FISHERS — After a nervous, out-of-rhythm first set that ended in a 25-13 loss to the Orlando Valkyries, the light turned on for the Indy Ignite who promptly swept the next three sets for a season-opening win inside the sold-out Fishers Event Center.

The victory was a team effort led by a dynamic duo of outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh and opposite Azhani Tealer, who combined for 44 kills and 49 points of the Ignite’s 88 total points scored.

Inside the arena, official attendance of 6,089, the fans were rowdy and raucous. “Thank you fans for making history with us,” the announcer shouted. This was Indy’s newest chapter in women’s professional sports.

“It reminded me a lot of the Fever games,” said Mandy Gripe, a season ticket holder for the Ignite and Fever. “I think that women’s sports have crossed the tipping point, and it just feels really cool to see it and witness all of it. It’s history.”

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The Ignite played behind until the second set when the team took a 15-14 lead after a string of kills by Member-Meneh. Next point? Another kill by Member Meneh. After setter Sydney Hilley dumped on two, the Ignite were up 18-16.

The Valkyries, who swept their season opener Thursday against the San Diego Mojo, didn’t take another lead the rest of the match. Set two: 25-19. Set three: 25-17. Set four: 25-21.

Hilley racked up 44 assists and libero Kylie Murr scoured the floor for 12 digs and five assists. Rounding out the key players of the match with five points each were middle blocker Blake Mohler, outside hitter Nina Cajic and middle blocker Caroline Crawford.

After the match, hundreds of fans waited in line for autographs from Ignite players. Luke Miller and Asher Wilson came to the opener not knowing what to expect.

“I’ve always been a little bit of a fan of volleyball, so I thought I’d come check it out, you know?” said Miller. “I was surprised how electric it was. (Member-Meneh) has some hops. She can jump.”

Member-Meneh, who serves at more than 60 miles per hour, also had 18 digs.

In attendance for the team’s first win were Indianapolis Colts player Kenny Moore, commissioner Jen Spicher of the Pro Volleyball Federation and every mascot in the city, including the Colts’ Blue, there to support Ignite mascot Pepper’s debut.

“What most struck me upon entering was the number of young girls with their parents,” said Jake Query, sports radio host of ‘Query & Company’ on 107.5 The Fan. “I love that they have another option for role models.” 

One role model who stood out was Member-Meneh, he said. “Leketor is Gary Brackett, Lance Stephenson and Brian Cardinal. The kind of selfless lunch pail athlete Indy loves.”

After attending the Ignite match, Query said he believes the team will catch on.

“Volleyball is a rhythm, momentum sport,” he said. “It is fast paced and a roller coaster.” 

For Annabell Gripe, who plays for the Monon Select Club, she said there was a “wow” factor inside the arena.

“It was more than I expected it to be,” she said. “This is crazy that it’s a sold-out women’s sport. Women’s sports are so underrated.”

Her grandmother Gail Gripe, who coached volleyball at Lafayette Jeff and was there before Title IX was enacted, said the Ignite were another step toward gender equality in sports.

“I think that the Fever and the women’s Olympic soccer team and all of this has started this really good ignition. Women’s sports has really been taken notice of,” she said. “They’re so good at what they do. The fact that this was sold out, that’s very important. There are going to be more people that have to come back for this.”

The Ignite’s next match is 7 p.m. Thursday against the Grand Rapids Rise at the Fishers Event Center.

Saturday’s match was the first of 28 for the Ignite this season. Six of those will be broadcast nationally in partnership with CBS and FOX Sports. The remaining matches can be streamed on the PVF YouTube channel. The six Ignite matches designated for national broadcast are:

• · January 18 at Columbus, CBS Sports Network, 10:30 p.m. (tape delay)
• · February 2 vs. Columbus, FS2, 6 p.m.
• · February 8 at Orlando, FS2, 7 p.m.
• · February 16 at Atlanta, CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
• · February 27 vs. Vegas, FS2, 8 p.m.
• · March 22 at Omaha, FS1, 7 p.m.

Indy will also play host to the PVF All-Star Match that airs live on the national CBS network at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 22. It will be the first all-star match in league history and the first pro volleyball match to air on CBS’ main over-the-air network.

Follow the Indy Ignite on Facebook, Instagram and X. Purchase tickets.

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com. 

The New England Patriots might have their quarterback situation settled for the 2025 NFL season. Drake Maye is the clear-cut franchise quarterback, while Joe Milton III may have ended the backup competition already with his performance in the season finale.

