This Week In Drury Athletics (November 9-15) ...
VOLLEYBALLAfter picking up a split of matches last week - a win Friday at Illinois Springfield followed by a loss at East leader McKendree on Saturday - Coach Jen Bahner's Panthers face a three-game week in Great Lakes Valley Conference play, including one final big one at home on Tuesday.
Drury (19-9, 9-6 in the GLVC) will play host to Missouri S&T (20-9, 11-4) in a 7 p.m. start at the O'Reilly Center. The Miners hold down second place and Drury sits in third in the West standings entering the final week of the regular season as both are chasing berths in the league's eight-team, post-season tournament that begins the following week.
The Panthers hold a one-game lead over Truman State and two over fifth-place UMSL; Drury visits Maryville (12-16, 4-11) on Friday night at 7 and then UMSL (14-15, 7-8) on Saturday at 1 p.m. to close out the regular season. A win over S&T Tuesday at home - where Drury is 9-1 this season - could go a long way toward securing the Panthers' first trip to the GLVC meet since 2012.
BASKETBALLCoach
Steve Hesser's Panthers will tip it off for real on Friday when Southwestern College out of Winfield, Kan., visits The O' at 7:45 p.m., or 30 minutes after the Lady Panthers' exhibition game that evening with Lyon College (5:30 p.m. tipoff).
Both DU squads picked up exhibition wins last week in tougher-than-expected tests. Coach
Molly Miller's Lady Panthers outlasted Columbia College 95-88, as Alice Heinzler's 24 points paced five DU players in double-figures, and the Panthers rallied to beat Missouri Baptist 99-92 in overtime behind 40 points from Kameron Bundy and 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals from newcomer Tevin Foster.
Southwestern College is 4-1 overall, including a 91-77 loss at College of the Ozarks last week, and will play at Manhattan (Kan.) Christian on Tuesday before visiting the Panthers.
Lyon is 1-0 after a 63-55 victory at Evangel. The Scots lost 92-45 at Missouri State in an exhibition on November 2, and will play at College of the Ozarks on Tuesday and will host Evangel on Thursday before visiting the Lady Panthers on Friday.
Friday's doubleheader at The O' represents the second annual "Service Day," with all current members or veterans of the Armed Forces and members of area police, fire, EMT and Highway Patrol departments - and their families - admitted for free by showing a valid ID at the ticket window. As always, kids 12-and-under are admitted free to all home regular season Drury Basketball contests, and are encouraged to sit in our Fanthers Kids Corner for an evening of fun!
DRURY ATHLETICS CALENDARTUESDAY7 p.m. - Volleyball vs. Missouri S&T, O'Reilly Center
FRIDAY5:30 p.m. - Women's Basketball vs. Lyon, O'Reilly Center
7 p.m. - Volleyball at Maryville, St. Louis
7:45 p.m. - Men's Basketball vs. Southwestern, O'Reilly Center
SATURDAY1 p.m. - Volleyball at UMSL, St. Louis
ALSO ...Drury Swimming & Diving swept its own invitational meet at the Breech Pool over the weekend. The Panthers are idle until competing in the Iowa Invitational December 4-5. ... The first
Steve Hesser/Drury Basketball Luncheon of the season is on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at Gracie's Cafe in the Doubletree Hotel at Glenstone and Kearney. ... the first
Molly Miller/Lady Panthers Basketball Radio Show of the season arrives Tuesday evening (6 to 7 p.m.) on JOCK 98.7 FM, and live at the Rib Crib location at 2815 N. Glenstone. ... there's the first
Steve Hesser/Panthers Basketball Radio Show the following evening, 6 to 7 p.m. and also on JOCK 98.7 FM and at Rib Crib. The radio shows both will settle into a Tuesday night, 6 p.m. slot after this opening week. ... Be sure to catch the Play It Again Sports/Drury Athletics Radio Show on Wednesday from 2 to 3 p.m. on JOCK 98.7 FM for interviews with student-athletes and coaches and previews of upcoming key events. ...Â
