Photo gallery: Pro volleyball All-Star Match draws full house to Fishers Event Center

Team Collier goes for a hit during the second set of the Pro Volleyball Federation All-Star Match at Fishers Event Center on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (IBJ photo/Mickey Shuey)

Pro Volleyball Federation executives had high hopes heading into this weekend’s inaugural All-Star Match for the fledgling league, and in particular what it could mean for the future of women’s professional indoor volleyball.

Saturday’s event far exceeded those expectations, as nearly 7,000 spectators took in a nearly two-hour match at Fishers Event Center, home venue for the league’s upstart Indy Ignite club.

In addition to traditional ticket sales, many local volleyball clubs, collegiate programs and youth organizations were provided tickets through the federation and the Indy Ignite, as well as through partnerships with the Hamilton County Sports Authority and Indiana Sports Corp. The match was broadcast nationally on CBS, marking a first for the sport.

“We were sold out today, and we were sold out for a completely neutral match in a brand new venue, with a brand new expansion team,” said Jen Spicher, CEO of the Pro Volleyball Federation. “That’s cause for celebration.”

The three-set match—a break from the league’s typical format that offers up to five sets—featured a pair of teams made up of two dozen of the league’s top players, including four from the Ignite. The match was won handily by the squad that was led by Purdue University Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Dave Shondell, with the team winning all three sets and securing a cumulative score victory of 58-47.

Spicher said she is optimistic the approach taken to ticket distribution helped capture the attention of young players and their families, many of whom made up a large portion of the crowd of 6,943.

“Volleyball is a fantastic sport … where on every single point, something fantastic happens,” she said. “So I absolutely think being on the CBS [flagship broadcast station] is going to help us to continue to jump-start this sport in the United States, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch and see it grow.”

Mary Kay Huse, general manager and president of Indy Ignite, said she was pleased with how the event came together, particularly given the condensed planning timeframe. She said team officials learned in November, just as the venue was opening, that Fishers would be hosting the event. They worked closely with the league and local sports organizations to pull the match together. Local cultural group GangGang also worked to pull in unique art and entertainment offerings for spectators.

“It really exceeded all expectations, and I think the fans had a blast,” Huse said. “I think it was just everything we’d hoped for, and more. We are so excited that we got to do the [league]’s first all-star game here in central Indiana, where we just know how to do big events.”

She said the Ignite would welcome the opportunity to host the event again and is already considering ways to further grow the event for fans and the league.

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“Obviously, when you’ve done something once there’s so many things to learn from that and improve upon—to go bigger and better—and that’s what we are built to do here at Indy Ignite,” Huse said. “I think we have a great partnership with the league, and I think there absolutely will be more opportunities for us to host league events in the future, after [this] success. We would love and be honored to do so.”

For her part, Spicher said she “absolutely” expects there to be consideration about bringing the event back to Fishers. Until then, she said the league is focused on finishing out the season and looking for more opportunities to continue to establish volleyball as a force in the sports world.

“We need to continue … to get investment from sponsors—long-term sponsors,” she said, noting that the league has already seen improvements in raising the sports profile through increased national broadcasts. “We need to continue to do that with sponsorships and logos on the floor. That’s really what it’s going to take. And then, of course, butts in seats, eyeballs on TV and ticket sales.”