On Sunday, May 11, the Indy Ignite and the Orlando Valkyries battled in Henderson, N.V., to win the 2025 Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) Championship. Both the Ignite and the Valkyries earned a spot in the title match with an upset win in the semifinals round. The Ignite beat the Omaha Supernovas, last year’s PVF Champions, while the Valkyries beat the Atlanta Vibe, this year's 2nd-ranked team heading into the tournament. As the Valkyries and the Ignite faced off on Sunday, though, only one team would return home with a million dollars of prize money in their pockets.
The “Match For A Million” began with a strong start from the Valkyries, who took the first two sets of the game 25 to 21 and 25 to 19. Despite the Valkyries’ early domination, the Ignite’s work ethic and fighting mentality allowed them to win the third set 25 to 19 and close the gap in the scoring. At the end of four sets, though, it was the Valkyries who won the championship match three sets to one. The Valkyries were led by finals MVP Pornpun Guedpard and regular-season MVP Britanny Abercrombie, whose game winning hit ended the match.
The Location
The spectacle on the court matched the entertainment that PVF fans could find away from the court. Lee’s Family Forum, the home court of the Vegas Thrill, is a vibrant facility inaugurated in 2022 that offers fans proximity to the action with its 5,567-seat capacity. The venue also offers visitors a community-first experience with great outdoor spaces and restaurants, making Lee’s Family Forum the arena of choice for the PVF’s end-of-year tournament. “It’s a fantastic setting, it’s a great venue, and it’s family friendly. The kids have a blast,” said Jen Spicher, CEO of PVF, to Las Vegas Morning Blend ahead of this year's semifinals, also held in Henderson.
But in contrast to other great sporting venues, the PVF’s choice of destination for the 2025 Championship brought traveling fans even more entertainment. Lee’s Family Forum is situated just outside Las Vegas, N.V., a city renowned for its variety of food and entertainment. "Whether you're a lifelong fan or new to PVF, Vegas is the place to be,” said Spicher during the Championship venue announcement in April 2025. Vegas’ overall attraction represented the perfect location for the PVF to host this year’s edition of the “Match For A Million”.
“Whether you're a lifelong fan or new to PVF, Vegas is the place to be.”
The Significance For Women’s Sports
Besides the entertainment factor, Vegas is also seen as the city of money. And money is something that PVF knows a lot about. As the name suggests, the PVF Championship match had a million dollars on the table for the champions to take as a bonus—the biggest prize in American volleyball.
The PVF offering such a huge amount of money in only its second season has had an important impact on women’s sports. The league has set a standard when it comes to prize money for any future women’s sports leagues coming to North America. The million-dollar bonus offered to the players reflects the craze surrounding women’s sports and shows how a young league can invest in players and give them significant monetary bonuses. Speaking about the prize money, Spicher stated to the Las Vegas Morning Blend that the money goes to the players. She added in that same interview that earning this prize is impactful for players: “They’re very excited. There’s a lot on the line.”
The PVF Championship game was also broadcasted on CBS Sports Network for the second year in a row. “It’s so amazing for our sport. I think all of us are fully aware that we’re on the ground floor of something and we want to build something that’s gonna be around for a long time,” said Valkyries’ middle blocker Kaz Brown about the PVF’s broadcast opportunities to CBS Morning Plus following the Championship. The broadcast success of “Match For A Million” showcases the craze around women’s sports and the quality that the league has delivered in its first two seasons.
Nice Serve for Season 3
The PVF’s decision to host this year’s “Match For A Million” in Nevada is a testament to the league wanting to create the best overall environment for their Championship games. Although Lee’s Family Forum wasn’t sold out for this year’s final, it’s safe to say that entertainment opportunities in both Henderson and Las Vegas offered fans a great taste of the PVF’s standards and set the bar for what the next “Match For A Million” destination will be.
