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FISHERS — There have been days, plenty of days when middle blocker Lydia Martyn has been pushed so hard, so relentlessly during practice by Indy Ignite coach Lauren Bertolacci that "I might want to cry inside."
Martyn was expecting that. It didn't come as a surprise. She had talked to Bertolacci even before the Ignite hired her for their second season.
"I'd already known that she was going to be so invested in us as players growing, not just winning a championship, like yes, at the end of the day, that's what we're going to do," Martyn said Thursday after the Ignite, No. 1 in Major League Volleyball, swept the Orlando Valkyries 3-0. "But she's evolving us as players, and I think that's just really important to have that respect go both ways."
Evolving players. Growing team camaraderie. Challenging the status quo. Changing coaching philosophy, even if for one game, to pull out a win.
Bertolacci is known in the volleyball world as the best of the best. In eight seasons coaching at the professional level, she has a record of 221-39. That's batting .850.
In Indy, she has the Ignite riding an eight-match win streak, tied for the third best in Major League Volleyball history. They are known as an aggressive, attacking team that leads MLV in nearly offensive category.
"Our coach is like a dog, like big dog, and we're just like her little puppies following her," opposite hitter Azhani Tealer said. "And so when she brings the juice like that, and she's bringing the energy, it's like, we'll just follow in her record."
The match was never really in question as the Ignite soundly swept Orlando in three games: 25-20, 25-22, 25-17.
"What the Ignite do so well is that there's not just one player. They have weapons everywhere on the floor," Orlando coach Amy Pauly said. "And so you have to be really aggressive from the service line to try to get them out of their rhythm and try to make Mia Tuaniga, their setter, run around a lot and make it hard for her to set the offense."
Tuaniga had 50 assists and 12 digs for a double-double, helping run a balanced Ignite attack. Outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh had 15 kills and a block, leading all Ignite scorers
Pauly said Orlando scouts similarly for every team, but in Indy, specifically, they wanted to keep Martyn at bay. "When Lydia can get shut down, it makes things harder for everybody else. And she had a fantastic night."
Martyn and her entire team had a pretty fantastic night. Indy's offense set the tone from the opening set and finished the match hitting .381; Orlando finished with a .190 hitting percentage.
When Bertolacci was asked her secret to success as a coach who has come in and led her team to the top of the league in one season, she said it boils down to commitment.
"I will work harder than anyone in the room all the time," she said. "I will leave no stone unturned to win the game, whether that be what we're doing tactically, checking in on how the girls are doing emotionally, mentally, being ready for all different situations."
Bertolacci is a native of Australia and a former professional setter with a 10-year playing career across France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. She has earned a reputation as one of the most accomplished coaches in European volleyball.
Before she came to the Ignite, Bertolacci was the coach of Swiss powerhouse Viteos NUC, compiling a 207–37 record over seven seasons.
"Yeah, my record's nice. What I care about more is that I've won 16 championships, more than the record," Bertolacci said. "Records don't really matter. The championships do. And so I'm preparing them to do that."
For Martyn, she doesn't mind the tough practices Bertolacci runs, even the ones where she is emotionally and physically drained.
"I respect her so much for that, and we have such a unique dynamic in our team," Martyn said. "She's so hard on us, but also she's loving."
After Thursday's match, Martyn echoed her coach's thoughts on the team's 14-2 record.
"I think at the end of the day we can look at the record and reflect on it," Martyn said. "But I love coming into the gym every single day and I think tonight that even showed on the floor. That's the thing that is making us so excited about our record is we're seeing players make great plays."
Tealer knows her coach is loving those great plays because they lead to the end goal.
"She cares about winning, ultimately," Tealer said. "A lot of coaches have their philosophies and they stick to that whether it sacrifices winning or not. She's willing to do anything to win, which I think is really cool. We've seen a lot of different ways to do it and hers is turning out to be the best."
Watch the Ignite
Thursday’s match with Orlando is the first of four straight for the Ignite that will appear on nationaltelecasts. The Roku Sports Channel will air Saturday’s match at Omaha. The following two matches – March 19 versus Columbus and March 25 at Grand Rapids – will bothbe shown on the CBS Sports Network.