If that scenario ends up becoming reality, Jacoby Brissett would be the odd man out of the Patriots’ quarterback room.

More than likely, Brissett will be looking for an opportunity to play. In New England, that opportunity may not be available anymore.

Brissett will be looking for a place where he can be a team’s primary backup. Now, there is a team that has been projected to end up landing the veteran quarterback in NFL free agency.

Cam Garrity of Patriots Wire has predicted that Brissett will end up landing a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts this offseason.

“Brissett will likely command decent money for a year or two elsewhere, and I could see the Indianapolis Colts calling him back home on a low-risk deal,” Garrity wrote. “Joe Flacco has been valuable for the Colts as someone to come in and take the reins when needed.

“Anthony Richardson is off to a rocky start, and he has already seen his fair share of injuries thus far. Flacco could also decide to hang it up considering he’ll be turning 40 years old this year. Signing a veteran like Brissett makes sense.”

Of course, Brissett was previously a member of the Colts from 2017 to 2020.

During the 2024 campaign with the Patriots, Brissett ended up playing in eight total games. He completed just 59 percent of his pass attempts for 826 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

At 32-years-old, the fact of the matter is that Brissett simply doesn’t fit the outlook for New England.

Paying him any kind of sizable money would be a mistake. The Patriots need to focus fully on their future and getting back into playoff contention.

Brissett will not help that effort, which should lead to the two sides parting ways this offseason. Indianapolis could make sense as a destination and will be worth keeping an eye on.

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The Indianapolis Colts concluded 2024 with a lackluster 8-9 record, which isn’t good enough to instill confidence in the franchise’s future. Once the dust settled after the Week 18 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Colts general manager Chris Ballard spoke at his end-of-season presser for the local media.

Over about an hour, Ballard touched on nearly everything in the headlines regarding the Colts’ up-and-down 2024 season. However, one interesting area was his evaluation of the tight end group, which struggled mightily to be a receiving threat.

Ballard broke down the tight end group: “We didn’t get enough production from them. I will say this, they did a very good job blocking in the run game.” Ballard continued, “They’re excellent blockers, but our inability to control the middle of the field, which we’ve got to be able to do, I’ve got to be able to give Shane (Steichen) and them a guy that can really control the middle of the field that teams have to account for and defend.”

The tight end room consisted of Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Drew Ogletree, and Will Mallory, but none excelled in any way as a receiver. Below are the receiving marks from each, along with the games played:

Mo Alie-Cox | 17 games – 12 catches – 147 receiving yards – 12.3 average – 1 Touchdown

Kylen Granson | 17 games – 14 catches – 182 receiving yards – 13.0 average – 0 Touchdowns

Drew Ogletree | 17 games – Nine catches – 109 receiving yards – 12.1 average – 1 Touchdown

Will Mallory | 10 games – Four catches – 29 receiving yards – 7.3 average – 0 Touchdowns

Indy’s four tight ends massed 39 catches for 467 receiving yards (12.0 average) and two touchdowns. Ballard acknowledging that Indy needs to get a tight end that can control the middle of the field is a good sign, especially given the injury setbacks of the 2022 draft pick Jelani Woods.

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Dynamic NFL offenses have solid pass-catching tight ends. Teams like the Buffalo Bills (Dalton Kincaid), Kansas City Chiefs (Travis Kelce), Baltimore Ravens (Mark Andrews), and Philadelphia Eagles (Dallas Goedert) use these weapons to elevate the entire offensive approach, helping set up the other pass-catchers and the running attack.

Indianapolis has nearly no resemblance of this on the roster outside of (possibly) the heavily injured Woods, but nobody can be confident in the former third-round selection due to missing two straight seasons (2023-2024). This situation, paired with Ballard’s evaluation of the tight ends, points to the Colts trying to draft a tight end in a little over three months.

Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr., Penn State’s Tyler Warren, and Michigan’s Colston Loveland are arguably the top three tight end candidates heading into the NFL draft, so fully expect Ballard, Shane Steichen, and the Colts’ front office to do whatever necessary to get Anthony Richardson the sure thing at the position for the future.

Discovering elite talent like Kelce, Andrews, and Goedert at tight end is difficult, as a player Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders) doesn’t grow on trees. Indy can’t go another full season with four tight ends falling under 40 catches as a group; that isn’t helping the development of Richardson.

The Colts have plenty of time to look into the tight end options in the upcoming draft and free agency, so we’ll see what the organization wants to do for a spot on the roster that was invisible outside of blocking assignments. In the modern NFL, a tight end must be more to be a true offensive weapon.

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