AZHANI TEALER’S performance with the Indy Ignite women’s volleyball team is rock-solid this season. In a recent match against defending Professional Volleyball Federation champs the Omaha Supernovas, her talents were on full display. The opposite hitter earned league player of the week honors and blistered the record books for kills and points in a close loss to Omaha (12-4).
While outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh was out with an injury, Tealer stepped up and delivered 31 kills and scored 35 points, both records. “I’m sure I’ve never been set that many times in my career,” says Tealer. “It took my body several days to recover from that game.”
“My previous high was maybe 23 or 24 points. We wanted to win that match [with Omaha]. We haven’t beaten them yet, and we needed it but just came up short.”
As Tealer’s last spike went long, ending the match, she thought there was a chance it might be inbounds. “I don’t even remember hitting it. I was in an unconscious flow, [so] that everything I hit, I felt was good. Kind of an ultra-flow,” she says.
Tealer admits there was no master plan with Ignite setter Sydney Hilley for this game. “There was no talk prior to the match. But you can kind of figure out who the hot hand is pretty fast,” she says.
With her court time increased this season to 77 sets and counting, Tealer‘s outstanding play has already been recognized with an appointment to the 2025 All-Star team alongside teammate Member-Meneh. Her powerful game has accounted for nearly 25 percent of the Ignite’s total points this season (292 of 1,175). By contrast, last year while playing for the Orlando Valkyries in a far different role, she had 77 kills for the season in just 44 sets of action.
This rising star is on her way to becoming a big deal for the Ignite and in the PVF, but according to her, “I’m not a big deal at all, nor do I see myself that way.” But playing big should come naturally to the Grand Prairie, Texas, native. As a member of the Kentucky Wildcats volleyball team in 2021, Tealer and her team captured the NCAA crown. She was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America second team in 2021 and ’22.
Because of her Kentucky ties, Tealer’s favorite color is not surprising. “I love blue. I went to Kentucky, and I love everything about it. I bleed blue. But if I didn’t go there, I love yellow. I’m obsessed with heat and sunshine.”
While Tealer is not a superstitious person, there is one item she can’t play without: her signature headband. “I can’t play without a headband on. I’d just be messing with my hair all the time,” she says.
At the end of the season, every team will play for $1 million in the Pro Volleyball Federation Championship May 9 and 11 (location to be announced). “We want to win! We want to play for those million dollars in May,” Tealer says. “By winning, that would prove to the entire world that Indy is a mecca for volleyball, and we want to prove that.”