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why volleyball coach Lauren Bertolacci wins, leads Indy Ignite to top MLV team
Continue reading...
Martyn was expecting that. It didn't come as a surprise. She had talked to Bertolacci even before the Ignite hired her for their second season.
"I'd already known that she was going to be so invested in us as players growing, not just winning a championship, like yes, at the end of the day, that's what we're going to do," Martyn said Thursday after the Ignite, No. 1 in Major League Volleyball, swept the Orlando Valkyries 3-0. "But she's evolving us as players, and I think that's just really important to have that respect go both ways."
Evolving players. Growing team camaraderie. Challenging the status quo. Changing coaching philosophy, even if for one game, to pull out a win.
Bertolacci is known in the volleyball world as the best of the best. In eight seasons coaching at the professional level, she has a record of 221-39. That's batting .850.
In Indy, she has the Ignite riding an eight-match win streak, tied for the third best in Major League Volleyball history. They are known as an aggressive, attacking team that leads MLV in nearly offensive category.
"Our coach is like a dog, like big dog, and we're just like her little puppies following her," opposite hitter Azhani Tealer said. "And so when she brings the juice like that, and she's bringing the energy, it's like, we'll just follow in her record."
'Records don't really matter'
The match was never really in question as the Ignite soundly swept Orlando in three games: 25-20, 25-22, 25-17.
"What the Ignite do so well is that there's not just one player. They have weapons everywhere on the floor," Orlando coach Amy Pauly said. "And so you have to be really aggressive from the service line to try to get them out of their rhythm and try to make Mia Tuaniga, their setter, run around a lot and make it hard for her to set the offense."
Tuaniga had 50 assists and 12 digs for a double-double, helping run a balanced Ignite attack. Outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh had 15 kills and a block, leading all Ignite scorers
Pauly said Orlando scouts similarly for every team, but in Indy, specifically, they wanted to keep Martyn at bay. "When Lydia can get shut down, it makes things harder for everybody else. And she had a fantastic night."
Martyn and her entire team had a pretty fantastic night. Indy's offense set the tone from the opening set and finished the match hitting .381; Orlando finished with a .190 hitting percentage.
When Bertolacci was asked her secret to success as a coach who has come in and led her team to the top of the league in one season, she said it boils down to commitment.
"I will work harder than anyone in the room all the time," she said. "I will leave no stone unturned to win the game, whether that be what we're doing tactically, checking in on how the girls are doing emotionally, mentally, being ready for all different situations."
Bertolacci is a native of Australia and a former professional setter with a 10-year playing career across France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. She has earned a reputation as one of the most accomplished coaches in European volleyball.
Before she came to the Ignite, Bertolacci was the coach of Swiss powerhouse Viteos NUC, compiling a 207–37 record over seven seasons.
"Yeah, my record's nice. What I care about more is that I've won 16 championships, more than the record," Bertolacci said. "Records don't really matter. The championships do. And so I'm preparing them to do that."
'She cares about winning, ultimately'
For Martyn, she doesn't mind the tough practices Bertolacci runs, even the ones where she is emotionally and physically drained.
"I respect her so much for that, and we have such a unique dynamic in our team," Martyn said. "She's so hard on us, but also she's loving."
After Thursday's match, Martyn echoed her coach's thoughts on the team's 14-2 record.
"I think at the end of the day we can look at the record and reflect on it," Martyn said. "But I love coming into the gym every single day and I think tonight that even showed on the floor. That's the thing that is making us so excited about our record is we're seeing players make great plays."
Tealer knows her coach is loving those great plays because they lead to the end goal.
"She cares about winning, ultimately," Tealer said. "A lot of coaches have their philosophies and they stick to that whether it sacrifices winning or not. She's willing to do anything to win, which I think is really cool. We've seen a lot of different ways to do it and hers is turning out to be the best."
Watch the Ignite
Thursday’s match with Orlando is the first of four straight for the Ignite that will appear on nationaltelecasts. The Roku Sports Channel will air Saturday’s match at Omaha. The following two matches – March 19 versus Columbus and March 25 at Grand Rapids – will bothbe shown on the CBS Sports Network.
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why volleyball coach Lauren Bertolacci wins, leads Indy Ignite to top MLV team
Continue reading...
