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Pro Volleyball Federation leaders and Indy Ignite executives are hopeful early-season interest in the new team based in Fishers will bode well for turnout at Saturday’s inaugural league All-Star Match at Fishers Event Center.
The event will feature two dozen of the league’s top players—including four from the Ignite—as well as other local dignitaries and faces from the Indiana volleyball community. That latter includes Purdue University head coach Dave Shondell, who will be an honorary coach for one of the teams.
Structured differently from a typical Pro Volleyball Federation match, the contest will run three sets (individual games) instead of the standard five, with each expected to be played to 25 points. The third set could be shortened to 15 points depending on time left in the league’s two-hour television window. The winner of the match will be determined by the cumulative point total throughout the event, rather than on the number of sets won.
The match, set to start at 1:30 p.m., will be hosted by Shawn Johnson East, a four-time Olympic medalist in gymnastics, and sports analyst and former NBA player Jalen Rose.
Mary Kay Huse, general manager of Indy Ignite, a new team that made its debut last month, said staff has worked continuously to prepare for the all-star event since the event center was announced as the host in December, prior to the Ignite ever taking the court for a match.
Huse said the match is an opportunity to further educate the general public about volleyball as a sport worthy of attention while also giving dedicated followers an opportunity to celebrate and watch their favorite athletes.
“This all-star game is really putting that league brand first and foremost. And we’re wanting to educate people on professional volleyball and how exciting it is, helping attract new fans that haven’t been able to see it in person or on TV,” she said. “It’s going to be a good mix of volleyball fans and specifically Ignite fans but also lots of people new to the sport who are excited about the entertainment that comes with an all-star match.”
The arena has a capacity of just more than 6,600 for volleyball matches, and the only remaining tickets for the contest are standing-room-only vouchers for $20 per person.
Huse earlier in the week told IBJ that more than 4,500 tickets had been distributed for the match but said she expected sales to increase significantly as the event drew closer.
On Friday, Huse confirmed all tickets had been distributed, through multiple channels including the Ignite and the league, as well as Hamilton County Sports Authority, Fishers Event Center and Indiana Sports Corp.
“Our marketing push began when tickets went on sale in mid-January and the resulting ticket distribution includes traditional sales as well as complimentary ticket distribution to groups such as youth-serving organizations and civil servants,” she said. “We took that route for All-Star ticket distribution in an effort to increase exposure to pro volleyball and highlight the excellence of women’s sports.”
Ryan Grab, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the Pro Volleyball Federation, said the league has been pleased with the Indy Ignite’s effort to stir up interest in the event.
“We all want to see a full house and make sure fans have fun,” Grab said. “We want to make sure that we’re seeing Indy Ignite fans come into this game as well and to see a continuation from the [high] attendance for them through the start of the season. But we also want to see an engaged crowd … kids, families in the crowd having a good time.”
The Ignite’s Huse said several Indianapolis-area celebrities are expected to attend the match and participate in its pageantry, although she declined to share names. The event will also feature a pre-game show and opportunities for spectators at the arena to participate in person and through social media.
But the major highlight, she said, will be the match itself, offering rosters that may split players from the same franchise to be on the competing teams.
“As opposed to going down a route of skills contests and other things that I think could be really fun in future years, as the sport grows and the awareness of the league grows, we are making sure that we really have incredible volleyball,” Huse said.
“That’s still going to be the star of the show, but there’s a lot of in game entertainment elements that we’re going to spend a little bit more time on, and we’re probably going to take ourselves a little less seriously than we do at a traditional season match.”
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