Top-seeded Indy Ignite upset by Omaha Supernovas in fifth set of MLV championship semifinal
Top-seeded Indy Ignite upset by Omaha Supernovas in fifth set of MLV championship semifinal
Tyler Welch, Special to IndyStar Fri, May 8, 2026 at 2:11 AM UTC
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Top-seeded Indy Ignite upset by Omaha Supernovas in fifth set of MLV championship semifinal
FRISCO, TX — Coming off a record-setting 23-5 season, the Indy Ignite couldn’t find a 24th win in the semifinals against the Omaha Supernovas, falling short of a second straight championship berth.
After losing to the Ignite in the 2025 semifinals as the tournament’s top seed, the Supernovas exacted their revenge with a 3-2 upset win, 25-22, 21-25, 27-29, 25-20, 15-13. The Ignite went 3-1 in the regular season in five-set matches, the only loss coming against the Supernovas on March 14.
Anna DeBeer and Azhani Tealer led the Ignite (23-6) with 16 kills each. Tealer hit .244 and had a double-double with 14 digs, and Lydia Martyn added 12 kills (.320) and six blocks. Setter Mia Tuaniga had 59 assists and 12 digs, only outdone by Elena Scott’s MLV championship record 27 digs.
Sarah Parsons paced the Supernovas with 17 kills. Merritt Beason (12), Janice Leao (10) and Brooke Nuneviller (10) weren’t far behind.
The teams exchanged blows early, drawing even eight times in the first set. Tied at 14 apiece, two kills by Leao out of the middle and an attack error by Tealer gave Omaha a three-point advantage, allowing them to stave off Indy to win 25-21.
After falling behind again briefly in Set 2, Indy finally sparked its potent offensive attack, pulling away to win 25-21. The Ignite improved from a 33% kill percentage between sets, much thanks to Tealer, Jaelyn Keene and Leketor Member-Meneh scoring on over half of their attacks.
The Supernovas found a way to stifle DeBeer in Set 3, but MLV first-team middle blocker Martyn took over, crushing a set-high six kills. The Ignite were unable to take a lead for nearly the entire third set regardless, gaining their first advantage over the Supernovas after the first set point.
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With Omaha up 25-24, Tealer tied it on the attack, and the extended set became a battle of attrition. Kill after kill, neither team could score the deciding point until outside hitter Kayla Lund demolished a cross-court spike to give Indy a 28-26 win and a 2-1 advantage. Lund was a sub late who was keyed the Ignite offense eight kills (.263) and eight digs.
Despite falling behind in Set 4, Omaha found ways to extend its season, taking advantage of four service errors by Indy. Parsons wrapped up the set 25-20 with her 13th kill, levelling the match and sending the game to a decisive fifth set.
Tealer scored the first two points for the Ignite in the fifth set, but the Supernovas tied the game at four. Three straight kills between DeBeer and Lund put Indy ahead 7-4. The teams swapped sides of the court with Indy ahead 8-5, after which Omaha stormed its way back into the lead with a 4-0 run.
Yet, the Ignite refused to yield, as Martyn tied the match once more at 11, and then again at 12 with a block. The Ignite were gifted point 13 on a service error, but coach Lauren Bertolacci had to call a timeout when Beason landed a spike in the backcourt to put Omaha ahead 14-13.
On match point, Beason was once again the hero, scoring on her 12th kill for a 15-13 set three win.
Indy, which set an MLV win record with 23 in the regular season, ended its season just short of a second straight championship berth. Instead, the Supernovas will play the winner of the Dallas Pulse and San Diego Mojo in the “Match for a Million” at 3 p.m. ET Saturday for a $1 million prize and the second title in franchise history. They also won it as a 4 seed in 2024.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: MLV championship 2026: Indy Ignite lose vs Omaha Supernovas in semifinal
Source: “AOL Sports”
