hannah had 10 kills, two aces, a block and six digs.

The standings now show Indy clearly in first place at 21-5, ahead of Dallas at 19-7. San Diego and Omaha are battling in the next tier of the standings as the regular season winds down.

The Ignite now return home to Fishers Event Center for their final two regular-season matches. Columbus visits at 7 p.m. Friday, followed by San Diego at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 3. The MLV Championship is set for May 7 and 9 at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas, with matches to be televised nationally on ION.